Take Your Jack and . . . . . . . .

I alluded to the fact, last week, that I seemed to be in a negative mind set. I was reminded of darker days when my zest for life just wasn’t there. I didn’t like that feeling. Through the day my attitude would become better but in the mornings I just did not have the motivation to do anything. What happens to me at times like that is that I become resentful. I make mountains out of mole hills. I assume, jump to conclusions, and always make the worst out of a situation, even before it happens.

I am reminded of the story of a gentleman who was driving down a country road late at night. It so happens that he has a flat tire. He rummages through the trunk of the car and realizes that he has no jack. Being out in the middle of no where he was overcome with anxiety. As he ponders his situation he notices a light in the distance. He begins to walk. As he is walking he commiserates about the missing jack. He becomes more and more agitated wondering who is to blame. As he walks he also begins to imagine what type of reception he will get when he gets to the yard he is headed towards. As he nears the farmyard the lights in the downstairs of the house go off. He knows it is late so the people are obviously off to bed. He begins to imagine what will happen when he knocks at the door and how upset the people will be to be disturbed. He can also picture the angst of these people when a stranger asks to borrow a jack. As he walks up the lane the lights in the upstairs go off as well. Now he knows he is in real trouble. The people have gone to sleep. Now, not only is he interrupting their life, asking to borrow a jack, he is also going to be waking them. He knows that when they answer the door they will be very upset. And to think, it wasn’t even his fault that the jack is missing. He has worked himself into a real state by all the assumptions he has made. He knocks on the door. A person opens an upstairs window and lets the man know he will be right down. The man in turn shouts up; “don’t bother, you can take your @#$%& jack and stick it up your &*^%$#”.

Wow. Sounds just the way I react when I get into one of my negative mind sets. I have found that I must really focus on positive thinking. I know there is always some positive event that has happened or will happen. When all of that didn’t work for me this week, I listened to some music. Helped me in finding some balance again. What ever works. Make it a good one.

P.S. Mental note. Make sure the jack is in my trunk.