Brand New Day

- A brand new day, right... I mumbled sourly.

Every morning the same thing. I took the dog for a walk, barely awake, after putting the coffeemaker on. I never was a morning person, so walking the dog was not my favorite thing - in the mornings that is. But the children that had promised to walk the dog three times a day had turned to teenagers who never remembered having promised anything of the sort.

So it was I who took the old dog out, waited patiently for it to do its thing and then slowly walked it back inside again.

And always, without exception, before I managed to get back indoors the neighbor's door opened. And so it was this morning also. The dog was just too old to move fast enough for us to get in before the chirpy neighbor appeared. 

Besides, I was certain he was waiting for us to return because every single morning he appeared. The thought of a cuckoo clock came to mind...

- Ah! Top of the morning! his voice greeted me,- A brand new day!

-...morning... I sighed.

He walked to get his newspaper, the dog stopped, as always, to wag his tail, and the neighbor, as always, took his time greeting the dog. They had a liking to each other, unfortunately. Now I wouldn't have minded it in the afternoon, but in the mornings I just wanted to crawl back to the cave I came from. At home they at least understood not to demand an answer from me before I had gulped down a big mug of strong coffee.

This morning he was humming a cheery song. "Oh what a beautiful morning" from the musical Oklahoma. That was too much.

- Aren't you a cheery person! I heard myself say in a tone of voice that would have made my mother shush at me.

- Oh yes! He gave the dog a last pat and stood up, - And for a good reason, too!

- What's that? I asked, almost smelling the coffee through the open kitchen window.

- Well you see I have a great adventure ahead of me! he said.

- Really? Where are you going? I asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. Perhaps he had booked a trip around the world with a bicycle...

- Into this brand new day! It's something I've never experienced before! he smiled, - What could be more exciting than that? 

How Do You Meet a Brand New Day?

Do you walk out the door only waiting for the weekend, or the evening, or a quiet moment? Never expecting anything exciting from your day?

I know - the negative attitude is a habit we don't always recognize. But like any habit it can be unlearned. How? By learning another habit instead.

Before you get out of bed each morning think of three good things about your coming day. Just three, it should be easy. You like coffee or tea? Mmm - soon you´ll have a cup. Have they promised good weather for today? Are you meeting a friend today? Or could you call one of your good friends and go out for a lunch together? Or the movies? Did your child give you a drawing that made you smile? Something good on TV in the evening?

Keep your three chosen things in mind while you get ready for your day. Repeat them in your mind a few times, just to get the positive thoughts rolling. You can break the negative-morning-habit and meet your day with more positive thoughts. And as always with learning new habits: be easy about it. No need to punish yourself if you notice you are facing the new day with a negative attitude - just turn your mind to a positive thought. And if this morning felt a bit hard - there's always tomorrow! You will certainly get better at it if you decide so.

The way we meet the new day sets the tone for the whole day. So it's worth paying attention to, don't you think?

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