This morning had the forewarning of an audacious day with the winds howling at my windows and waking me up earlier than usual. While this may have been a warning for the events to come, I chose not to revel in superstitious predictions.

I was right in doing so, but terrible weather patterns mixed with distracted thoughts made for a terrible combination on the road to work.

Rounding the bend on a road I’ve travelled every day for two years now, I was met with a fallen tree. While the speed at which I was travelling would have fared fine for a quick stop, it was the wet road that did me in.

Relying on intuition and experience during Canadian winters, I managed to slow down and swerve into the smallest section of the fallen timber. While the crash going over felt like all hope had been stripped from the day, I was still okay and an examination of the vehicle appeared fine.

This still shocked me as I pulled into work and upon entering its doors, realized the work keys I needed to run the day were left at home.

Suffice to say, the day was shaping up to be one of “those” days where the only positive glimmer in your thoughts is the end will come.

However, instead of feeding into the cycle of negativity that could have overwhelmed me in the moment, I took a different path:

I decided to count my blessings as they happened.

While the day was filled with mishaps, although none as jagged as the fallen tree in the morning, it was the blessings (and not the curses) that kept me going.

Counting your blessings, no matter how minuscule and insignificant they may be, changes the tone of your own viewpoint. It turns the cynic into a realist with a positive outlook.