Thank goodness for humor. I am thinking specifically about cartoons. I have had a Wile E. Coyote kind of day. If you’re too young for Looney Tunes or never really watched television or cartoons or such, then you might not know who Wiley is (go to YouTube, there are tons of Coyote clips.) I guess some would describe him as a ne’er-do-well, but for me he is an eminently likable character who never quite seems to get hold of what he’s after and suffers grievous injury in pursuit of it. But, with the magic of cartoonery, he recovers miraculously in time to rush headlong into the next calamity. When I say I’ve had a Wile E. Coyote kind of day, I am referring to one of those days when anvils drop onto my head, sticks of dynamite blow up in my face, and I fall off a cliff, plummeting downward until I hit the bottom of the canyon with a puff of dust. Of course those things did not literally happen, but figuratively speaking another small series of unfortunate events characterized the early part of my day. So now nearly at the end of this day I can still find humor (albeit it a little grim) and gratitude that I can still smile and chuckle over the hard knock life of a looney tunes cartoon character.
Now I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself a ne’er-do-well (though I have moments when I’m not so sure), and like to think of myself as eminently likable. And I can somewhat relate to Wile E.’s relentless pursuit of something he wants that continually eludes him. The fact that he dooms himself and that his schemes always backfire–often literally in his face–is not necessarily something I can relate to, though heaven knows I have managed to get myself into interesting predicaments. In spite of it all, the anvils, dynamite, cliffs and such, like Wile E. I still manage to get up , dust my cartoon self off, and throw myself back into the chase. While I know that this kind of determined stick-to-it-tive-ness (nice made up word) can be an asset, it is likewise important to know when to give up and stop chasing the unattainable. I’m just sayin.’
I am grateful that as tired as I am tonight I can still find some humor in me. This has been a trying day from waking and morning journal writing to winding down and evening blog writing. But once again, even in the midst of everything, here I am thinking and writing about gratitude. That is a good thing, a small but important victory. It is a muscle I have to keep exercising and strengthening, building on the momentum from these victories when they come. I have a long way to go and a lot to do and unfortunately still a lot to learn. But I have grown from these lessons in gratitude, from the moments of grace that occur each day that help me know that the challenges of the present time will diminish and I’ll have some breathing space in the near future. And oh what stories I’ll have to tell. Til then my task is to keep moving or as another cartoon character says, “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…”
Tonight as I’ve written this blog, I’ve gone over to YouTube a few times to check out clips of various cartoons that I I’ve enjoyed. They made me smile, they made me laugh out loud, they momentarily lifted me out of my weariness. I really do have the power to reclaim my day. Doing this as I prepare for sleep is a good thing, for it means that I stand a pretty good chance of starting out the day a little lighter than if I hadn’t. Every little bit helps. And, as Scarlett O’Hara tritely observed, “Tomorrow is another day.” Another opportunity to exercise my gratitude muscle. Another day to do my best.
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