This week Darren and Paige talk about how to maintain perspective when things don't go they way you planned or want. They will talk about the some challenges and disappointment over the past few weeks. How do you maintain perspective??

Happy, Sad, Happy

•  Darren and Paige had a lot of big plans for April! Graduation, Brazil, Graduation. Lots of wonderful things.
• Darren blew it! After over two years of not getting COVID, Darren went to DC for a work trip and came home with the VID. They found out after getting back from the first graduation trip, two days before they were supposed to leave for Brazil. Brazil was cancelled. Paige and Darren were home alone while all the kids were off doing fun stuff. Then Paige got COVID, and depressed.
• Luckily recovered enough to go to the next graduation. 

How well do you handle challenges and disappointments? How do we keep perspective?

Use these strategies to keep a level head when everything seems to go wrong:

1. Find a way to learn from the challenge....blah, blah blah. But its true. Life would be much easier if we never made the same mistake twice.
2. Be Accurate. Avoid letting your emotions get the best of you. Be objective.
3. Ask yourself what you can do about it. Then listen to the answers and focus on solutions.
4. Exercise. Eat, sleep and get some vigorous exercise.
5. Maintain a positive attitude. Focus on the positive aspects of your life.
6. Realize that the situation is temporary. Just hang on and get thru each day. 
7. Help someone else. There are people all over the world that would trade their best day for your worst day. Serve others, you'll be glad you did.
8. Ask for help. There are people all around you that love you.
9. Find the silver lining. There has to be one.
10. Visualize a positive outcome. In many respects you get what you expect.

Your perspective can make all the difference. A negative outlook can make finding a solution much less likely.

Lemonade moment of the week: Jacob, Andie and Julianne all graduated. So proud. Also, all ten kids were together for the first time in a very long time. Family pictures!!