You Can Choose to Be Happy

Last night, I decided to express gratitude upon waking to set the tone for the day. It's not that I don't express gratitude daily; I simply find it difficult first thing in the morning. I have never been a morning person, waking up bright and bubbly as some do. When my alarm goes off, I hit the snooze button two or three times before rising from bed. It takes me approximately fifteen to twenty minutes before I'm entirely able to function. Today would be different.

When the alarm sounded this morning, it took everything I had not to hit snooze. Between yawns, I focused my mind and began to thank God for a new day, my husband, and my family. I spoke aloud an affirmation that today would be great and prepared for the workday.

To be honest, this wasn't entirely my idea. The previous night I read the article 'How Was Your Day?' = How Did You Look at Your Day? By Genius Turner. In it, he makes the following assertion:

"Because happiness is a state of mind, this means we daily decide whether to live in a happy state or not.''

I was interested in putting this theory to the test because my mood fluctuates based on circumstances. If true, the above statement means that I have the power to decide how life events would affect me based on my view of them. Happiness need not depend on favorable or unfavorable circumstances. I was ready to begin the new journey of completely transforming my thinking.

On my way to work, I stopped at Tim Horton's drive-through. It was my second time going to this particular Tim Horton's in two weeks. On my first visit, a young male voice came over the intercom asking for my order. "I'd like a regular coffee," was my reply. He didn't like my response and barked, "WHAT SIZE?!" I repeated I would like the regular size coffee. Back and forth, this went for a minute or two.

The issue boiled down to semantics, but I wasn't budging. I was very annoyed by this young man's tone of voice. Had he not been taught that the customer is always right? I pulled up to the window, and he was nowhere to be seen, which was probably good for us both. A woman handed me a small coffee, to which I started to protest but decided to pay and leave. Usually, I would have asked to speak with the manager but needed to get to my destination.

Fast forward to the present. Everything was going my way. The roads were clear, and traffic was flowing smoothly. I pulled up to the drive-through at Tim Horton's and was greeted by a pleasant voice saying someone would take my order shortly. Shortly turned into more than five minutes. To make sure they hadn't forgotten me, I politely said, "hello." The voice that came back was the unpleasant male voice encountered the week prior. "CAN YOU GIVE US A MINUTE PLEASE?!" Oh no, the voice from hell was my first thought. Driving off was my second thought.

Thankfully, I remembered the affirmation made this morning that today would be a good day. Eventually, someone took my order. I pulled up to the window, and there he was with a scowl across his face. I gave him my best smile and merriest "Good Morning!" The young man's demeanor immediately transformed. "Good morning, your order is three dollars and eighteen cents," he said. After paying, I thanked him and wished him a good day, to which he replied, "Thanks, you too."

Take-Away

I could have easily met his anger with my own and made whatever challenges he was dealing with worse. Instead, I chose to remember the article I read the night before, my affirmation, and the grace God extends to me daily. I am so glad I did. How was my day? It was great!

Thanks for reading!