How to Prevent a Dark Cloud Over Your Head
Are there times you feel sorry for yourself? I do. I know you can shift your mood through focusing on gratitude. Father Jim DeBruycker wrote this in the church bulletin.
He gave me some ideas I wouldn’t have thought of:
I’ve been wondering this week if I’m a descendant of Joe Btfsplk, the long-ago cartoon character who walked around with a black cloud over his head. Joe’s story was that he experienced problems wherever he went – which pretty well describes my week.
Last Saturday the air conditioning went out at my house. When I called for service – on a weekend when the temps never got lower than about 90 – I was told that no one could come out until Tuesday. Okay, I can tough it out by going into the office.
Well, in theory that was a great idea but unfortunately the Parish Center air conditioning had also gone out and that wouldn’t be fixed until Wednesday. After a modest period of self-pity, I eventually started thinking about how lucky I am to be able to live and work in air conditioning. Way too many people, just in our city, don’t have that kind of life and luxury. I thought about the air conditioning repair folks who work outside, even up on boiling hot roofs, to repair cooling systems for the fortunate among us. Then I thought about the homeless who have absolutely no cool place to go and must find a shady spot, at best, to rest.
There’s been a lot written lately about “gratitude” and I think that’s a good reminder for each of us. There have been some bumps in my life but, on the whole, I’ve been blessed. Sure, I’ve had to deal with cancer these past few years but I’m grateful for the excellent healthcare professionals who care for me; loyal family and friends to help me if and when I need it; and good insurance to cover the costs. There are way too many people, some whom I know, who don’t have those blessings.
When things don’t go our way, some of us (no names!!) go to impatience and “woe is me” pretty fast. Maybe we could work on an “attitude readjustment” if we took even a few minutes every day to say a prayer of gratitude for all the good things in our life instead of bemoaning broken air conditioning, irritating drivers or slow people in the grocery checkout lane.
The cartoon character, Joe B , always had a black cloud over his head & was into “Woe is me”. Here are more techniques to shift your mood with gratitude!
