Take a deep breath and... Smile. Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seems to go right? Or you run into what I call "A late chain" where being late for work, makes you late for your doctor's appointment, which makes you late picking up the kids. Well I've had just enough experiences that allow me to take a breather and realize things are not as bad as they seem.

Think YOU'RE having a bad day?

You know what? Mom was right; somebody else is having a worse time of it than you. Reminds me of my trip to The Sudan where we ran into a child who told us it wasn't her day to eat. It turns out; they had so little food at home that they took turns deciding who would get a meal on any given day. No matter what you're going through, all those petty nuisances fall away when you run into real suffering like that. As a teenager from America, this was my first time seeing what life was like in the Third-World, (who named it that?) of course; we helped the family out. It didn't feel like charity either, just one human being sharing with another.

It feels great to do good.

Block and Tackle

At this point, I've come to realize that sometimes an off moment, can be the universe's way of preventing something even worse from happening. One such account is the story of The Rev. J. Stuart Holden, who planned a trip to the states to attend a convention, when his wife took ill, causing him to cancel at the last moment. Now, while I'm sure her sudden sickness was worrying, what would've been even more horrifying was continuing his journey as a first-class passenger aboard... The Titantic.

Puts a little perspective on things doesn't it? Every once in awhile, that rough spot may be just what the Doctor ordered.

So the next time life throws a curveball at you, just take a deep breath, and?