Base Camp: Do You Want To Have a Good Time or a Bad Time?

At the top of Pharaoh Mountain in the Adirondacks. It was cold.

When I was a kid, I suffered from some major mood swings. One second I'd be a happy-go-lucky five-year-old and the next you'd think someone canceled Christmas. I guess my parents got tired of it because whenever a case of the grumpies would attack my brother and I, my dad would always pose this question: Do you want to have a good time or a bad time?

Simple question, quick results. Whether it was because his logic rang clear to five-year-old me or because I was just scared I wouldn't get whatever toy/candy bar/Disney ride I was promised, I'd always adjust my attitude immediately and force a smile until I was actually having fun again.

Fast forward about twenty years to a campsite in the Adirondacks. I'm frustrated because my camping party is moving at a snail's pace to accomplish even simple tasks and I'm not one to wait around. I look over at my friend and ask (like a brat, I might add), "How are we ever going to do anything when we're on our trip out west this summer? It takes an hour just to break down a tent." Before the words were even out of my mouth, I knew what she was going to say: "As long as everyone stays in a good mood, we'll be fine."

Bam! Just like my dad's magic back in the day, her logic just automatically transformed my attitude. It was the reminder I needed that your outlook on a situation is crucial to its outcome. It's going to rain when you wanted sun. Your car's going to break down five feet from the gas station. You're going to spill wine on your wedding dress. If you whine and complain, you're going to have a bad time. If you force a smile, you're going to have a good time. Just fake it until you make it and pretty soon your smile will be real!