Day 17: The Mondayest Monday

Day 17 was Monday, and let me tell you. it came out of the Sunday gate and let us know without a doubt from the get go that Monday was in the house.

Here's how it went.

It's 6:00 am. My alarm goes off. I go make coffee. I feel extremely grouchy and I don't know why, but little things are irritating me. Even the tiny spot of some unknown sticky substance on the counter was enough to nearly send me over the edge.

I tell myself to get a grip, and go to wake up the kids.

Now, this is usually done without incidence, but Andy was not feeling it. Not at all. He was absolutely not ready to wake up. So I gave him another 5 minutes or so and then went back into get him up. He did so grudgingly, dragging his feet, and with his eyes still closed.

Once everyone was dressed and moving, the kids picked their cereal and sat down to eat. They both picked fruit loops. So as they are sitting at the table, Anthony very cheerfully says,

"Look Brother! You picked the same cereal I did!"

To which Andy replied,

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!"

And then he melted into tears.

For a moment, I had to stand there and take a few sips of that warm, stout, liquid black gold before being able to wrap my mind around what had just happened. Once it had processed in my Monday brain, I started to giggle. Andy cried even more because I was laughing at him. I tried to explain that brother was just saying that he had picked the same cereal, and that he was not telling him to pick the same cereal, but Andy's Monday brain could not grasp this the way mine had.

So we sniffled and sobbed through a bowl of fruit loops and went to brush our teeth. At this point he was basically refusing to talk to me and resembled grumpy cat. I felt bad for him but we finished getting ready, mumbled through our affirmations, which cheered him up a little, and I sent them off to school.

However, the rest of the day I struggled with my own bad attitude. I felt irritable and distracted and restless. I couldn't seem to get anything done. I just felt like I had woken up on the wrong side of the bed. I tried to get started on my next article but ended up going in circles, and before I knew it, it was noon and I had gotten no housework done. I had also forgotten to take something out for dinner. I also lost a contract (freelance) because the project did not end with good results. I convinced myself that I had failed, and made myself miserable thinking about it all day.

There were NO positive vibes to be found in my house on Monday.

Bad days happen. They happen to everyone. Sometimes they happen without reasonable cause.

Here's what got me. When my boys got home from school, they were smiling and cheerful. They had both had a really great day! They both had smiley faces on their folders, which meant that their clip stayed on green (I know we all remember this from elementary.) and they both breezed through their homework enthusiastically. After Andy finished reading his book assignment to me, I said,

"You did a really great job! I'm so glad you and brother had a great day at school."

He smiled and replied,

"Thanks Mommy! I had a great day because, well I decided that it was going to be a good day just like we say in our affirmations and so it just was!"

Now can you imagine me smiling so big my face hurts, holding back tears, and my heart melting like an iceberg all from that one sentence? 'Cause it happened. My day did a complete 180.

After that we all made cowboy lasagna together, sat down at the table and ate together, cleaned up our messes together, and finished our evening without incidence, all smiles.

Guys, we can learn so much from our kids. Sometimes I learn things from them that I taught them that I may have forgotten. Like the fact that on days like this particular Monday, I forgot to practice mindfulness. I let negative vibrations into my space and let them alter my own, and it set the tone for my entire day. I could have meditated, but I pouted instead. I forgot to choose joy.

From the time we are born until the time we leave this earth, we spend a great deal of our lives battling our thoughts and emotions. This is not something only kids deal with. These things change as we grown with time in our own wisdom and maturity throughout adulthood. Some more than others because everyone is different. Everyone handles and processes energy and emotions differently, and everyone is affected by these things in different ways.

Energy is measured in vibrations. That's why when there's negative energy about (anger, frustration, etc.) it effects us in physical ways, too. Our body shakes, we feel warmer, the air feels thick, our breathing changes. When we allow those negative feelings and circumstances into our space, and sit on them the way I did, we start to give off the same negative vibrations, and the energy you give off is the energy you receive in return.

Two things turned my entire day around. The first thing was the boys' positive energy when they got home. They didn't allow my negative energy to affect them. When positive energy flows, it is every bit as powerful as negative energy, and I find it very contagious.

The second was the realization that practicing affirmations with them in the morning really does help them. Even though they started out with negative energy, they used their affirmations to mindfully change the course of their entire day. I don't know if I have ever been so proud of my kids as the little men that they are, or of myself as a mom. Knowing that I must be doing something right.

Sometimes things happen that are far worse than a blown contract or sticky substances on the counter or waking up on the wrong side of the bed. Much worse things. Things I don't want to think of. Those things give negative energies of a different type. Those days are harder, or sometimes impossible to turn around.

So guys, when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, and start to have a Monday, please remember how blessed you are. Allow yourself to focus on positive energy. Choose how your day will be. Affirm it out loud to yourself. Release your negative energy in whatever way you choose (work out, run, write it down, call a friend to vent, etc.) Spend some time outside, or listen to some music, meditate, or practice mindfulness in whatever way suits you. Create your own positive energy, and choose joy. You will be amazed at how much positive energy is returned to you when you just change your mind and give off your own positive vibes.

This life, this world, is so crazy beautiful. Don't ya think?

Positive Vibes,

Stacy (WW)