Isn't it fortunate?

This summer I was reading a magazine, one I'd never heard of before and can't remember now, and I stumbled on an interesting article.

The thing that jumped out at me from the article was an idea about positive thinking. Instead of dwelling on the bad things that are happening in our stressful, busy lives we should take time to look for the silver lining and think about what is going well instead. The article suggested trying to complete a sentence that starts with, "Isn't it fortunate that..."

At the time my legs and one of my arms was swollen with welts from a yellow jacket nest I had run over with the lawn mower and a trail of seed tick bites that coated my ankles. I was itchy, my legs felt heavy and I was disappointed that it had ruined a trip to see my best friend at the Outer Banks.

"Isn't it fortunate that I'm not allergic to yellow jacket stings," I thought to myself, testing the idea. "Isn't it fortunate I could still come to the beach. Isn't it fortunate that I'm feeling better today. Isn't it fortunate that the benadryls help me sleep."

This is something I've been trying throughout the fall and winter. It helps me find the silver lining or reminds me of those who have it worse than I do. Sometimes it can be annoying. I know a few people might say I've developed a new bad habit with this. Perkiness is undervalued unless you're a Manic Pixie Dream Girl.

"Isn't it fortunate that the doctor can see us today," I thought to myself last week as I waited with Sugarbear in the veterinarian's room for two hours. The vets had changed shifts and the new doctor assumed I had been seen. But when the Vet did come in to see us he told us about a new injection that could help Sugar's arthritis!

"Isn't it fortunate that we have spaghetti," I told my husband when a new crockpot recipe turned out mealy and burnt on the edges.

"Isn't it fortunate that you have time to think about your next step?" I reminded a friend of mine who hates his job. With the economy the way it is he's lucky to have such a flexible job and he's made some good friends who are helping him look for something else.

"Isn't it fortunate that I have some rags," I muttered to myself when the cat barfed on the carpet and I was out of paper towels.

Sometimes it's a stretch to come up with something and sometimes it just leaps into my mind. It's easy to allow little annoyances to spiral into something bigger. Many times I focus on simple things like the ability to have food, shelter and love. It calms me down.

I'd love to pretend that positive thinking comes to be naturally...but it doesn't. I really do have to be mindful and remind myself to do these little exercises. But it doesn't hurt to take a moment to regroup when this stuff is happening.

What's fortunate for you today?