It’s all about attitude

A
 couple of weeks ago, one of my students who is also an athlete walked into my classroom and announced that she had made the decision to change her attitude, and by doing so had gotten a great deal accomplished.
It was a Friday, and I have to admit that I was not feeling being at work. I had quite a bit of grading to do, I was tired and I was looking forward to the end of the day and the start of the weekend.
She explained that simply by changing her attitude to one where she cared about how she performed in athletics and academics had resulted in improving the results of her efforts.
I applauded her for taking the initiative to better herself, but stubbornly held on to my own attitude of not wanting to do the work I had before me.
Slowly, however, her words began to sink in and by the end of the day I had gotten completely caught up on my grading and therefore had a free weekend ahead of me — and it felt great!
This past Sunday as I was attending my hometown church virtually, my pastor gave a sermon on changing your attitude, and it was a message that she had been hit with early on Sunday morning. She had another sermon prepared but the Spirit moved her to revamp and revise, and I was hit with the feeling that I needed to hear what she had to say. 
This year has been tough, no doubt about it.
Her message, in a nutshell, was that it is time for us to change our attitudes about 2020. And she’s right. There has been a great deal to feel remorseful about this year — weddings postponed, burying loved ones without being able to say a proper goodbye, mamas giving birth alone in a delivery room without any loved ones, not being able to hug those you love, and the list goes on.
Students lost time in school, athletes missed out on sports seasons, while graduations and proms were postponed.
Neighbor has been pitted against neighbor and people have been horrible to each other because of division over the global pandemic and how to deal with it. Racial discord escalated to the point of rioting.
A dead whale was found in the Amazon. 
All of this has taken place within the last eight months, and it doesn’t show any real sign of letting up, but how we deal with adversity can change the course of our lives, and that all comes down to changing our attitudes. 
As we begin this month of Thanksgiving, I have accepted the challenge of coming up with a blessing every morning when I wake up. This simple act will get my day off to a wonderful start and will set me up on a course of positivity which I hope will be infectious to those around me. 
As I retire for the night, I will be mindful of all of the things that I am thankful for in my life which I hope will afford me peaceful sleep.
I’m going to focus on all that is good, because there is just way too much negativity in the world today and far too much hate. 
Recently, I saw a meme on Facebook which said Make America Kind Again. With a little attitude change, I believe that is well within our reach.
Who would like to join me?