Prediction brightened her mood

I woke up in a bad mood. It was cold and snowy outside. My car window was stuck halfway open. I had a column to write and absolutely nothing to say. I intended to go to the local big box store for groceries and was not looking forward to the experience. It had not been a good week. I hate this time of year.
The universe soon set out to change my mind. I turned on the computer and was dreading Punxsutawney Phil’s prognostication as I was certain that the chicken, um . . . I mean groundhog, would see his shadow and predict another six weeks of nasty, cold winter. Imagine my surprise when I read that he called for an early spring this year. Wow. The only signs of spring in sight were the withering paperwhite narcissus blossoms in the bathroom. Wait. The first of the forced hyacinths was starting to open up. I leaned in to smell the sweet perfume. Maybe the day wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
I cleaned off the snow from the car. There was only a little bit of snow dusting the backseat and I was soon on my way to do the weekly errands. I kept fussing with the window control.
At one point the window slipped open another half an inch. I thought to myself that I had done yet another stupid thing. Then while I was waiting for the stoplight to turn green a miracle happened and the window closed when I pushed the button. I’m surprised you didn’t hear me cheer.
I easily found a parking place at the store. I always park in the same row so I don’t lose the car. When I got out of the vehicle I admired my closed window and gave thanks again. Once inside the store I fed my addiction for books. Beautiful, hardcover children’s books beckoned. Valentine books, books based on children’s movies, sanitized fairy tale books, new stories, old stories all called my name. I picked the most irresistible of the inexpensive tales and added them to the cart. The day was looking up.
I saw our mayor and stopped to chat for a bit. A few aisles later someone from the local woodcarving club stopped to introduce me to his wife. As we talked I realized that my bad mood was evaporating rapidly.
When I got home I discovered that my husband had put up some drywall. We have been remodeling for what seems like forever and the appearance of drywall is a sign that part of the project is nearing completion. We went on to put more drywall on the ceiling. It was refreshing to see so much progress.
As I was fixing chili for supper I realized that what had promised to be a rotten day had turned out to be just the opposite. It is surprising how little it takes to turn a bad day into a good one. A prediction that almost nobody believes from a pampered rodent can give us hope that the frigid weather will be but a memory sooner rather than later.
Something as simple as an electric window working as it should can renew my faith. It doesn’t take a monumental event to change an attitude. It is the little things that make a difference.
So next time you wake up in a rotten mood, remember that the universe may have other plans. It might choose to bless you with a great day in spite of yourself. A series of small happenings can give you something to look forward to with expectation rather than dread.[[In-content Ad]]