things like this

Dear Diary: Today, I woke up feeling perfectly refreshed. To top it all off, my boss gave me the day off and JT surprised me with plane tickets to Costa Rica. There we rappelled a rainforest waterfall, munched on plantain chips, waded in the ocean at sunset, and fell asleep under the stars. If Only, LB

It was not my perfect day today. In fact, it was the kind of day that gave me every indication that God is preparing me for lots of transition. JT and I have gotten settled in this blissful daily tradition, and I think He wants us to change it up a little bit soon. Since it seriously gets better every day, I'm excited to see what the "new normal" has in store for us, if that makes sense. I choose to gladly be excited about the future, submit to God as best as I can (I will need to recommit to this daily), and take the refining fire if it means my heart will be changed and molded through this.

But I don't need a whirlwind trip to paradise to constitute a perfect day. It's the little things that God provides like sunshine, good food, and deep belly laughter with loved ones that I wouldn't trade for anything. Notice things like minor victories, chance meetings with people I'll probably never see again, and quality conversations can be taken with me anywhere, no matter what the new normal looks like. Things like this don't depend on where you live, how much money you make, or who is president of the United States. Things like this are universal, kind of like The Man Upstairs, which lets me know they are His hugs and kisses to a world that cannot see him.

And because they're from God, I believe things like this have the power to trump the bad vibes and negative attitudes that come from bad days.