Choosing Joy

So we have this guy in the office that is a textbook pessimist.  When he is presented with something, he will search for the one thing that does not match his vision and zone in on that.  He gets a certain look on his face right before the harsh words come out of his mouth.  Like a predator right before he pounces on his prey.  It has gotten so bad recently that a few of us have decided to try out an experiment.  Right before our negative comrade unleashes his words, we say, "Choose Joy." 

It has had the most interesting effect.  With that one spoken statement, this life-long pessimist has a few times stopped mid-thought, put a smile on his face, and has refocused his attention in finding at least one thing that he can compliment on.

You can tell that it is hard for him.  His mind keeps wanting to go back to the one thing that needs to be tweaked.  It is like watching a baby learn to walk.  A baby knows that it is easier to crawl, but walking could be so much more exciting.  So the baby keeps trying.

While I would love to say that our negative comrade had permanently changed his ways, I can not.  But I am still hopefully in our little experiment.  It is actually something that I am constantly working on with myself.  I think naturally I am a perfectionist.  And the problem with a perfectionist is that nothing is ever perfect.  So I have to force myself to appreciate the reality... flaws and all.  And my hope is that after a few weeks, months, years of choosing joy, it will become second nature.

So how am I choosing joy today?  Here are a few of my favorite joys that I have stumbled across already...

• I love the way that Little B puts her arms around my neck and pulls in for a hug.  Be still my heart!
• The Bachelor Pad - nothing like a train wreck of a tv show to get you through a Monday.
• The radio played 3 really good songs back to back on the drive in today - Soul Sister by Train, Joey by Concrete Blonde, Crash by Dave Matthews. 
• Homemade iced coffee on a 100+ degree day.
• Knowing that football season is right around the corner.  Go Aggies!
• A funny email from my girls.
• Watching Little B gobble up Cheerios.  Those chubby little fingers are quite efficient.

So tell me lovely readers, how are you choosing joy today?  Leave me a comment and let me know.