It's All How you Frame It

This morning I was working on the next book called "Okay, Which One of You Took My Sanity?
A Fun Guide to Foster, Adoptive, and Other Kinds of Parenting" that I'm writing with Matt Hoffman author of Hattie's Advocate: Adopting a Family through Foster Care. I was writing the a chapter about finding a moment of joy each day and realized that many of the stories I tell could lead people not to laughter and joy, but to dismay, heartache, frustration, disappointment, and anger. But to me the stories are simply funny, because it's all how you frame it.

This summer several of our kids have taken afternoon naps and it has frustrated me. I know that teenagers need a lot of sleep but to see them dosing when I have so much to do troubles me. However, I was thinking about how I was framing that and I realized something really important. This is the first summer that anyone COULD nap in our home. Previous summers there has been so much chaos and conflict that there was no way anyone could rest around here during the day.

The other neat part of this is that because they can.... I can. I have found that if I have about a 20-40 minute nap after lunch I can make it through the day with more energy -- even if I get up at 5 or 5:30 to go to the Y.

So if something is annoying you -- try to find a way to reframe it. It's brightening my day for sure.