focusing on the good.

Flickr favorites...click here...you know the routine.

I hate to admit it...but I think I am one of those "the glass is half empty" people. I'm not proud. Not at all. As a matter of fact, it's actually quite annoying. I know I get annoyed by others who always see the glass as half empty...constantly complaining or whining or pointing out the negatives. It drives me crazy!

So why is it that it's OK for me? Does it sound any better coming out of my mouth than it does, say, your mouth? No. It doesn't. It sounds yucky. And...it's not OK. It's annoying. I mean, come on, you know it's bad when you are so negative you even annoy your SELF.

Last week I was feeling particularly negative...and down in the dumps. So in an effort to combat those feelings I decided to try something new: focusing on the good. It's amazing what thinking on good things can do for one's mindset...for one's outlook...for one's spirit. As a matter of fact...it was so effective I decided to do it again.

Ready? Here goes...I'm going to spend some time focusing on the good.

• Spending the day in San Francisco with my mom and her long-time friend, Leslie. (They've been friends since jr. high...this fact truly should be a bullet-point of its own...here's to good friends!)
• The baby praying mantis that lives in the garden. He started on the Japanese maple, moved to the sunflower and is now hanging out on the grape vines.
• Cooking a meal for friends and having everything turn out good. :)
• Sitting under the ceiling fan.
• Sun tea. (Did I list this last week? Oh well...I will probably list it next week, too...it's just that good!)
• Friends who call you up from the church parking lot offering to bring your kids home for you.
• Ripe avocado with my hubby's homemade salsa...summer perfection!
• A neat and tidy backyard.
• Checking things off of the home-improvement to-do list.
• Strawberry shortcake for breakfast!
• Chickens taking sun baths in the dappled shade.
• Setting goals.
• Knowing that church camp truly had an impact on my kids. xo
• Birds at the bird feeder.

Life is good. Even on the bad days. It's just a matter of how I see it. I am making an effort to see the glass as half-full...to be positive...and to focus on the good.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Philippians 4:8