Ants in the Pantry

Choosing to find something good

Recently I had ants in my pantry. I absolutely hate it when I get bugs in my house. It is really gross, and it makes me feel stressed. Of course, we had to take everything out, clean it, treat for the bugs and then replace it all. As I was grumbling to myself about the situation, I could feel my mood turning from good to bad. Why? When I am too busy to deal with this situation does something like this always happen? But then I realized that I could either make a choice. I could choose to be unhappy about this, or I could try and find the good.

 

I started thinking about what was good about having ants in the pantry. First, I had been wanting to organize the pantry anyway. Second, I had just come from the grocery store, so I was glad to have discovered the ants before I put away the fresh food. Third, taking care of this today was going to help me be better prepared for my upcoming Thanksgiving cooking. And finally, I reminded myself that I was blessed. I had an abundance of food, a beautiful kitchen to cook it in, and a wonderful family to cook for. As silly as it sounds, I began to even be grateful for having ants in my pantry.

 

Because it made me realize something. I realized that I have tremendous power. I have the power every day to decide how I will face a situation. I can either gripe, complain, and be in a bad mood. Or, I can look at something and strive to find the good in it. I am not saying it is easy. It is something I struggle with each day. But, I am trying. And sometimes I am even successful. My attitude about things in my life can make a problem either solvable or impossible. And your attitude is a reflection of what is happening in yours. Today, aim for looking at a stressful situation with a new set of eyes.