Poop Poop Hooray!

My son pooped in his potty three times today. Three for three. Battin a thousand. Just wanted to let anyone know how proud I am.

Finding the balance

I've kind of had it with negativity. I realize this may sound kind of ridiculous coming from me because I seem to be able to come up with something crappy to say about almost anything, but it's true. I'm really done with it. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not naive enough to think that I'll be able to quit cold turkey (nod to my wife's joke during Thanksgiving), but I'm really going to give it a try.
The reason for this is that lately I've noticed negativity around me a lot more. I think that the daily battle with life, things can seem tough and then one can spiral into a craphole of bad vibes, bad attitude, and bad habits. Bad stuff happens to everyone all the time, but it's not an excuse to live in anger, or sadness, or self-pity. The really weird thing is it honestly takes me a looooooooooooong time to realize I've been living that way. I have "phases", you might call them, where I get fixated on one particular injustice I either witness or that I experience, and it is hard to get me off that once I'm honed in. This last year was the first time I became aware of this behavior. I don't like it. Not at all. Not in the "well, everyone has their faults" way, not in the "you were just going through some tough times" way, not in ANY way. I just don't like that about myself. It poisons my own soul and it poisons those around me. I don't want to be that guy anymore.
So, I'm saying "Enough!" (I sound just like J-lo when I say it, too!) I have a most amazing life and every single time I take a second to look at it, I think that. So why not have that as my primary thought and then let the other shit slide right on by? "Become a duck" is a mantra my wife and I have started to say when the piehole starts to appear in the wall like that weird vagina-like casm in "Poltergeist". It works. My wife helps me get there, but I want to be able to help her get there too. She has the most thankless job out there: stay at home mom, and I can tell it really can take a toll sometimes (my son, bless his heart, is a stubborn, spoiled (by us) mule of a child right now that is only countered by his amazing personality, his cuteness, and his genuinely kind soul). I also see my son watching me rant and rave about work or something to my wife and he picks up on that. He doesn't need to see that shit from me. Life happens, and I don't want to hide him from the world, but anything I've got to vent about can wait until he's in bed. I'm an asshole for doing that to him, and I am a bit ashamed of myself.
Right. Back to the real topic: I'm going to try really hard to be a more cheerful person. I'm not going to fake it (I really don't like those people and secretly view them as serial killers because NO ONE is that happy all the time! NO. ONE.) I have a job that pays me enough to take care of my family and I get to use my own skillset to be good at my job. I live in a house that is younger than my son and it's been turned into our family's safe place. It's comfortable, cozy, and has touches that are truly "us". I am lucky enough to have a lot of family around and this is so good for my son. My wife is UNREAL at how great of a mom she is and how best of a friend she is. I have all the things that make my life luxurious. So what possible reason do I have to be negative all the time? None. There is not one reason. That's why I'm stopping.
I'm not going to dwell on things that could've been. I'm not going to dwell on things that should be. I'm not going to let petty outside factors (i.e. other people's inconsiderateness, selfishness, or calousness) affect how my day goes. I'm going to turn the other cheek a lot more. I'm going to walk away from the fight a lot more. I'm going to live and let live a lot more.
Not to be negative, but I hope I can do it! Here goes nothin...