As I mentioned in my first blog, a year ago I was in the hospital for an untreatable condition. I went through every test that the doctors could think of before they officially diagnosed me. The tests ended up taking a ton of time and I even had to be transferred to another hospital for more tests. I was in the hospital for 10 days straight and was in an excruciating amount of pain. Those ten days were, without a doubt, the worst days of my life.
However, my mother was determined to make sure that I saw the positive side, no matter what. (She's the glass half-full type.) I didn't want to spend those days wallowing in misery or focusing on the negatives either, so I decided to give my mother's idea a shot. She took my notebook from out of her bag, grabbed a pen and started a process that we still do to this day.
She asked me to write down three good things that happened to me that day. Now during that time at the hospital, not much good did happen to me. However, there were small, good things that made all the difference. Whether it was my dad sneaking me food from Outback because I didn't like the hospital food or my fiance showing how much he loved me by crying as he held my hand, good things were still happening. There was still good to be seen in my situation, even though I couldn't see it in the beginning.
So I took my notebook and wrote down my three things. She also wrote down her own and we shared them together. Most of the time our three things ended up being the same which always made us giggle and smile. It brought us closer together and really helped me through a dark time because I was starting to have the symptoms of Depression.
Now that notebook may not seem powerful but it was my secret weapon. If I could see the good in life while experiencing the worst time in my life, then life wasn't so bad. Yes, I was in pain but I still had everything that I needed: my family (extended and immediate), my fiance and the strength to carry on.
My mother and I loved doing the "Happy Thoughts Notebook" so much that we decided that we would continue it, in a way. Every night while we're eating dinner with my sister at the table, we each share at least one good thing that happened to us that day. It really keeps us close because we can laugh and smile together every single day and feel joy for each other.
It's easier now that I'm out of the hospital but I still feel that it's a very effective outlet and exercise. I recommend to to everyone because it has brought us nothing but joy and no matter how bad your day was, I guarantee that one good thing has come out of it. So while I would love to say that I'm a positive person because it was my own choice, I have to thank my mother for it. Without her love, support and bright personality, I would not be the same, happy-go-lucky, positive person that I have grown to be. I love and owe her for that.
Sometimes good or positive things are disguised and harder to find, as was my case in the hospital. However, sometimes you have to look a little harder to find the light in the darkness but hey... sounds like life to me.
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