My roommate describes people who are having a hard time as being on "the struggle bus."
I really, really don't want to be on the struggle bus. Because it's not so much about having a hard time, it's about your attitude toward that hard time. And although I may be on difficult terrain, and it may seem that climbing on the struggle bus would be a ride instead of having to walk...once you get on the struggle bus, it's not at all pleasant and you get pretty seat sore from the ride. I don't want to voluntarily climb on the struggle bus and take it wherever it wants to go. The struggle bus is not where you want to be when you're facing challenges.
Lately I've really been fighting being on the struggle bus. Fighting it. Trying so hard not to get on.
A few weeks ago, I climbed into bed and realized that I was succumbing to the struggle bus. I had just finished my less-than-grateful prayer to God and didn't feel very good about the fact that all I could see were the hard things when I was sure that God was giving me good things along the way.
And I just wasn't going to go to bed like that. So I decided I was going to find 10 things to be grateful for and list them off before I went to bed.
I put my 10 fingers out so that I wouldn't forget one or fall asleep in the process. With each thing I was grateful for, I put down a finger until all ten were down.
And the next night, I did the same thing.
And the next.
And the next.
It is really a beautiful thing to be able to realize that, at the end of the day, there is so much to be grateful for. Small things, big things. Simple things that you recognize when you take a moment.
The struggle bus? Unnecessary when you realize that you can name 10 good things about your life each day. Although some nights it takes me a little more time to put all my fingers down, I haven't failed yet.
There really is so much to be grateful for.
