In the beginning, she set to cleaning the house as she had always done and expected it would remain clean as her own home had always been.  As time wore on, she became more tired as she noted the floors needed more sweeping and the kitchen counters needed frequent polishing.  The bathtub was the worst.  She was aghast at the frequently reappearing hard water and mildew stains.  It seemed the tub required a good scrubbing every couple of days, and the grooves and curves of the tub made the work both time-consuming and awkward.  In her old home she had gotten away with bimonthly cleaning of the tub, and she was feeling frustrated with the new situation presented to her. 

Determined to live in a clean and neat environment, most days she scrubbed begrudgingly and wondered with some bitter sentiment why her husband never lent a hand to scrubbing the bathtub and shower walls.  She felt like an under-appreciated maid and often felt she could drive herself to tears with prolonged focus on her disdain for the task at hand.

Then one day as she was scrubbing, she realized how the motion of scrubbing the tub was actually good exercise for her arms and shoulders.  She often made an attempt at light weightlifting and push-ups to train her muscles, and she noticed the scrubbing motion also strengthened her bicep muscles.  When she put forth even greater effort, she noted her heart rate increased and she experienced a slightly aerobic effort as well. 

In that moment, like a flash of light she suddenly saw how she could be bitter about the responsibility, or she could appreciate the benefits to be found.  In simply shifting her thoughts about the situation, the situation itself completely changed in an instant.   No matter what situation or hardship we encounter, we always have the power of turning our focus to something of a positive nature.  As more positive thoughts flow in, life becomes more enriching and we can see life for its possibilities rather than its pitfalls.