A new notion has entered my universe—Delisa, consider (just consider) that nothing that happens to you is inherently good or bad until your perspective/experience/belief system labels it good or bad.

 

Is my life really a blank slate that I mold into my expectations and perceptions?

 

A Hurricane Harvey story captivated me. A man who lost everything said he felt Harvey was a blessing because it united the country. That’s beauty for ashes right there.

 

I’ve really started looking at how I label my experiences, based on my journal. Was the experience a travesty or an opportunity?

 

I saw travesty in many and an opportunity in some. In others, I found the situation just “was” and didn’t label it anything.

 

While revisiting this story, I saw both. And it made me laugh, so I decided to share it to show both sides.

Determining if Life’s Experiences are “Good” or “Bad”

 

“The story of how I burnt my breakfast.

 

I woke up feeling the best I’ve felt since Saturday. I thought Hooray! This is it! I got up excited to take a purging hot shower, wash my sheets, and be productive.

 

Doh. Water’s turned off today–they’re still trying to repair some water line issue in the complex. Stinks.

 

I realize Anthony left for the airport before our dog Stig’s feeding time. We make his food, so I loaded up the rice cooker and promised Stig he’d get to eat this morning (really late, poor Stig).

 

I haven’t really cooked in days so thought I’d throw something in the crockpot and surprise Anthony with dinner. I saw a recipe on a can so I decided to make it. Turned the burner on. The wrong one. Set something on fire. Put some vegetables in the crockpot and set aside the other half of the bag for Stig’s food.

 

Realized I didn’t have all the ingredients for the crockpot meal so decided to 1/2 the recipe. Forgot to half all of the recipe. Decided it would be fine, it was experimental anyway.

Wave After Wave of Choosing How to React

 

Went back at the right time to finish Stig’s food. I hadn’t turned the rice cooker ON. His face was so sad. I grabbed oatmeal, even though he doesn’t really like oatmeal. Burned it–different burner. Salvaged the “ok” part. Made him eggs and threw beef meatballs in (figured he’d forgive me with that new ingredient).

 

Went to grab the vegetables to add to his food. Nowhere to be found. (I use frozen veggies to cool down his food. They end up as perfectly steamed veggies.) I figure they’ll make themselves known at some point. Stig scarfed the food, oatmeal and all. And ran outside.

 

I realized I hadn’t eaten in a long time and I was hungry. Decided on eggs and toast. Suddenly Stig comes flying back into the house, his paws covered in mud–apparently, it rained. He ran through the living room leaving mud spots everywhere. Luckily our floor is tile. I got him into the bathroom where I had to figure out how to clean him up. WATER IS TURNED OFF TODAY.

 

I grabbed a 32-ounce cup we keep in there for his baths, filled it with some emergency supply water, and spun each leg/paw around in the cup. Awesome bonding time for mom and delighted pup. He wasn’t too miffed about being bathed in a cup luckily. Reduced the globs to runny mud. Wiped the residue off on a towel.

 

Forgot about my food cooking during the December Mud Crisis.

 

And that is why I burnt my breakfast and now have a fever again. Apparently, my delicate condition couldn’t handle such manual labor. Haha. Burning is my energy of the day.

 

So yea for productivity and croakily laughing. Stig and I haven’t caught fire and are A-OK so that’s a win to me!”

All Things Work Together for Your Good

 

Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another.

 

To read more of Delisa’s articles, click here.

I always believed this scripture and others like it.  I believed that no matter how horrible, EVENTUALLY, probably later after I’m dead, I’ll be able to see how all the bad things were ultimately good stepping stones.

 

But, now, I realize that if I immerse myself in God’s perspective as I’m searching the scriptures, praying, and believing, then my perspective actually changes! I recognize the hand of God and opportunities in the “good or bad” things that happen to me and I generally can see good outcomes even in seemingly difficult situations.

 

Since most of the “good or bad” things that happen to me involve others rotating in and out of my sphere, if I remember the covenants I’ve made regarding my relationship to others, again, my perspective changes and I can see others in those situations, or even the situations themselves, with compassion, peace, and opportunity— the good in a happenstance.

 

What a hope-filled lesson!

 

About Delisa Hargrove
I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

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