GOOD DAYS, BAD DAYS?

GOOD DAYS, BAD DAYS?


There are days when I get up in the morning with a happy feeling, knowing that God is in His Heaven and everything is right with the world. And then there are days when I am hesitant to get up, knowing that the day will be a struggle to get through. But one can’t stay in bed indefinitely, so on days like these, I have to drag my rebelling body out of it and psyche myself up to what lies ahead. A mean feat, if you ask me. And there’s a checklist of things I must not do to maintain a semblance of sanity.

First, I have to make sure I don’t read the morning paper. What with drug addiction and extreme poverty, all you read about is crime, crime, and crime. And criminals are getting really creative. They think of new ways to commit a crime day after day. They are also getting bolder and bolder and go on a crime spree in broad daylight. Whoever said that evil does its business in the dark must be revising his opinion fast.

Second, I mustn’t drink coffee. I’m nervous enough to set foot outside my door without the added stimulus of caffeine.

Third, I will not be within touching distance of my 2 year old great nephew. Gosh, the way he jumps all over me, you’d think he doesn’t have anything better to do with his young life other than make mine a penance.

Fourth, I must not take a peek at my billing statement, or else, I will be a wreck even before the day has begun.

Fifth, I must not open my door to beggars and salesmen. The beggars are so malevolent they swear at you when you give them bread instead of money. The salesmen are very persistent they eventually wear you down into buying a car wax when you don’t even have a car.

Sixth, I must not listen to my neighbor berating her husband for being a drunk, lazy, good-for-nothing, so and so. It depresses me a great deal because next thing you know, she will be at my door borrowing a kilo of rice to feed her children, plus, could I possibly loan her some money to buy some fish? And I must not remember that she still owes me money from last year.

With these precautions, I’m sure I’m gonna make it through the day….

I should be feeling desperate when the sun sets at last. Instead, the dominant feeling is a sense of extreme gratitude. Not that the day is over, but that I don’t have to commit a crime to put food on my table, that I manage to pay my bills on time even though I have to do some penny-pinching and a lot of juggling in my budget. That it is absolutely wonderful to have children in my family to bring me joy and laughter, that I don’t have to beg from door to door, nor con someone into buying something that he has no use for. And I thank God that I don’t have a couch and a lazy good for nothing husband on it.

Whatever made me think that this day is a bad day? Everyday is a good day. It’s just a matter of perspective. Do you get some bad days too? Try counting your blessings.