Every Little Thing Is Gonna Be Alright

You've probably been through that kind of day when everything just works. You wake up fresh, you do what you have to do in a productive and focussed way, and after a smooth day, you go to bed satisfied and ready to turn the page leading to the morrow.

On the other hand, you've probably been through this kind of day when you trip into your blanket on your way out of bed, only to discover, once in the kitchen, that today's cereal breakfast will have to do without milk, and without cereals. For some reason you're now late and will have to chew your instant coffee instead of drinking it -you might need it, since a virus on your computer has deleted a week worth of work. A day that's perfect with, say, a tooth ache just to spice-up the mix and make sure you fall asleep with the worst feeling ever: frustration.

So here's the question of the week: how comes some days are so terrible for apparently no reason? 

The answer can be found both in your grandma's advice and Bob Marley's song "Three little bird": When granny is reminding you to brush your teeth regularly, Bob Marley emphasizes that "Every little thing is gonna be alright".

Every. Little. Thing.

Little things make a huge part our everyday life and, when they go wrong they fit into two categories: the ones that will annoy you and the one that will incapacitate you.

Did you know you could die from a tooth cavity? 

Also, did you know that very simple acts like washing your hands are so crucial to general health that a scientist named Ignaz Semmelweis literally went mad about it when his colleagues refused to acknowledge that yes, clean hands are the best friend of surgeons. Here's an example closer to us: an ankle gets sprained, the sprain is ignored, the same ankle gets sprained again, and soon… hi crutches! Trivial, right?

Then, there are the daily annoyances. 

Your phone's battery is somehow broken, you don't have time to replace it, yet because of it you've missed an important call or two already. A leak in the bathroom has turned into a minor but oh so inconvenient flood. Your car's battery is slowly but surely giving up, making you a little later every time you go to work… Sure, these things are very minor details, things that can be sorted with quick fixes… things that, when they pile up, turn your day in a never ending heap of frustration.

Frustration is ugly. 

Not only it is a combination of stress, hanger and hopelessness, but it's a very tiring feeling. Even more so when you have other problems in mind, bigger challenges, addressing a bigger picture. And becomes a vicious circle when your start getting frustrated about spending your energy over minor frustrations instead of productive solutions.

No need to be completely obsessed with everything always being the way it should be though, life is about changes, surprises and, well, chaos -so minor bothers are to be expected and accepted.

Fixing stuff is way prettier!

But starting with fixing all these seemingly petty annoyances is a great shortcut for a better day. Actually, it might save up so much energy that it might extend your life by a couple of years.

Give it a try: why not make a list of everything that needs fixing, and just fix it, so every little thing turns our alright?

I've made mine, and I'm going to work on it right now.
Enjoy your week and talk to you soon!