My best friend, Teri oozes with joy! Her JOurneY is a chaotic one, one full of five beautiful children.  Yep, I said five!  She reminds me that it’s not like she has ten.  But five: that’s five backpacks to check, five spelling lists, five lunch accounts to keep current, five parent/teacher conferences, five dentist appointments…it never ends!  Did I mention she also works full time and is one heck of a coach, too?  Believe it or not, most days she even fixes her hair! (Notice I said “fixes”…not “washes”! Dry shampoo is her friend.)

To be fair, on any give day Teri looks a little disheveled.  Okay, a LOT disheveled!  I notice many people ask her how she is doing?  Most of us would respond with the standard regurgitation, “I am exhausted and need a break!” But that is not the response you will hear from Teri.  Instead, you’ll hear a very pleasant “I’m fine.” Sure, Teri’s “I’m fine” really means I’m as fine as someone sprawled in the middle of a highway about to be hit by a bus.

So why does she reply with “I’m fine”?  Because she understands the importance of being positive, and that complaining is toxic.  She doesn’t want to poison her day or anyone else’s day with a complaint. She also understands she is FINE, she is alive and each day is a gift! With this New Year, let’s follow Teri’s example and take the “I’m fine” approach with less toxic complaining and more joy oozing!