Attitude is Everything

Okay, life is hard. I know it. To be honest I've lived through a house fire (lost everything), then a tornado (practically lost everything) and then at age 41 I lost my husband. In other words, he died. Life is going to throw you a lot of curve balls. It does it to everyone; their own unique trials and tribulations. Some people say being strong is the way to handle these situations. I differ on that aspect.

I believe the way to get through all the messes in life is to alter your attitude. Let's face it; attitude is everything. I'd much rather be around a person who has a positive outlook on life than the pessimist. Pessimists zap your energy and leave you feeling much worse than when you found them. Now I don't believe people should fake it and be little miss sunshine when chatting with someone in a real crisis. Don't be a phony. But looking at the bright side has always been my choice over whining or delving in self pity. I suppose I like to keep the tears at home.

I cried when I lost my home twice. I bawled like a baby. But that can only last so long. I guess I'm more grateful for the giving souls who came along to help. I live in a great part of the country where people will come out of nowhere to help when the bad times arrive. That's a wonderful blessing and can easily change a person's outlook. But when my homes were gone, I still had my husband and sons. That made it easy to be appreciative and I had help to get through those times. Losing a husband is a different story.

I was completely lost when my husband had a tractor accident. I got up, went to work and never saw him again. It's an amazingly painful thing to go through. And to top it off, I had no real confidant. I had friends, family, neighbors, but I lost the most important person in my life. Since then I've met many others who have gone through the same situation. There's nothing easy about it.

The first year alone was definitely the worse. I had to do everything by myself. I learned to mow, drive long distances alone, make new friends... The list goes on and on.  What I didn't realize as I was going through that rough year was that God had my back. He was helping me become the person I was to be. It was a horrifying time, but I did it. I'm still doing it. Life goes on. And what helped me the most was attitude.

I sit here today and enjoy having freedom to make my own choices. I still know my decisions can have repercussions, but I've accepted that responsibility. And I know I'm responsible for how I respond to others. I know I can help build them up or be part of tearing them down. Honestly, I'd rather be a builder. It comes back to attitude. How am I going to respond when I have the option? I am still working on it, but I want to be a builder. How about you?