Your Tool Kit

April has arrived. Did you feel like winter was never going to end? It just seemed we had been cold forever. Maybe that’s because I kept flying back and forth to Chicago where I think winter is going to last forever! This past weekend when I was there I was greeted by freezing rain, danced some with a major snow storm and left behind a grey sky and more rain. That type of weather calls for some special tools to help with your Weekend Attitude Adjustment- and a good raincoat.

Yes, that is this week’s topic. What is in your tool kit when it comes to adjusting your attitude?

My weekend started out at an airport filled with small children traveling with their families. Not that this is a bad thing mind you. It’s only bad when I’m traveling. It’s why I try to stay w/Tuesdays or Wednesdays as my departure and arrival days. But I digress.

So here I am in the airport and there are car seats and extra luggage and children w/back packs and games and dolls and – you get the picture. Getting myself through security these days is enough to whack out my attitude. I can’t imagine what you do when you are attempting to move 2 or 4 little ones through – that‘s a question for the Weekend Attitude Adjustment Community – what do you do? How do you keep your attitude positive when moving children through the security gates at the airport?

Here is how I did it. I noticed a woman putting her baby in the bin. The baby was all bundled in pink and looked really cute in that grey bin. She was sitting up, smiling and giggling. I thought to myself, I wonder how the TSA screener who looks through that little monitor is going to respond – computer, purse, shoes, baby, BABY!

So I asked the TSA agent who was screening my boarding pass. I just mentioned that I didn’t realize we had to put babies in the bins these days. He quickly turned around with such a look of panic – okay it was really sort of funny. It was especially funny because the mom removed the baby from the bin just as the agent was about to jump up and shout stop. I’ve been told that in comedy, timing is everything!

I’m not saying we should pick on TSA agents. After all, they are faced with a very challenging job and talk about having to keep your Attitude Adjusted. Can you imagine having to put up with comedians like me all day? However, just noticing what’s around you, adding a little innocent curiosity or new perspective, flavoring it with the spice of humor and suddenly you just might find yourself and others cracking a smile or bursting out in laughter. There are several tools: simply noticing, curiosity, a different perspective and humor. What tools are in your tool kit?

Think about it for a moment. Those who like to cook have great cooking utensils. They pride themselves on having the finest set of knives. They have researched them, tested them out and finally decided on the very best ones. And when it comes time to prepare their specialty – those knives that have been safely tucked away are gently taken out and used. Those knives help the cook to create a great meal and more.

How about garden tools to the gardener or automotive tools to the mechanic? Treasured and treated with love. All so these masters are better able to do the thing they love to do because of their tools!

What are your Weekend Attitude Adjustment tools? How well do you care for them? Is it traveling on off days? Looking for the humor in a situation? Getting enough sleep or eating healthy?

This weekend as you are working on the car, digging in the garden or preparing for that special dinner party, take a moment to consider your tools, and then consider your Attitude Tools. Send us a quick comment on what you discovered in your Attitude Adjustment Tool box!

Until then I remain…

Joyfully yours,
Mary Elizabeth