My first job out of college I worked for gifted entrepreneur Dale Hanson Bourke at her consulting firm, Publishing Directions, Inc. She taught me so many things about running a business, client relationship development, and a brilliant method for proofreading and catching mistakes on a page!
One day in a file drawer, I spotted a folder labeled “Letters to Read on a Bad Day.” She created it after receiving a nice letter on a bad day and decided to save it. More than 25 years have passed, and she still has the file and uses it!
I don’t recall when I started keeping one of my own, but over time I’ve tucked in notes, letters, emails, and cards sent from friends, colleagues, and clients. During seasons of discouragement or disappointment, I’ve pulled open the drawer and cracked open the folder.
What greets me is a shower of encouragement, appreciation, and thankfulness—for work I’ve done or perhaps the way I’ve done it. The kind wishes were intended for me, but I find myself responding with immense gratitude that I invested in these relationships, organizations, and causes. My gifts and talents made some kind of positive difference. My contribution was worthwhile.
In the re-reading my “bad day” quickly brightens. My perspective shifts. My outlook gets a lift. My focus turns from learning about what went wrong to seeing what might be possible. Bits of paper and ink carry treasured reminders that what we do matters. I think I’ll start pulling out this folder on “Good” days, too, and see where it leads.
What do you do when a bad day comes your way?
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” – Galatians 6:9 (NKJV)