An "A-Ha" Moment

Today was one of the those days where, by the time it was over, throwing myself under a bus was starting to sound like a pretty good idea.  I came home and unwound in my favourite way: I ran a hot bath, lit one of my favourite candles, and settled in for a good long soak with a book.  Tonight's selection was one I actually bought about a year ago called Chicken Soup For The Soul: Life Lessons For Loving the Way You Live".  It's about how to be truly happy, in spite of all that life throws at us.  There's been a lot of really thought-provoking stuff in what I've read so far, but what really caught my attention is this paragraph: "Consciously or unconsciously, we create our lives.  We choose where we live, who our friends are, what our work is.  We choose whether or not we exercise, smoke, take drugs, donate to charity, get a degree, have pets, have a spouse, or have children.  We pick what we read, what we think and what we believe.  Our lives are testimonials to our choices.  Each moment is the point of power.  Each moment, we can continue to choose what we have already chosen or we can choose to choose again.  A life filled with abundance - both inside and out - is ours for the taking."

It's no secret that I often feel trapped (you only have to read my "Burned Out" post from earlier this month to see that).  What I realized after reading this paragraph is that any misery I'm feeling is entirely of my own making.  If I'm not happy where I am, I have the power to do something about it.  I really love my job, and I don't see myself leaving, but I can choose how I'm going to respond to all the not-so-good stuff that happens there.  Likewise, I can choose to do something about some of the other personal issues I'm dealing with.  Basically it boils down to the fact that I've made my bed, and now I need to decide whether I'm going to continue to sleep in it or take it apart and re-make it.  If I'm going to continue to sleep in it, then maybe I need to choose to change my attitude.  Seems I have a lot to think about.

Until next time,
J.