We all have good days and bad days. Rare is the comment you hear "I am having a great day". Maybe we are having a great day but we don't want others to be jealous. Who knows?

You know that is not the case. Invariably when asked how you are doing, our usual response is "good".

But upon digging deeper we discover the challenges that most people are experiencing under the surface.

The truth of it is we all have challenges and issues that we deal with in our lives.

For most of us we tend to default to focusing on what is wrong instead of what is going right in our lives.

Upon my early morning walks/run/exercise with my dogs Charlie, Marly and Cooper I can tell early on how my body is responding.

Some days I really feel stiff and generally I feel like a strokie (my term for a stroke survivor)

Other days I feel much stronger, more limber and able to challenge myself more.

Even on these days I am always conscious of my physical limitations from my stroke and I am quick to remind myself that strokes really do suck.

Gee, that would be a neat name for a stroke support website, StrokesSuck.com

I have taught myself to quickly change the focus to appreciation of how good I feel and how much that I really am improving.

On these good days because we don't always have them, I celebrate by pushing myself a little further.

It is like money in the bank (FDIC insured, of course) for your body and mind.

Among other rituals I never let a day go by without thinking of a quote that has been said in various ways by many,

"What you focus on and believe in is true"

I take those bad days and do what I can to make them better and it usually works.

When those real good days come I put the pedal to the medal and take full advantage of the gift being presented.