Recently I began my work day feeling so negative about my work. I work as a nurse and sometimes it can be challenging. This particular day was special. My day started with problems with scheduling. It could be that I haven't woken up yet or just wasn't aware, but I ignored how I was feeling that moment. My mind went on its habitual mode of worry and anxiety. I worried about how these changes in my schedule could affect my vacation planned two weeks from now. Then I started spiraling down the vortex of despair and felt that cringing feeling of being disapointed.

What happened next made it worse: one of my patients almost fell on the floor while I was trying to dress her up. I felt so annoyed then, cause she usually can bear weight sufficiently without problems. I still didn't see that my feelings were rotting.

Next was a very nice patient of mine. I had to give him a bath. Oh the complaints: the soap got into his eyes, I knicked him while I was shaving him, so on and so forth.

Then, I stopped for a second. An hour into work and my day is falling apart. What is going on here?

I decided to start counting my blessing, what I am thankful for. I kid you not, it was one of them really cloudy and overcast day. There was even a forecast of snow. So the whole room that I was in felt so dark and detached from all my hopes. But I kept on being thankful for everything I could think of. I thanked the fact that the elevator in our building is in good repair. I thanked the fact that my boss is so considerate. I thanked the fact that I love my husband, my step-kids, my friends, my co-workers. I thanked my breath, my blood...and before I knew it, I was smiling. Really smiling.

Then this smile turned to laughter because I saw the clouds parting letting in a couple of minutes of sunshine. No work of miracle, I know, but somehow I knew that its the universe saying, "You're loved, you're special, and I see you."

From here, it was like I took prozac, xanax and decided to have a hit of Mary's J while I was having cosmo: there was laughter in the hallway. My co-workers were having a funny conversation with the patients, one of them was the angry man I gave a bath earlier. He smiled at me and shared the funny story. I then decided to spend the rest of my day smiling and being thankful for everything I could think of.

How did gratitude help you in your dark moments? Or do you know of someone whose life was changed by gratitude?