Living Life Claritin Clear

Generally, I consider myself to be a positive person. I tend toward looking at the light at the end of the tunnel, and I calm myself with phrases like "everything happens for a reason" and "just have faith" and "God has a plan." Usually this keeps me fairly upbeat and content with life. But I do find that in my own relationships I struggle with living in the moment and appreciating all of the good in my circumstances. Whether it be at work or at play, I have seasons in which I harp so heavily on the things that feel disconnected instead of focusing on all of the puzzle pieces that fit perfectly in place. This can create an overall feeling of discontent and when you analyze things as much as I (or potentially all women) do - too much so - it can significantly skew reality and effect your feelings about what is really going on in your world, and in turn, other people's perception of your world as well.

This truly came to light for me today and I wanted to drop into my much neglected blog to reflect on it. As humans we are bound to be imperfect and in turn, no relationship - be it parent to child, friend to friend or man to woman - is promised to be perfect. The hopeless romantic in me wants to believe that two people can be perfect for each other, but then again - what does that really mean and look like? I have come to figure it means those two people focus on the qualities that are great, irreplaceable and bring significance to the others life.  If instead you focus on the negative, perfection will always be sitting on the other side of the fence where the grass is greener. I heard a great quote the other day that said, "if the grass looks greener on the other side, water your own lawn." To me this means, nurture your own life and passions instead of focusing on what you perceive to be missing.

Over the past few weeks there have been instances in which I have harped or focused on solely the negative. And it hit me today, that akin to how a change in season or wardrobe makes me feel alive, a change of attitude can do just the same. When looking at a situation, we are much more in control than we think as to how we process and perceive it. The immediate example that comes to mind is the Claritin commercial. You may think you can see clearly, but that vision is clouded until you get a dose of perspective, in which you can finally see "Clartin" clear (you're welcome to the Claritin corporation for the significant shout out, bound to increase sales from my robust readership). Focusing on the positive and having faith are two things I need to constantly remind myself, because when I do, what I see is very clear - a blessed life with wonderful people surrounding who love me.

So the next time you feel plagued with one of those days that makes you want to crawl into bed and hide, challenge yourself to think of it differently, to be present and positive. It is not easy, but in the end it could be just the clarity you need to make it through.