It can be a fine line between a good day and a bad one....

   Humans are a creature of habit. We tend to follow the same routines each day and if something causes that to change, even the slightest bit, it can ruin a day and in some cases maybe longer. There can be, without a doubt,  serious or major events in a person's life that can cause someone to have some difficult and challenging days, the death of a family member, being diagnosed with a serious illness or some catastrophic event.  But most often if someone is having just a 'normal run of the mill' bad day there is only a 'fine line' between making it a 'good' one  or a 'bad' one and it can begin even before the alarm clock goes off in the morning... if you remembered to set the alarm at all.

   With a sudden start you jump up and put your feet on the floor, only to realize that there is no electric power, the alarm did not go off and, at best, you are at least an hour behind your normal routine. With no electricity, there is no hot water for a shower and worse, no way to brew a fresh pot of coffee. With no power and no lights you stumble your way across the room to the closet in search of something to put on. Although the sun rises a bit earlier in the morning now because there is no daylight saving time, it is still pretty dark and by mistake, your foot becomes firmly planted on the dog's tail. Well... that will surely wake up the rest of the family.

   Within a few minutes, the power is restored, the coffee is made and the shower is complete, with hot water and all, as you attempt to get back into your 'normal' routine. 

   Late for work, but only by a few minutes, you realized that almost everyone else is a bit behind schedule too. And the day goes on, but it was a fine line between making it a good day and a bad one, Fortunately it turned out to be a good day. (Note to self...be sure to check the alarm clock.)

   I reached into my pocket to get my wallet to pay the bill at the local coffee shop. Fear griped my body as I realized that my wallet was not in its usual place, my back pants pocket. The line behind me was getting longer and people were becoming impatient. Come on.....come on! This could turn out to be a really bad day, no wallet and part of the world mad at me.

   Being a 'creature of habit', I always put my wallet on my dresser before putting the jeans in the laundry basket. But this time I just forgot to put it back in my pocket. I think you may know the feeling! (For those who are curious, I don't carry much money in my wallet, just a couple of credit cards and my driver's license. My money is usually in my front pants pocket. It's just a bit more difficult for pickpockets to get at it, a trick I learned in a big city many years ago. But I forgot that money too.)

   At that moment, the manager approached me, asking if there was a problem. I explained what had happened and being a regular, he told me that I could 'pay up' later. Again another 'fine line' between the angry people behind me and a manager who obviously had experienced this type of situation before. What could have turned out to be an ugly scene was transformed into a good day, both for me and those who stood behind me in line because of the understanding nature of the shop owner.

   The notion of a 'fine line' implies that there are two choices, one good and one not so good, in other words... bad. There have even been songs written about the “fine line'. Check out some of  the Beatles' songs.

   Breaking a shoe lace on one of your favorite shoes, losing a button on the only clean white shirt in your closet, or having a flat tire on your car could all be the little signs, the 'fine line'  for a day that could turn out good or bad. But regardless of what the event, the decision on which side of the line to come down on is really  the result of 'attitude'. If you want to have a bad day, then go ahead. You don't really need to have an excuse other than you want to make yourself feel miserable and probably do the same to those around you.

   But you do have a choice. With our daily routines of life, for many of us there is very little that is “really' that important to make the rest of the world suffer because things went a bit a wry . So, the 'fine line' between your good day and bad day... it is what you make it!