Lighten Up!

How many times have I had to decide whether I'll just go with the gut feeling and fall apart or take a few steps back and laugh? Too often, I've taken the former. Case and point: imagine a crock pot full of freshly made stew (minus two bowls' worth) sitting on the counter. I'm in another part of the house and hear the awful crash. I walk in the kitchen to find this

All I can think about is how much money just got splattered all over Camden and my kitchen. I was irate! All Ricky can think to do is laugh and grab the camera. Despite his efforts for me to join him in the hilarity of the moment, I just couldn't let it go. Gone were all the delicious meals I had coming to me! I had my heart set on it (yes, I know it's just stew, but I LOVE it). I finally managed to kick them out of the room and blow off steam while scrubbing up the mess. To my regret, I missed out on a good laugh.

On the flip side...This past Sunday, Ricky was out of town for a triathlon, and I was "single-mommin" it for the weekend. I was completely ready for church, all I had to do was change clothes. I had the boys ready to take a bath but when I reached down to plug the drain, force of habit took over, and I pulled the shower on instead. You guessed it, GUSH! All down the back of my head. "NNnnnoooooo!" That was my exact response. However, it was met with some positive energy that I think must have come straight from God knowing what I needed right at that moment! So while the kids played together in the tub, I stood at the sink and redid the 'do--the very blonde 'do. I found myself smiling and thinking of how that was just the dumbest thing I've done in awhile.

So, here's the deal. I wasted soooo much time and energy being frustrated and angry, not to mention I probably came down too hard on Camden, in story A. However, in story B, I had a much better time and I still managed to get to church on time (which was a miracle in and of itself!).

Take it from me (this is self-talk too), remember that just because a situation might warrant bad, or simply angry, behavior, it doesn't mean you have to go there. Besides, you'll enjoy yourself more (and everyone else for that matter) if you'll just let it go and lighten up.