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Positivity

1/27/2014

7 Comments

 
A quick and simple post this evening. One new practice I'm trying to get into practicing is to focus more on the positive aspects of life--from mundane daily chores that finally get done to epically wild experiences. Today was filled with wonderful celebrations--getting out to visit the amazing not-so-new-anymore McKinley playground, surprising Big Brother with a playdate for the afternoon, managing to feed the boys a yummy veggie filled dinner, and somehow getting them both to sleep by 7:30pm. Although today is not a very typical experience, I'm choosing to pat myself on the back for putting away all the clean laundry but not dwell on the fact I still need to wipe down the kitchen counters. 

On the bike, it's easy to let that one driver who passed too closely ruin an otherwise wonderful ride. Why not celebrate the fact that hundreds of vehicles passed by in an appropriate manner? I get wrapped up in the terrible stories of bicyclists being hurt and killed and sometimes forget that millions of riders make their journeys safely and that more people are deciding to give biking a try instead of driving every day. While it's not to minimize the wrongs in the world but it is important to keep things in proper perspective. 

The ongoing depressing reality of the severity of California's drought has been overwhelming but then I read Dan Allison's insightful piece on the Benefits Of The Drought and it put a slightly brighter perspective on the table. There are many things in life that we cannot control and yet we waste a lot of energy worrying about them. Many people are doing incredible things for themselves, others, and the planet and I would like to be one of those people. I might not be able to make grand, sweeping changes, right now I can ride my bike with a big silly grin on my face (hopefully I'll move up from there). 

In the culture we live in, positivity takes work. We are so bombarded with negativity because that is what sells (news, insurance, cars, guns, etc). I'm going to start working on a real pen-and-paper journal that lists all my favorite parts of the day. I know that some days will be easy and other days will be harder but on those difficult days, it will be nice to have life's previous positive experiences to help keep me from spiraling into a pit of a Fox "news" type reality. 

So to wrap things up, I'll share my favorite thing of the day today--three boys on a bike! It's impossible to be sad when fart and poop jokes are so plentiful.  
Picture
7 Comments
DaD
1/27/2014 01:05:26 pm

Right on the money & I might have a journal for you too!

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Elisabeth link
1/27/2014 03:05:41 pm

Little boy fart jokes are the best pick-me-up there is!

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Jules
1/27/2014 07:01:43 pm

You continue to amaze me Elle. I swear, you are the cause of my 'glass is half empty' attitute shifting to a 'glass is half full' one. Keep the blogs coming - I love reading your updates. Thank you for the picture - how can those happy grins do anything other than cheer you up?

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Melanie link
1/27/2014 10:35:05 pm

Great article! It certainly helped fight the wintertime blues!

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Stacy
1/30/2014 04:53:48 am

I bought a "5 Year Journal" last year and it's been so helpful in making me concentrate on one fun or funny thing that happened each day. Highly recommended: http://www.amazon.com/One-Line-Day-Five-Year-Memory/dp/0811870197/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1391115186&sr=8-2&keywords=5+year+journal

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Claudia
8/2/2016 10:33:01 am

What are the orange bags on your bike in this picture? Thanks.

Reply
Elle Steele
8/2/2016 11:02:34 am

Those are the Mondo Slings made by Carsick Designs! Best bag setup we've used!

Reply



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