Double Doozie Moment

I created Kindness180 this summer so I can grow professionally and personally. Here is one thing that I noticed.  It is really easy to show kindness when you are in good mood, things are going your way,  and when life isn't stressful. However, if we are really honest with ourselves it is hard to show kindness when life is stressful, when we have a bad day, or when things never seem to go right.

Before I share my experience keep one thing in mind. When we are creating blog posts or posting on social media it is very tempting to only share how great things are going. It is a little more difficult to share when we don't have it all together or when we are less than perfect. However, Kindness180 isn't about perfection. It is about growing. We grow when we can admit our faults and learn from them. 

So here we go. I have two words for you....Double Doozie. 

A Double Doozie is the most amazing cookie in the world. If you have never had a double doozie you are missing out on one of the greatest shopping mall treats EVER! So let me back track a bit. 

I was having a hard day. I hardly slept the night before, and it was just one thing after another from the moment I walked into the school building. I was putting out one fire after another. I had several discipline issues before the bell even rang, my own personal child was having issues at school. I had an upset parent who was justified in their frustration, but I was having difficulty resolving the situation. My principal was gone and I had questions coming in that only she could answer. Then I get a call that I needed to do some blood work for an upcoming procedure and it had be done THAT day, and the lab was 2 hours away one way. We live in a rural community and that was the closest lab that I could go to. I had to leave work early to get to the lab before it closed and this was just one of those days that I really couldn't leave early, but I didn't have a choice. I left work stressed and everything that needed to be done was weighing down on me. 

I make it to the lab on time for my 20 second blood draw, and then start to drive the 2 hours back home. I decided to take a detour and went to the mall to do some retail therapy. I bought some really cute converse shoes, because shoes always make a girl feel better right? Not today it didn't.  I could still feel myself on edge. 

As I begin to leave the mall I  decided I would grab some Chick- Fil- A at the food court for dinner before I drove home. As I was leaving Chick -Fil- A, I turned around and there it was. The Great American Cookie Company, who made the greatest dessert of all time the DOUBLE DOOZIE! 

If you have never had a double doozie you are missing out. It is two perfect cookies with frosting in the middle. It is by far my favorite dessert! After a long tiring day I just knew the Double Doozie was what I needed to brighten my day. I mean the new converse helped but the Double Doozie was the real answer.

 *I am rereading this and I know I sound ridiculous. It sounds like I am obsessed with Double Doozies and well I kind of am! *

So anyway.... I pick out the perfect Double Doozie and hand the cashier my debit card to pay for my $2.29 Double Doozie. She asks for my ID. No problem, I go to grab it and it's not there! I must have left it back home, which was 2 hours away, and of course I don't have any cash. I look at her and tell her that I don't have my ID. She said she had to have it or no Double Doozie. What? You mean to tell me I can't have my Double Doozie. The thing that was suppose to bring me happiness after a long day. 

*Rereading again and I know I sound like a crazy person but well I wanted that Double Doozie* 

Something comes over me. It was like an out of body experience. The stress of the day, the lack of sleep, the 4 hour round trip for a 20 second blood draw finally does me in. I furrow my brow, my accent gets real thick (which happens when I am being sassy) and I then look at her and say, "You mean to tell me I am not going to get the Double Doozie because I don't have my ID. If I stole this debit card I would be buying something way more expensive than a $2.29 double doozie." She told me yes that was correct and that is policy. I then went onto tell her that "I do not like your  policy and that it is.....stupid." I KNOW I KNOW!! AHH!!  What has come over me?! 

At this point I am not showing Kindness. I am overly stressed, overly tired, and I just want my DOUBLE DOOZIE! It is already late and I still have a 2 hour drive home. I leave (or more like marched off) get to my car and immediately feel bad. Here I am doing a Kindness180 challenge every day and I lose it because I didn't get my Double Doozie. On most days not getting my double doozie wouldn't have been a big deal. I would have just gone to the ATM in the food court, grabbed some cash, and then go back to pay for it, but not on this day. On this day I chose not to show kindness. 

I sat in my car reflecting on what just happened. Did I really just let my southern sass take over because of a double doozie?  I mean they are amazing but come on. I knew that I needed to figure out how to show kindness even when I am overly tired and stressed, because it's not an excuse to be unkind. Remember the 180 in Kindness180 is about changing your mindset on when to show kindness. We not only show kindness when everything is going perfectly. We have to show kindness even when everything is falling apart. This. Is. TOUGH. It is not easy to be positive when you are stressed and nothing seems to be going right. However we must be different. We must be able to show kindness no matter what situation we are in. 

As I sat and reflected about what just happened I kept thinking about my friend Sheila Kennedy. She spreads positivity daily. She has shared with me how positive thinking has helped her through some really difficult times. Way more difficult then not getting a Double Doozie cookie. *Sheila will be writing a guest blog post very soon on the power of positivity. 

We must practice having a positive attitude in order to show kindness to others. WHAT we tell ourselves in difficult situations makes a difference in HOW we respond during those same situations. 

Having a POSITIVE attitude is an essential piece in spreading kindness. 

Positive thinking can have a huge impact on our mental and emotional health. It can reduce stress and help us through difficult situations. If I had more of a positive attitude on the day that "Double Doozie Gate" occurred then I may have not have been so stressed out that I took out my frustration on someone who was simply doing their job. If I am truly honest with myself, I wasn't upset about not getting the delicious dessert. I was upset because it was just another thing that didn't go my way that day and I didn't take it too well. 

We have to TRAIN  ourselves  to have a positive mindset.

When someone decides to run a marathon they  train for months. They don't simply say, "I am going to run a marathon today." What would happen if they did that? For starters they won't make it very far. As soon as it gets difficult they will quit. When training for a marathon, you start off small. You may run a mile or two when you first start training. When your body is able to handle that then you increase your mileage. While you are slowly training your body you are also training your mind to push through the pain and the mental blocks. The slow and steady training that gradually increases in difficulty allows that person to run the big race. 

It is the same thing when you are training your mind to have a positive mindset. Don't wait to practice positivity when you are put in a difficult situation. Start by noticing the small things. Many people do this with a gratitude journal. The first thing they do when they wake up is write 3 things they are grateful for. This starts off the day with a positive mindset. Train yourself all day every day to have positive thoughts so when you are faced a particularly stressful day you are able to face it with grace and with a positive attitude. 

Let's be real. We ALL have had a Double Doozie moment. We may say or do something when we are stressed that we aren't particularly proud of. We must train ourselves to have a POSITIVE mindset in order to show kindness to everyone, even during the difficult times.