Perspective.

It was a typical Friday morning. I was running late getting out the door because, despite the ease of choosing my outfit of a hoodie and blue jeans for casual Friday, I just couldn't get motivated. It was the end of the week, I was tired, and all I really wanted to do was stay in bed.

I hopped in the car and started driving only slightly above the speed limit to get to work. It was drizzly and dreary and as I crossed the river, I encountered some of the thickest fog I've seen in a long time. There could have been an unnecessary giraffe euthanization (sorry, that's another story) 10 feet ahead of me and I would never have known. I couldn't see the curves in the road, cars coming or going, or anything else but fog.

So I grumbled to myself as I was forced to slow down.

Who invented fog anyway? Stupid fog thinks it's *SO* special because it's a cloud on the ground. Newflash! Clouds are SUPPOSED to be in the sky! Go home, clouds! You're drunk!

Then, in true hollywood fashion (all that was missing was the dramatic music), I was reminded of the first time I ever flew in an airplane. I was fascinated by the clouds as we flew through them. THEN, I thought it was the coolest thing ever that we were right in the middle of the clouds. When we reached cruising altitude and I was able to look down on the clouds from above, they were beautiful. The looked soft and comfortable and glowed warmly with the reflection of the sun light. I loved them.

So what was the difference between flying through the clouds in the sky and driving through the clouds on the ground?

Perspective.

*Insert epiphany here*

The difference between getting out of bed because you have to and getting out of bed because you can is your perspective.
The difference between being too tired to go to work and having a job to make you tired is your perspective.
The difference between having to spend yet another holiday with your crazy family and getting to spend your holiday with loved ones is your perspective.
The difference between receiving terrible restaurant service and being fortunate enough to have someone serve you dinner is your perspective.
The difference between having a dead battery on your cell phone and having a cell phone with a dead battery is your perspective.
The difference between the glass being half full or half empty is your perspective.
The difference between living in fear and living is your perspective.

For most of life's bumps and bruises, there's nothing we can do to change our circumstances. We can't change the hand we've been dealt. But we each have the power to control how we react. We get to decide how we deal with those circumstances-- our perspectives.

And the only difference between being lost in the fog and being on an adventure in the clouds is your perspective.