Nothing Profound

I don't have anything profound to say today, but I did have something I wanted to share with y'all.

Have you ever noticed how little things can have a large impact on your mood?

My wife and I had a wonderful day on Sunday. I was kind, she was kind, we both got to have fun doing things alone and have fun doing things together. We just enjoyed each other and life in general. It was an abrupt departure from the contention and strife that had been a large part of the week up until that point.

And you know why?

Because I got to church on time on Sunday.

I didn't realize it immediately. It only dawned on me when I realized I wasn't angry, frazzled, or silently seething at my wife while sitting in church. I didn't spend the service praying to God to help me be a better husband or for my wife to be a better spouse. Instead, I was just enjoying God.

Initially, I couldn't figure out what made this Sunday so different from every other Sunday. The music, the preaching and the crowd were largely the same. It was only when I concentrated on why I was so content that it hit me; I got to church on time and it made my day.

It seems like a small thing, but it looms large for me. My whole life, it's been drummed in my head to be punctual in general, but especially when it comes to Sunday service. My father used to leave my mother, my brother and I at home if we failed to get ourselves ready for service on time. He and my mother got into screaming matches before service many times because we were going to be tardy, and unfortunately my wife and I have carried on the tradition of Sunday morning conflict.

While I called it a little thing, it's actually a big deal to me. Being late for church usually leads to me going over all the other times I'm late for something because of my wife, and before long I'm mentally tabulating all of her "slights" against me. In that mindset, it's hard to participate in service, and even harder to enjoy my wife for the rest of the day.

But, I was still shocked to see how that one good thing could snowball. I took my good mood from church and started using it as motivation to do all sorts of nice things for my wife, who in turn did nice things for me. I made myself ignore other stuff that I would usually get upset about, and instead concentrated on the good feeling inside of me. And sure enough, it changed the tenor of the entire day.

There's nothing truly profound about what I did, but it did impact my life immensely. I was reminded that all of us have control over our moods, and we have control over how we react to whatever life throws at us. I've promised myself to remember this good mood, and how much of an impact it had on my life, the next time I feel myself sliding into a foul mood.

Maybe the change will start with me.





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