So you had a bad day…

Does life suck right now?

Your work life?

Your family life?

Everything?

Are you sure?

I was having one of “those days” when I got a text from my friend Eric with THIS picture…

eric copy

(cue the song Mr DJ)

“Cause you had a bad day
You’re taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don’t know
You tell me don’t lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don’t lie
You had a bad day”

Writer(s): Bill Berry, Daniel Powter, Michael Stipe, Michael Mills, Peter Buck
Copyright: Night Garden Music, Song 6 Music

 All of the sudden my little “problems” didn’t seem to be that big of a deal. I mean, I was sitting on my back patio in Northern California looking at THIS view when I got the text.

BackYard

How bad can my problems be REALLY?

Just a few days before I got the picture from Eric we were spending time riding in some of Northern California’s most beautiful scenery like the Avenue of the Giants.

3Bikes-Redwoods

Napa Valley.

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And more Napa Valley…

On a day like this life doesn’t suck

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In some cases even driving into a tree is AWESOME…

Tree-Solo

Or when you show up “just in time” for the fog to roll in…

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Life is about perspective isn’t it?

Coast

Ewan McGregor, in his documentary, Long Way Round made a comment I’ll never forget after he visited a Unicef project on that trip…   “seeing these little children, and what they go through, living in squander like this makes a multi-million dollar movie seem like f*king rubbish.”

Things like a 2 year old child living in a sewer helps bring perspective ya know?

Not too long ago these words came out of my mouth…

“Man, I hate the fact that I can’t get a cell signal from the pool house” 

I wish I was joking but I’m not.

As soon as those words reverberated in my ears it hit me…

REALLY?!?!?!?!?!

I just said that?

We joke about “first world problems” a lot but in reality our “problems” are just very minor inconveniences.

VERY minor.

Do yourself a favor right now…

Take the next 30 seconds and review your “bad” day.

Seriously, pause for one moment and think about where you are, what you have, and ask yourself this question.

“Is my bad day REALLY a bad day”?

Really?

Is your 30 seconds up yet?

I’m guessing the “bad” in your day is nothing like that 2 year old in Siberia who lives in the gutter…

Maybe I’m wrong about that but I’m just guessing.

Sometimes life is hard but before you say to yourself (or others) “man this day sucks” I’d ask you to take a moment and think about that 2 year old in Siberia.

Maybe your day isn’t so bad after all?

CAP

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