Surprises

The past two weeks have been rough. I lost out on a few opportunities I had hoped would work out, but they aren't meant to be at this time. This will pass, of course, but the sting of losing these projects stings. Especially with so many rejections a row.

Turning toward the positive, I am thankful for my wife's understanding and encouragement. She has mourned with me and has been quick to shed light on the brighter side of things. My kids have also seemed to know the right times to say, "I love you, Dad." Another source of encouragement has come in the unlikeliest of places - at the gas station/convenience store down the street.

There are two regular attendants at the gas station - one of them is Charlie. I don't know anything about him, but imagine that just like all of us, he has some difficult days; regardless, he's there with a smile and a kind word for everyone who stops by his corner of the world - even for the briefest moment. So when I swing in for biweekly fill-ups, I try to get a pump in Charlie's section. I like hearing his heartfelt "you have a great day" or even "God bless." The words don't really matter as much as his energy does. A few days ago he noticed that I was dressed for an important meeting and told me to "go get 'em today!" It meant a lot... even though the meeting did not go as planned.

Add to that a small surprise. On Tuesday morning I forgot to pack something for breakfast and went into the mini mart to grab a breakfast sandwich before filling up the car. There were too left in the case and I grabbed the one that was not labeled "sausage." I didn't know exactly what the sandwich was until removing the label that read "beef and cheese charbroiled sandwich" and found that essentially, it was a cheeseburger for breakfast. What can brighten the day more than a surprise cheeseburger for breakfast?

www.pixabay.com

And with all of that, I'm ready to get back into the arena. I am pushing hard for better results next time around, but understand that there will be more set backs. No matter what may come, it is important to remember to enjoy the good things - the large and the small - and remember that sometimes, if I'm really lucky, I might just get a cheeseburger for breakfast.