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Writer's pictureJennifer Hennigan

Gratitude: The Secret To Happiness

Yesterday, was the WORST day of my entire year. I found a black throne themed bed frame on Facebook Marketplace and it was perfect for my studio! Only $600 (Regular price $1200-$2200 depending where you get it. I've seen these bed frames before and they are not cheap). It was in Irving, Texas; a 3 hour drive, but doable for pickup. I called my dad and he met me with his truck in Waco so we could pick it up.


I gave the woman my $600 cash, and we loaded the deconstructed bed frame into the bed of my dad's truck. He tied it down and then we decided to drive 20 minutes to visit a friend of mine and her new studio space.


The headboard was very tall, and did not fit just laying down flat in the bed of the truck so we had it leaned up against the side, with the top just barely poking up over the edge.


After about 15 minutes of driving I looked back at the headboard in the back of my dad's truck through the window and what I saw horrified me!


The part of the headboard that was leaning against the edge of the bed of the truck had broken clean off! I was so upset. We were on a toll road and my dad and I drove up and down it 3 times looking for the piece that broke off. Unfortunately, we did not find it and ended up driving home. I was so disappointed.


Halfway back to Austin, we decided to get dinner. We chose a local steakhouse in Waco. According to Yelp it sounded pretty affordable so we stopped in. We weren't looking for anything super fancy, but when we sat down and saw the menu we were shocked. $65 for a single steak with a salad. Sides starting at $10. We nearly left but it was already 9:30pm and we knew everything else would be closed. We decided to split a steak and side, as we weren't that hungry.


I felt sick to my stomach about everything. The wasted money, the destroyed headboard, the expensive meal, but within a single second I made a decision that I believe changed everything.


You cannot change your circumstances, you can only change your mindset, and in that second I made the conscious decision to take control of my mindset. To stop thinking the world was against me. To stop thinking this entire day was a wasted day of my life that I'd rather forget.


I looked at the meal as the universe telling me, like a loving parent, you had a hard day, you deserve a treat. You deserve some joy.


I considered this meal a blessing. The place I was at that moment is where I was supposed to be. You see, while the steak was good, it was a bit tough, and loosened my dad's lower denture making it impossible for him to eat it. In response the restaurant comped our side, drinks and offered us a free dessert, making our meal more reasonably priced for what I was hoping to pay.


I also thought to myself during the drive about how lucky I was to have this time with my dad. We don't get to spend a lot of time together and I had a whole day with him, just the two of us.


For a bad day, I had a lot to be grateful for.


Then this morning my mom called me and told me she had good news. You see, I had told my dad to just take the bed frame back to their house because if he had followed me to Austin, he wouldn't have gotten home til nearly 3 in the morning. So this morning when my mom called she said that they pulled the bed frame out of his truck and discovered the top part of the headboard had fallen into the bed of the truck and looked like it would glue easily back into place.


Call it blessings, manifestation, or just coincidence. I believe everything happens for a reason, and as cliche as it sounds, "Hakuna Matata" is one of my favorite mantras, because, even when bad things happen, even when you're having the worst luck, and it seems like the universe is out to get you, you are still in control of you. You are still in control of your mindset. You are in charge of deciding "am I going to let this destroy me" or "am I going to appreciate the unexpected good that has come from this situation".


Many of my clients come in seeking a mindset change of their confidence, but what a lot of them really want is happiness. A lot of people think my job is photography, but that is so oversimplified. My job is about helping women see that they have the power inside to be happy with themselves. They want to be loved, they want to feel attractive, they want to feel proud of themselves, they want to feel special. They believe these things will make them happy, and they will, but these things aren't tangible items someone can give you. I am not capable of giving anyone happiness. Happiness comes from within, it's a choice. My job is helping people see the power they have within themselves to be happy on their own, and that is a gift I'm incredibly grateful for. Update: We got the headboard fixed and it looks absolutely AMAZING!!



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