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I recognize from the title of this article that I am running the risk of offending the producers of NBC's Today Show who promote their morning program with the theme, "What a difference Today makes." However, when it comes to dealing with daily setbacks, adversity, and struggle, I think there is more truth in the statement, "What a difference the Night makes." Everyone has bad days. A bad day for me 15 years ago was when I broke my neck in an automobile accident when the driver of my car fell asleep at the wheel, leaving me a quadriplegic. That was a bad day. However, I also recognize that bad days come in many shapes and sizes. I have learned that pain hurts in any form. My pain is no greater than for that of the father who has lost his employment of 20 years. My heartache is not deeper than for the teenager who has been rejected by his peers. My tears are no wetter than for that of the mother who has lost her son to the influences of drugs and alcohol. Pain hurts. While we all face tragedy at some point and to some degree in our lives. It is often the daily challenges that take their toll and test our resolve over and over again. Participants in my audiences have asked me, "How do we handle just bad days?" I consider a bad day to be a lot like a cold virus. You usually catch it when you've been around a lot of other people who are sick and there is often very little you can do about it. A doctor can sympathize with you. A spouse may try and pamper you. You can make all kinds of moaning sounds. But the reality is, it usually will last for 24 to 48 hours. The cure is the same today as it was when you mother nursed you back to health. More rest. Plenty of fluids. Simplistically, the same advice holds true today when we have a bad day. Realize that they come uninvited. Seldom can they be anticipated. It often involves other people. They usually only last for a short time. And it is still good advice to go to bed and drink a lot of water. Tomorrow will look a lot brighter. We often make matters worse when we convince ourselves that a bad day is more than just that-a bad DAY. We can take a naturally, recurring experience and drag it out for days and weeks, making everyone around us miserable at the same time. Bad days come once in a while. Don't fight them, deny them, and blame their existence on everyone you know. Just survive them. Retire to bed early and don't be too surprised if tomorrow is a much better day. My rule for happiness is quite simple: Everyday above ground is a good day! Is it any surprise that I tend to have a lot of good days in succession? |
