It was only a small spot on the garage floor, but then it grew. At first I thought it was condensation from the air conditioner, but water dripping from the car isn’t usually black and slick. Immediately I had a $1,500.00 bill rung up in my head for repairs to a cracked whatever or worn-out something.

When Art himself from Art’s Automotive called later that afternoon I was relieved to learn a $12.00 bolt had to be replaced. All the car needed was a simple adjustment instead of the major overhaul I had conjured up in my head. Why do I instantly think the worst?

So many times things that seem dreadful, only need fine tuning. When a washing machine makes that horrible noise because the load gets heavy on one side, moving just one towel usually stops the whomping. A new printer that spits out blank paper may simply be out of ink, not broken.

A day may start off just fine, but then the dishwasher overflows, a key employee calls in sick and the dog throws up on the new wool rug. Everything looks disastrous, but it’s really three inconveniences that happen to hit all at once. None of those things constitutes an emergency, but piled up it sure can play with your attitude.

Chuck Swindoll once said, “I believe life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” So when things start to go south and your attitude looks like it’s about to follow, think about that. Consider most of what we let send us into a tailspin is junk that can be simply stepped over without letting it slow us down. Remember trials are inevitable, hissy fits optional. Besides, all that’s probably needed is a minor adjustment.