It's Okay To Have Those Days

     What are "those days"?  They are the days when getting out of bed is a monumental task because of physical or mentally pain.  They are the days when hell seems to appear first.  The days that start out great and go to hell in a hand basket.  You know those days that just keep piling on top of each other?  Yes those days!  Or how about the days when all you want to do is find a corner and cry?  Yes those days too.  Those awful days you wish you could erase matter.

     They matter because they are part of you.  I don't believe they are intentionally poured out on us, but they can be flipped around and used for good.  They can magnify the sweetness of the little boy who walks up to you randomly at the park and gives you a flower.  The kindness of the barista at your local coffee shop can help soothe your soul more then on an average day.  The caring words from a loved one can help you make it through a particularly rough day.  Lunch with a co-worker can ease the sting of a bad encounter with a boss or customer.

     Not all our days suck, but what if they were all exactly the same good or bad?  That kiss from your 16 year old might not mean as much.  That free coffee would be just another day.  Those surprise flowers wouldn't really be a surprise would they?  I know it might all sound naive or simplistic, but ask yourself if it really is.  Deep down I think we all know the answer.

     To be clear, I don't ask for heartache.  I didn't ask to lose so many loved ones in the span of 15 years.  I didn't ask for my husband to have back surgery when he was 32 years old.  My prayers are often more of a lament type fashion like me asking God, "REALLY?!  Can I not go through this again?  Why can this crap skip my children?, etc".  I pray constantly for God to help me see his will for my life and how a situation can be used for good.  In the next breath I can ask him to please spare whatever crap lays around the corner.  I think he saves us from way more than we know.

     What's the point of this all?  It's okay if you have "those days" where you need to retreat.  Sometimes we need to have a good cry and all that stuff.  We just have to reminds ourselves not to stay there that long.  We were not meant to be be defeated but to be victorious.  Try to be intentional about kindness.  Look at how a situation you've encountered can give you compassion for someone else you see having a particularly bad time.  See those seemingly ordinary moments as the extraordinary moments they really are.  Let "those days" be a reminder to take a breath or a break or a new directions.