A Word Edgewise |
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A Word Edgewise |
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Last Updated 06/18/07
For more literature go
to Clendenin Books
Email: mjclen@our-town.com
KEEP YOUR DIPPER OUT OF MY BUCKET
By Mary Joe Clendenin
Some days I need an attitude adjustment! You know those days when a few new pains creep into the feet or shoulders, the shaker with your instant breakfast slips the top and spills all over the cabinet and sink, you burn your tongue with hot coffee, just as you settle in your evening in the reclining chair, the phone rings for the 14th time, electricity goes off for a bit and you have to reset all the clocks, you rush around to make a meeting and then find out you are a week early or two weeks late. And then the last straw, in your bare feet you step on a grass burr the dog left in the carpet.
You know all the things that can go wrong and all of a sudden the process of getting
older seems like a task such as picking porcupine quills out of an inquisitive dog. Yeah, then my attitude
drops way down.
Jonas Harrison, a well-loved East Texas man,
for whom Harrison County was named, was a very ugly man. Ugliness as a favorite topic of frontier humor was noted
by contests, and a candidate for governor declared that there were three terribly ugly men in Texas: he was one
and his opponent was the other two.
You’ve had those days—if you are old enough to vote—and mine didn’t count, anyway.
Takes a bit of effort, even a little prayer and blessings counting to lift up the spirit.
You know about counting blessings: Thank you Lord that the pain is bearable and will probably go away if I
take an aspirin, and I can still walk: and it truly is great that I have hot water and soap to clean up my
messes; what would I do without this morning cup of hot coffee. Poor little dog has no hands to pull stickers.
Wonder how he manages to pull them all with his teeth. Helps, too, to concentrate on something beautiful for
the space of about four deep breathes.
I’ve seen it happen in children. Don’t know what went wrong in their lives before
they got to school, but I do know how difficult it is to rekindle the desire to learn, the enthusiasm to
put forth the best effort. And I’ve witnessed the greater ease for study or any kind of work, when the
attitude is positive
Charles Swindall said,
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me
is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than
circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more
important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The
remarkable thing is, we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We
cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change
the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am
convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.”
So, there now. Remember that if you let some sour puss destroy your smile with a disgusting
attitude, don’t get mad. Just remember if you turn sour yourself at his disgruntled face, you are giving him
power over you. Offer your friendly hand and smile. Maybe your power for positive is more than his power for
negative.
Think of it this way: you get up in the morning with a bucket full of good cheer, positive
attitude. As you go your way, you can add to your bucket by noticing the joy—you cannot replenish your amount
by dipping from someone else. Or you can allow those with empty buckets to dip out of yours with their huge
dippers.
Have a good day, a good week, and sleep with the thoughts of that full bucket.