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Sometimes slogging through the day, one lead foot over the other, feels like the only way to make it through. Then there are days we go drowsy at the wheel after flicking on the autopilot or, in my case some days, Netflix. I’ll go at it tomorrow, harder, I may tell myself as a way of granting permission to fart out the rest of the hours. All the while, I know I’m only cheating myself in the process. This is hardly a new game, and it’s definitely not a winning one.
It’s too easy to say, One day I’ll get there, and then pull the covers up and over again. The idea of magically arriving at our destination is cheating at its best; It keeps us numb, sleep, and reaching. One day is a place we may never get to. And even if we do, only having 24 hours to enjoy a dream realized feels more like a torment to me. Not good.
How about, instead, we all agree to arrive today? How about we inhabit the persona, the energy, and attitude of who we think we’ll be once we’ve got the guy or girl, hit the lotto, lost the weight, got the degree, job, house, happiness or whatever it is that we keep putting just beyond our reach? Even the suggestion of it makes me square my shoulders, sit up straighter, and pat my ‘fro like a boss, honey! And you? How does it make you feel when you arrive?
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And the Winner Is…
Hammer Time
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Two Saturdays ago, I spent the bulk of my afternoon setting up a new flower box. To be honest, it was more than a flower box; it was an old wooden CD rack, a tall, slender one I’d turned on its side, drilled drainage holes into, and filled with a mix of wildflower seeds and herbs. I laid it outside the window and marveled at my tremendous feat of upcycled urban landscaping. Every day since, I’ve been beaming out at the flower box, swelled with pride and a feeling of accomplishment as I count new buds and fuss like a doting mother. But it wasn’t long before the rains came, followed by snow and more freezing.
Well, I said. Shit.
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An uncovered sneeze may spray farther than an open hose, but research shows our feelings move just as quickly and they’re equally contagious. Take happiness, for example. Studies claim that smiling can not only boost your mood, but being genuinely happy is also a great way to move you quickly up the career ladder. I don’t know the specifics on that part because, frankly, I didn’t read the whole study. Besides, I’m not sure how much I believe it anyway. I don’t personally know many heads of companies, but of the ones I’m familiar with, ‘happy’ isn’t the first word that comes to mind when I think of them.
A quick story: Years ago I had a boss who used to get upset whenever she noticed I wasn’t smiling. ‘What’s wrong, Kriste?’ she’d ask, nervous as a cat in the corner. ‘You’re not your usual smiling, happy self.’ This confrontation didn’t happen often, but when it did, it annoyed me. Tremendously.
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