The Greener Side

A common childhood memory would be finding one of those circular cookie boxes, only to open it up and get a slap of disappointment. Random sewing supplies rudely sit inside instead. 

But what if, just hear me out here, you pick one roll of colored thread and put it in your mouth. It crumbles down as you chew on it, releasing a sugary flavor. Next, you dare to eat the needle. It turns out to be chocolate, thinly tempered so that it melts on your tongue.

A strange example, but the point here is that a lot of times, something will happen to us that we pin down as negative. We dislike it and push it away, shut the box. But maybe this villain of an incident is actually the hero in disguise. Little do we know, this very disappointment could hold what we desire. It’s about opening up to this possibility and shifting our view.

I’ve noticed a pattern in my life. Whenever I’m having ‘one of those days’, it boils up to a breaking point. And it is a good cry that pushes me to get up and dust off. And I’ll find myself inspired to make life a happy place again. Some days I lose my touch and the cycle begins again.

At times, I’m too exhausted to fight back and just stay in the sorrow for a while. But it’s the knowledge that I can bounce back that keeps me going.

This mindset can make us emotionally invincible, because you start seeing the good in things. It keeps the happiness rolling.

Season this practice with gratitude and your dish of joy is ready to be served. Feel grateful in your heart for the greener side of the seemingly bad situation. And there you go. A changed perception transforms an issue into a blessing. And there’s the added bonus of an uplifted mood from being thankful.

Because the truth is, we are in control of how we feel and not external events. The remote is in our hands so we can switch channels from ‘worry’ to ‘excitement’; ‘anger’ to ‘patience’ and ‘sadness’ to ‘happiness’.

It’s the simple realization that we are in charge. And then, even if life isn’t following our script, we have the ability to let the change grow on us. Who knows, it could even be a better alternative to what we had in mind! 









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