Well at Least I.....

While standing in the always long line at the post office, a gruff mother and her son walked up behind me.  The little boy looked to be about six and was wearing fun red pajama looking pants and a striped shirt.  He had very obvious bed head hair and was a little disheveled.  As the two planted themselves behind me in line his mother snapped at the boy, "Now stand in line and don't touch anything!"  Well, alrighty, I thought.  He must be the kind of boy that needs that kind of warning every time he gets in a line.  Since we were in line together for a while I kept overhearing the mother send a slew of negative comments to the boy.  My heart hurt for him and I wanted to just divert the negativity with a smile pointed in his direction.  He looked at the selection of stamps on the wall for a while as his mother continued to pick.  She noticed the milk mustache on her son's face and started to comment, telling him that we don't do that and he should have wiped his face off.  He then said something that has stuck with me for a few days and made me really think and ponder.  With all the sweet innocence of a young boy he meekly replied, "Well, at least I brushed my teeth."

How many times have we had a rough day full of yucky, negative moments?  I know I have headed to bed many times and thought, "What have I even accomplished today?"  Negative thoughts can bring us down and make us feel worthless.  We know these thoughts are tools of the adversary to make us feel insignificant and hopeless but yet we can fall into the trap of self pity so often.  This week I have heard that little boys' phrase repeated over and over in my brain as I have gone through my often mundane schedule of laundry, cleaning, cooking and all the other seemingly insignificant moments of my day.  When I changed my thought process to the "well, at least I brushed my teeth" mantra I found that I could appreciate the little things I was able to accomplish during the day and feel like each day was full of significant accomplishments.  Well, at least I did two loads of laundry.  Well, at least I spent some time playing a game with my son.  Well, at least I read half a chapter in the Book of Mormon.  Well, at least I sat on the front porch for a few minutes with family talking and laughing while watching the doggies play. Well at least I got the Sunday dishes done on Monday afternoon. The list of "well at leasts" in our days can be found all the time if we just open our eyes, clear out the negativity, and remember to keep it simple.  Life is a journey, a process of little "well at least" moments that we create.  Be on the look out for those moments....it may just surprise you how often they happen.