It’s Friday! And that means Five Minute Friday with Kate and the gang. We free-write for 5 minutes on the same word prompt. Today’s word: KEEP
The day began so well.
I was wearing warm fleece leggings and a cute new skirt. (Don’t you find that days go better when you’re happy with your clothes?) Mine does anyways!
Yet the day began to head downhill when the ketchup and mustard combo slipped out of my hamburger and plopped onto my skirt…. eergghh!!!
I quickly whipped it off, poured on the Shout and hung it up to dry.
That was a manageable issue. Then my phone rang.
It was my teenage son calling from his cell phone on the other side of the field. Della was loose and not listening to reason. “Mom, could you please bring me her leash and collar?”
And there it all began.
Trudging out into the knee-deep snow, filling up my boots with the cold, wet stuff and the wind blowing in my face. I can tell you Della ran quickly to me when I called… until she got a little closer and saw my face. I think she had second thoughts about coming near.
I’d had enough of this mess.
“I’m getting out of the house. I’m going grocery shopping!” I say to no one in particular.
Dave answers back with… “Take the car. The wipers on the van need fixed….. Oh, and you’ll have to put all the groceries in the back seat. The trunk is full.”
I now have to wear my clunky boots because my other ones are full of snow from the field. I discover I can’t feel the clutch and acceleration pedal well with my clunky, oversized snow boots and they keep getting caught between the brake pedal and that column running down the middle of the car.
I decide to pull over and drive without my boot… that would be safer. Which then I soak my sock with the snow that my clunky boot left behind on the floor board. Eerrgh!!!!
I’m not far from the house so I turn back and get different boots. (I know you’re thinking how many boots does this woman have?) I live in the north, people. Multiple boots in different colors, styles and functionality are a necessity!
As I headed out again, I was determined to keep my head clear and focused.
Then….
- I had no quarter for Aldi’s
- I dropped my favorite pen in between the car seats
- I moved an open box from the back seat to the front and spilled the contents out onto the wet floor boards
- A creepy guy was following me around in the store.
- I tried to lock the car and instead set off the car alarm in Wegman’s parking lot and couldn’t get it shut off.
To say I was losing it might be a correct assessment. It was a good thing there were not others in the car to hear my ranting.
And that’s when it hit me.
The words of Lysa Terkeurst came into my head, “If this is the worst thing that happens to me today, it’s still a good day!”
I gave myself a little talking to and said just that…. “It’s still a good day!”… followed by “Rachel, let’s be thankful!”
- The sun is shining.
- The snow is melting.
- I’m not sick.
- My family’s not sick.
- I have money to buy food.
- If snow in my boot, wet sock, dropping pen, and car alarm mishap is the worst that happens to me today… it’s still a good day.
And isn’t that true. Our perspective can be skewed by the small inconveniencies. We forget to keep our focus on the important… keep our hearts in a place of thankfulness.
I chuckled at myself thinking this would make for a great Candid Camera bit and when I got home and told Dave, he just laughed, gave me hug and said, “This is going to be a blog post, isn’t it?”
I guess it is.
People with their minds set on You, You keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don’t quit. Depend on God and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing. ~ Isaiah 26:3-4 (The MSG)
Tripping Over Typeset 
This sounds like my day Rachel! You captured the feeling of a chaotic day well and how we need to keep our focus on the right place!
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Thanks! And I hope you did better than me in keeping your head! 🙂 Have a great Friday!
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Rachel thanks for the “different take” on my life verse from Isaiah. Afraid I haven’t kept my head well for the past week of flu that went through everyone in the house! Thanks for the reminder : )
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Oh, sorry you haven’t all been well! Praying you are well soon!
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Oh, thank you for the laugh and the perspective! Dealing with snow is always a challenge–but it’s not the worst thing. The worst thing is usually our bad attitude in response to the little things. But, like you said, we can change our attitude (just like we can change our boots 😉 ).
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What a great response! Yes, change my attitude like I change my boots! I love that! Thank you!
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Great blog! Good reminder of all our blessings.
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Thank you, AnnaLee! Happy weekend to you!
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Rachel,
As I was reading this my thoughts went immediately to one of the books I always read to my students. “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” by Judith Viorst, the children always found that no matter where you go, bad things can happen and if you change YOUR perspective, things can change. I loved the lesson, the children did too. It gave them preparation for future bad days, I am hoping at least. Thank you for your five minute Fridays and for bringing up so many good memories.
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Yes, Stacey, that is a great book! It’s one of my favorites as well! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
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I love this! “Mama said there’d be days like this,” right? But way to move from frustration to thankfulness! That’s awesome. And I completely understand the multiple pairs of boots need. When you live in the North, you need appropriate pairs for rain, sleet, snow, hail, slush, and squishiness. 🙂
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So glad to hear I have a fellow sister who understands the need for many boots! 🙂 We stand together!
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Our families know us so well, don’t they?? “This is going to be a blog post, isn’t it?” They just know. Your words kept me right with you, and I was silently cheering for you, praying for you as I read. God is in it all, isn’t He??!! Even when our boots are filled with snow. I’m glad I found someone who appreciates lots of boots as much as I do! Thank you for an uplifting, encouraging post!
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Thank you, Julie, for your encouraging words! 🙂 And yes, our families know us so well… and love us anyways! 🙂
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I’ve been doing a gratitude practice, which some days just frustrates me b/c it feels like one more thing to do. But, on days I don’t keep it top of mind, my state of mind sinks. I hear you! And agree:).
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Oh, sorry you haven’t all been well! Praying you are well soon!
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Oh, sorry you haven’t all been well! Praying you are well soon!
Yes, I’ve done a similar thing in the past and it really does make a difference! Thanks for sharing!
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