A revelation. (WARNING: it kinda hurts at first, but eventually it makes total sense.)

I’m having a rethink.

Because it just so happens that sometimes we take our little life and all its loveliness for granted.

I don’t think I’m alone when, if things don’t go quite the way I planned, it can feel as if the universe is spiting me on purpose, that the world is out to get me, that someone out there is watching and laughing at my daily mishaps – maybe they’re even making them happen?!

But, luckily, I learnt something about us all recently. It kinda hurts at first but eventually it makes total sense.

Are you ready?

It’s this: We’re not that special. (Ouch).

I mean, OF COURSE, to the people around us that we love and love us, yes, we are very very really very special. Obvs.

But I’m talking in the grand scheme of things, in the mega context of this gigantic Planet Earth that we all call home. Nope, it doesn’t think we’re special, in fact, it doesn’t give a damn. (Told you it hurts!)

See, I was having a crazy, pre-menstrual, overheated, emotional afternoon, and I really did feel like the world was against me. I was all ready to throw up my arms in defeat shouting ‘OK world, I surrender, you win!’ when all of a sudden it occurred to me, through the confused look of my pitying, slightly scared, boyfriend: good god I really MUST have a word with myself.

So I turned it around a little, and here’s me having a word with myself and getting a grip. (Just promise not to judge me and my pre-menstrual ways, it was one of those days OK!)

The world is against me:

Tossing and turning and sweating in a tiny top bunkbed covered in grains of sand in the middle of Australian summer – why did I leave my comfy, cosy, clean, fresh double bed at home for this?

Went and got a grip:

I’m in Australia! I’m on a permanent holiday! Go me! Thank you little hot sandy bunk bed for having me, as well as for making it difficult for potential spider shaped visitors to climb and join me.

The world is against me:

The brand new mug I’d been so looking forward to drinking a cup of tea from (as opposed to the tiny campervan teacups holding barely a gulp of tea I’d become accustom to) just cracked as soon as I put boiling water into it. Seriously!! No big mug of piping hot tea for me!

Went and got a grip:

But a lady did give me a FREE cup of coffee today. Not just any free coffee, but a filtered, frothy, caffeiney, sugary delicious free coffee. And did I mention it was FREE?! Thank you coffee lady, for that.

The world is against me:

Traipsing around for miles in the rain handing out application forms for jobs and apartments. (I’m soggy, I’m nackered, and I’d just really love a piping hot cuppa tea in my brand new mug. Oh, wait…)

Went and got a grip:

I haven’t exercised in weeks, so a speedy plod up and down the hilly streets of, again – AUSTRALIA – can only leave my thighs truly grateful. As for the rain, my sun scorched freckly shoulders could really do with a a day off. So thank you world, it’s as if you knew!

 

It’s funny when you think about it, how when anything bad or annoying or irritating happens throughout the day, boy do we remember it! But something nice? Well, it’s as if we’ve kind of come to expect it. And I’m not sure we should.

So let’s try and turn it around. Let’s remember the good stuff! All those little reasons to smile!

Think about it. What nice thing happened to you today? What made you smile this week?

Pull out a positive from that rotten Monday morning meeting (it did buy you more time for that report you haven’t finished, after all). Whip up a praise for your shouty boss (like, when she’s on your side and shouty, at least you know she’s got your back!) When it took you three hours to get your hair all bouncy on Saturday night and three minutes for the rain to stick it flat to your head? Ah, yeah, there’s no good way to look at that…

Write down all the good stuff and share it and treasure it. Let’s find all the reasons to say THANK YOU today.

Because the world doesn’t owe us a thing, you know. We owe it all to ourselves.