How to Turn Bad Moments Into Good Days: A Lesson from a Breakdown

Humbling moments were abundant in 2021. After a year and a half of living through a pandemic, witnessing job losses, shutdowns, and countless struggles, it's hard not to feel an overwhelming sense of guilt if you’ve been fortunate enough to avoid serious misfortune. Even the smallest complaints can make you feel ungrateful in the face of so much global adversity.

Ironically, social comparison works both ways. One day, people may feel pressured to “keep up with the Joneses,” and the next, they feel guilty for outshining them especially when the Joneses have just experienced a job loss or other hardship. It’s all fun and games until the playing field isn’t level. (Funny how that sounds a lot like a systemic issue we've been dealing with for years, but I'll save that rant for another day.)

This past Sunday, the weather was decent, so we decided to drive about an hour and a half out of town for my favorite “no screen time” hobby: kayaking. The day was hot, and I was eager to get on the water and escape for a bit. However, on the way there, the car started lagging noticeably when I pressed the gas. The check engine light had been on for a couple of weeks, and while we knew we should take it in, there hadn't been any major issues that seemed to require immediate attention.

But that day, I could feel something was different. Sure enough, the car started making a rattling noise when we hit any sort of incline. My husband wanted to push through, but I was firmly in the “let’s take it easy” camp. Unsurprisingly, the engine began smoking as we tried to make it up a hill. There I sat, in the sweltering heat with no A/C, feeling resentful that this had happened after so many reminders to take the car in for service. Tensions were high, and both of us took turns making snarky remarks while we waited for help.

Then it hit me. This was a bad moment a really annoying, frustrating, “I'm-going-to-be-snarky-all-day” kind of bad moment. But I realized that whether or not it turned into a bad day was entirely up to me.

Earlier that week, I had shared a video with my friends about the difference between bad moments and bad days. And in that moment, I thought, "Who the hell am I if I share this wisdom but can’t actually practice it?"

So, I made a decision. We called for a tow, contacted the kayaking company to pick us up (side note: the kayaking company was fantastic), and we decided to turn the day around. Two minutes into paddling down the river, I turned to my husband and said, "Bad day or bad moment? Let’s fist bump and leave it behind." And that’s exactly what we did.

From there on, we enjoyed an amazing day on the river. Sure, we had to tow the car to a mechanic in the middle of nowhere, Uber back to Atlanta, and later discover that our upstairs neighbor's bathtub was leaking into our apartment ceiling. But at that point, all we could do was laugh.

As I stood there watching the ceiling drip, I couldn’t help but think about the thousands of people experiencing flooding from Hurricane Ida. It put things into perspective.

Bad moments happen. They’re inevitable. But you don’t have to let them turn into bad days. The power to choose is always in your hands. So next time life throws a breakdown or a leak your way, remember: it’s just a moment you decide if it’ll ruin your day.