If we were always in a good mood it wouldn’t be good anymore- It’d just be a mood- We should always make an effort to acknowledge these elusive states of mind when they come upon us- They don’t leave as a ship slowly disappearing over the horizon, rather they’re like the transition from a moving sidewalk to a standard floor- We realize after walking a bit that we’ve lost that assistance-

Many obvious triggers can bring them on, but it’s impossible to gauge how long they’ll last- Not to say that we’re usually in BAD moods necessarily; just the mental equivalent of your “resting face”; a “non” mood- It’s interesting to note what brings on a good mood, and a good mood that lasts 10 minutes is just as valuable as one that lasts all day-

So, I took notes over the course of a day, and here’s what triggered mine:
1- My youngest child asking me as I made my way to the kitchen to make coffee, “which part of the song is your favorite?”, in reference to a little original piece of music he composed that morning
2- On a walk around the neighborhood, a black SUV pulls up next to me, the window rolls down, and a elderly jovial man exclaims, “Whoa! I haven’t seen a yoyo in YEARS!”, then extends his hand for a handshake, while continuing, “and those PANTS! Damn son!”
3- Later, while driving to the Aldi, getting a text from my oldest daughter, “I just did my ‘Spotify wrapped’ thing and guess WHO is my number 1 most played artist of the year??”, along with a photo of my band’s album-
4- At Aldi, still high from that text, realizing I forgot my shopping bags, then immediately walking into a pile of the perfect empty boxes
5- At Kroger afterwards, shopping for the store items I couldn’t get at Aldi, the man in front of me in line lets loose a torrent of abuse upon the young cashier, because he’s confused by the self-checkout system- She doesn’t even flinch, glances back at me, rolls her eyes, and says, “Maybe you should take your cart to one of the traditional checkout lines- 12 looks open…” He is taken aback by her bulletproof demeaner, and angrily swings his cart over to lane 12- She then says, “How’re YOU doin? I love your look!”
6- Arriving home to the smell of something amazing cooking in the kitchen, and my youngest daughter chasing me down the hall to show me her latest drawing, complete with character back stories

What triggers a bad mood? When looked back upon afterwards, it’s usually something inconsequential- Is anything truly worthy of causing a bad mood? What’s the point in going into a dark state of mind when encountering bad news, a financial setback, a broken down vehicle, etc.? You’re definitely not going to solve the problem more effectively when you’re kicking cans down the sidewalk and grumbling about how unfair the cosmos is to you- There’s no escaping these negative states of mind, but maybe, as we take note of good moods, we can step back from a bad one, and diffuse it by acknowledging it- I’ll give it a shot and let you know…