After several overcast days, this morning the sun was shining brightly through my window. I walked into the kitchen and was surprised to see small crumbs scattered across my kitchen counter.
“Where did you come from?” I said aloud. The immediate answer was obvious. Since I live alone, they had to have come from me.
Apparently, I had not paid enough attention to keeping this area clean. It was easy to ignore until the sun illuminated this problem spot.
Truthfully, this is only one area of my home that has been neglected during a tumultuous year. But I digress.
Back to the crumbs on my counter. As I was wiping them up, I found a few more that had been hiding. It didn’t take long to draw an analogy to my life.
The crumbs represent negative thoughts, grumbling, making excuses, etc. These thoughts don’t cause an impact on my personal well being until they start to add up. I look the other way and either pretend they don’t exist or they aren’t important. Sooner or later though, something illuminates my bad attitude and I wonder where the negativity came from.
To keep from getting to this point, a daily practice of gratitude is necessary. Being thankful clears away the crumbs of negativity. Instead of grumbling because I have to drive on winter roads, I am grateful to have a safe, reliable vehicle. This is but one of the many examples I can think of.
When I concentrate on all the blessings in my life, the crumbs are dealt with and my attitude improves.
How do you keep the crumbs from accumulating on the counter of your life?