Bad hair day

There has been this weird sore on the end of my nose for a while now. It's not on the very tip, but it is visible if you look at me. For the longest time, I just ignored it, though it would bleed time and again. I finally went to the doctor and the doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" In addition, she said it was more than likely a pre-cancer that needed to be addressed.
And how do you do that? In my case, they shot liquid nitrogen (at a nice cool -321 degrees) on the sore and the area around it. If you've ever had that done to you, anywhere on your body, you know how fun that is. After the procedure, I asked them it was still manly if I teared up a bit. The nurse responded, "Oh, yes. In fact, it was even more manly that you didn't flinch." The doctor chimed in, "Or said any swear words." My response? I mumbled, "At least not verbally."
So for the last few days, I have a nose that Rudolf would envy. All right, not really, but it feels that way to me. It is getting better, but it has also made me appreciate when I don't have a giant sore on the end of my nose.
Really, that is the point. It could have been so much worse. After all, I still have food to eat, shelter to keep me warm and safe, an incredible family, my faith, and the list goes on and on.
There is a song we sing in church. It is called "Count your many blessings". The gist of the song is when things are going bad in your life, or there is something worrying you so much it impacts all other aspects of your day to day routine, take time to look at all the good things you have in your life. Every time I've done that, the "good list" totally outweighs the "bad list".
Another saying I like is, "You have to have the bad days to appreciate the good days." Here are a couple of examples.
When I was a teenager, I was very active in the scouting program. On one of our many camp outs, we climbed up into the mountains in the dead of winter. There must have been several feet of snow at our campsite. We pitched our tent, and before I went to bed, I put on every scrap of clothes I had before climbing into my sleeping bag. Even with all that, I didn't sleep a wink as I shivered the whole night. If I hadn't had that experience, I wouldn't appreciate sleeping in a comfortable bed at the perfect temperature.
A second example is around food. While I was going to college, I lived off campus. I was working full time and going to school full time. I wasn't making a lot of money, and so I had to be very careful with my money. I figured I had about $2 a day to spent on food. Let's just say, Raman noodles was my primary meal. (Side story, when my wife is out and I'm left to my own devices to make myself lunch or dinner, I make Raman noodles). On Sundays, I would go to my mom's for dinner. I would savor every mouthful of food she prepared. It was like manna from heaven!
During this Thanksgiving time, it is always nice to reflect back on all the things you are grateful for. If you really think about it, there are things you should be grateful for that you may not realize.
My encouragement is for anyone that is having a bad day, including the infamous "bad hair day", to take a few moments and think about all the things you are grateful for. I promise you this: if you do so, that "bad hair day" will not seem as bad--and it will make you appreciate when your hair looks smokin' hot.