There is always a list of potential stressors that are common to most of us at one time or another. Work, school, family, doctors’ visits, finances, health problems, the death of a loved one, and the list goes on. Do any of the above sound familiar?

These last few weeks have been incredibly busy with work, triathlons and races, and the unfortunate death of my grandpa. This last one, The passing of my grandpa, has been weighing on me the most. I have been filling my days with reading and bringing in the positive vibes that are needed to lift me up. I have also found the need to remind myself that though I can’t control all that happens to me in my life and who comes and goes, I can control how I respond to each situation, and have the power to determine how each event will affect me.

I came across this brief story while looking something up last week and it hit me with its simple beauty and reminder.

. . . . . .

“A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet.  He held up a sign which said: “I am blind, please help.”  There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by.  He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat.  He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words.  He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. 

Soon the hat began to fill up.  A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.  That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were.  The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning?  What did you write?”
The man said, “I only wrote the truth.  I said what you said but in a different way.” I wrote: “Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.”

Both signs told people that the boy was blind.  But the second sign changed the people’s perspective. It emphasized the beautiful day and reminded each person who read the sign to be grateful for what they have, and to focus on the beauty rather than the hardships.”

. . . . . .

My friends, there is always more than one way to look at the situations life throws your way. Each of us has a choice everyday when we get up in the morning as to how we will view our circumstances. It’s all in your perspective. When you feel overwhelmed or taken advantage of, flip the script and look at your circumstances from the other side of the sign. Choose to see the beauty and the lessons that can be learned. When we can do this and keep things simple, only the best is yet to come.