What we make it...

We took grandson to the local county fair last night. At 5 years old, he was beyond excited and ran from ride to ride. Needless to say, we had a hard time keeping up!

I noticed two people there...both carnival workers. The first was a lady working the roller coaster for the little ones. Although she said nothing unpleasant to the children, her motions were slow, bored and unmotivated. While I know it might be hard to keep up your enthusiasm when dealing with hundreds of little ones...it takes a strong armor to keep out their laughter and joy. I watched her for several minutes and wondered what could be the cause of her unhappiness? The old proverb tells us not to judge another until we've walked a mile in their shoes, I don't want to be in hers. Not because of her line of work, but because of her lack of joy! I realized all I could do was stand on the side and lift her up in prayer...that she would find wonder in the world around her.

The second person was the man working the swings for the little ones. His excitement was infectious! The children didn't just lift their little hands to show him their stamps (pay one price to ride all night and you get a stamp on your hand), they had to "fist bump" with him. He smiled and laughed while putting them in the swings and while making his rounds to be sure everyone was fastened in correctly. And then the ride began...with music and BUBBLES! He had a machine that blew hundreds of bubbles into their paths as they went swinging by...and it was beautiful to watch! The shouts and laughter were worth the price of admission!

A little later I thought of the difference in attitude of the two workers. One was barely there and the other was full of joy...why? Although we all have struggles in our lives, it is up to us to chose the way we will face each day. Do we walk around throwing a pity party or do we choose to be joyful? It's a choice you see, and no one can take it away from us, unless we let them.