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Turn that frown upside down!

I try (really, I do) to wake up happy, positive, and ready to kickass. However, this morning try as I might, I crawled out of bed already angry at the world. More specifically, angry at the guy in the parking lot who felt the need to "warm up" his diesel powered truck at 5:00am. First of all it's April- there is no need to warm up your truck. Second of all, the sun is not even up yet- so likely, neither are most of your neighbors. I asked the North Liberty police if this was illegal. Still waiting for a response.

Then, as I'm taking my dog for our morning stroll- I wasn't anticipating, or prepared for, the cold gusts of wind, or that my beloved Podcast (MyFavoriteMurder) would stop working *turns out there was just a really long pause and I was just too angry to wait*. Needless to say- I was not happy, positive, or ready to kickass.

I got back from my walk and realized that being angry is no way to start the day. So, I had to turn it around. I looked at my meal plan for the day (thanks Tone It Up!) and when breakfast called for Kodiak Cakes (protein pancakes) I suddenly began to smile. Funny how pancakes can turn your whole day around.

So I sat down at my kitchen table and began to realize that life is really what you make it. I was crabby due to circumstances out of my control- but once I began to control the narrative, everything instantly became better; which brings us to now. There are so many people out there battling for better days, or happier times. People who break free (or are trying to) from the narrative written by circumstances they can't control, take the reigns back, and write their own story.

Everyone has a story, and at times I find myself forgetting that or neglecting to acknowledge it. Maybe the guy who started his truck so early was leaving for a grueling 12 hour shift to support his family, maybe he was going to a funeral, maybe he was off to make a better life for himself- point being, I don't know what his story is; but it's not necessarily my place to. However, it is my place to understand that he does have a story.

Below are some stories that made me smile today. These are people who overcame adversity, and pain, and dealt with situations far from their control- and yet, they chose to live, to flourish, to celebrate, and to be...happy, positive, and ready to kickass. Just a friendly reminder that every day, every single person you encounter is busy creating their story.

TJ Onwuanibe- a 14-year-old survivor of a rare brain cancer experienced his dream come true...beating brain cancer, AND nailing this...nothing is cooler than that. video here.

Jimmy Kimmel- first of all, he's great, funny, witty and genuine. Secondly, he opens his soul in this monologue. He bares his private life to viewers, in an emotional segment that really makes you think about what's important. Prayers to you and your family, my man.

A Boy, a bicycle, a future- this one is real neat because this happened in my own backyard. The UI College of Engineering created a device to help a little boy, who was born without an arm, to help him learn to ride without training wheels!

Go out there are get living, people!

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