Tip #21: Change Your View.
I had a chance to hang out with my three older sisters, younger brother, one of my brothers-in-law, nine of my ten nieces and nephews, and my God-sister for the past two days. We went to Clearwater Beach and Indian Rocks Beach in Florida to chill after celebrating the 4th of July. We had a good time playing Scattegories, Taboo, and laughing. I know you're probably thinking, "what does this have to do with changing your view"? I'm glad you asked. When we arrived in Clearwater Beach (after putting along through hours of traffic), it was very beautiful. White puffy clouds and sun created the perfect Florida day. But, as we unloaded all of our goodies from the trunks of our cars, the clouds started to turn gray. As a matter of fact, we could see a pretty nasty storm out in the gulf. You guessed it; the storm came straight toward us. It rained... It poured and the wind blew for an hour or so (luckily, there was only one lightning strike). While everyone ran to take cover under a little refreshment stand, I couldn't help but notice this girl playing in a puddle of rain for nearly 30 minutes. She swam back and forth in that puddle while it poured. I looked over to what appeared to be the girl's parents and said "she is having the time of her life". They laughed and shrugged. This little girl cared nothing about the storm that came over us. She did not let the storm "rain on her parade". Immediately, I thought about this post (I snapped a picture of her... no, it wasn't creepy. Her parents let me - see pics below). And you know what I say next right? Just as this little girl had so much fun in the midst of this storm, we need to do the same thing when we go through the storms of life. She didn't focus on the fact that it was raining. She focused on the fact that there was more water. She definitely changed my view of the storm. I wanted to get out there and start swimming with her (if it wasn't for the fact that I'm an adult and I'd look like a total fool splashing in a puddle, I would have). I challenge you to do what this little girl did! Sometimes things are rough, tough, and unfair. Simply think "it could be worse" and that should help you see things differently. You just have to change your view.
Written 7/6/2013 by John Weaver