52 Ways to Joy - Count to ten

"The seas are quiet when the winds give o'er. So calm are we when passions are no more!" 

~Edmund Waller

 


If I must be honest, and since this is my blog, I guess this is THE place for me to be honest...I've been known to have a short fuse.

I've been known to make snap decisions based purely on my emotions, I've started and finished arguments I've felt passionate about without thought to the other side of the coin.

And now I'm getting mellow. I jokingly call these my "sappy" moments.

I've noticed how much better I feel inside when I step back and count to ten, giving myself a chance to take a few deep breathes and clear my head before I say things I might regret later. I like to think of this as maturing and maybe it is. Mostly I think it's more a choice to be more patient and more tolerant of the things in my life that I can't change and need to learn to live with.

Some people call it turning the other cheek, my hubby calls it cooling your jets...but it all means the same thing - step back, count to ten and decide if the moment calls for blowing your top (and most of the time, it doesn't!)

Counting to ten doesn't take a huge chunk of your day, it isn't inconvenient or something you have to do alone, in your room with the lights out - that's the best part. You can do it anywhere and give yourself that instant sensation of peace and joy.

Will there be those moments that counting to a hundred won't even help calm the nerves or help me find a reason to keep my mouth shut? You bet! But since life is about balance - we've got to take the joy when we can create it and just learn to accept the other moments as they come.

Close your eyes and count, tap your foot or use your fingers...it doesn't matter how you do it, just give it a try.

I've also started counting to ten before I respond to an email that has gotten under my skin...once you hit that send button, there is no way to take it back and I've sent my share of emails I wished I hadn't.

My great-niece is 2 1/2 and her favorite phrase right now is, "walk away." Sometimes I think it's amazing how we can learn from the young and innocent. They aren't jaded yet, they have no hidden agendas and yet they can disarm you with a smile and a simple comment.

Walk away and count to ten. Find joy in keeping your temper in check and being the bigger person for that moment in time.

May joy find you and fill your life this week wherever your travels lead you.