Right now, I am sitting outside of a Starbucks near campus sipping on an iced green tea, listening to the music streaming over the speakers, taking in the smell of an impending thunderstorm,  and smiling. Grateful for a small moment in my day to refocus. To remind myself that, overall, life is good.

I am writing about this moment because I am guilty of not doing this every day. Sometimes I let the day (or days) fly by without allowing a chance to refocus.

Refocusing is not a simple glossing over of what is bad. Rather, it is a mindful recognition of the good and the bad and then a deliberate decision to focus on the good. To remind myself that everything is okay…including me…just as I am.

Refocusing is such a hard thing to do. Why is that?

I think it is because we live such busy lives in which so many things can go wrong. The car doesn’t start in the morning, we are late for work, we miss a work deadline, we come home and get into an argument with our partner…we make mistakes.

When there are so many things that can (and often do) go wrong it is simply hard to say that life is good and that we are okay.

I think that is one of the reasons why I love being outside, why I love being a therapist, and why I love things like Pilates/yoga/being with my loved ones….why I love experiencing life.

As a therapist, I am allowed the opportunity to witness people refocusing. Reminding themselves that even though they are stuck in the middle of everything that is wrong and chaotic that they are okay. There is another side to look forward to…there is hope.