Little Miss Sunshine on a Day When Things Keep Going Wrong

Your Daily Dose of Sunshine - Today's Inspirations:

• Friends Chiming in About What They Admire About Me

• A Magical Midnight Meeting

• A Computer on the Fritz

• My Husband's Dump Truck on the side of the Road

• Harvard Health Blog Article on Staying Positive During Difficult Times

Friends Chiming in About What They Admire About Me

Right before I signed off of Social Media for the night, I posed a question to my friends on Facebook. I was filling in the Awareness & Self-Discovery parts of my new planner, and one part said to ask my friends what they admire most about me.

What an awkward question to put out there. "Oh hi, friends. Can you tell me how great I am?" No, that's not how I worded it. I sort of back-pedaled the question to a select group of people, feeling embarrassed about asking.

I woke up this morning to a comment section full of love and admiration for the joy I spread, my courage - in life and in sharing my poetry and heart, my vulnerability, creativity, optimism, and drive to understand myself and share my discoveries with others.

It was overwhelmingly beautiful.

And it's something I would like to suggest you do either with a select few, or with your following. What do they admire about you? How can you focus on the things people see in you to become an even better version of that person?

A Magical Midnight Meeting

Last night, in the middle of the night, in the pouring rain, I had the great good fortune to see a life begin a transformation right before my eyes.

Someone with more creativity in his little finger than whole cities - truly.

Someone who had been throwing his life away for some time.

He reached out. He didn’t want a handout, but wanted to talk.

I sat with him as he showed an amazing depth of understanding about where he’s at and why. He took responsibility, and shared his First Step with me - the first of twelve in recovery.

I got home at 5am.

When he’s fully himself, he shines brighter than the sun.

Rejoice with me over New Beginnings!!

A Computer on the Fritz

Suddenly, my computer doesn't have Bluetooth access for my headset, or sound anywhere. I can't view YouTube videos on websites giving instructions for applying for their jobs. Somehow I was able to do the video recording for that second stage of the interview process earlier this week - right before everything stopped working.

The thing is, it's not just the sound. Many of my apps have stopped working as well because my CPU isn't compatible with the latest updates.

I'm checking everything, doing diagnostics, and it looks like I may need a whole new computer. Fun times when I'm in job search mode.

But the sunshine person inside me says everything happens for a reason, and maybe the right job at this time isn't a work from home situation. Maybe there's an office nearby that needs me.

For the time being, I can limp along without sound and focus on writing and some of the more old-school ways of applying for local jobs. I don't need sound for that.

My Husband's Dump Truck on the side of the Road

So, I called to see if it seemed like a good idea to go get a new computer, and my hubby told me his truck is broken down on the side of the road. It's a snowy day in Southern Oregon. He said something to the tune of The Hits Keep Coming.

But, he's also a the type of person who will find a way to look at the positive in any situation. This was a big thing for me when we were first getting to know each other, and I was starting to fall in love with him. We were picking up groceries and the line was really long. He said, "Oh, I just love it when the line I'm standing in ends up being the slowest moving. It gives me time to settle my thoughts and breathe."

Right there. That melted my heart.

I'm not sure of the severity of the issue right now. Dump trucks are always going in for a new set of tires, or some sort of repair. They have to be worked on constantly to stay up to inspection regulations. He does most of the work himself, being a mechanic. And he said he was working on it. Today might be an expensive day, so we'll work with the computer I have for now.

As always - onward and upward!

Harvard Health Blog Article on Staying Positive During Difficult Times

When things are going badly, and we need to stay positive, there are things science suggests.

This article from the Harvard Health Blog (written in 2020 when we were all deeply struggling) offers the following insights.

• Be more mindful - purposely focusing your attention on the present moment and accepting it without judgment

• Share some kindness - research suggests that people who volunteer their time tend to be happier than those who don't

• Practice gratitude - Our brains are wired to take note of when things go wrong. But keeping a gratitude journal - writing down things you're thankful for - makes you more aware of when things go right.

My prayer for you and for me is that we continue to forge ahead through thick and thin. That we see obstacles as opportunities, we count our blessings, and that we find ways to pay it forward whether through a volunteer effort or sharing our strengths and gifts with others.

What are you grateful for today? Please share in the comments!