A couple of months ago, I learned something about excitement.

There we were, on Day 1 of a long-awaited family holiday – usually a time of great excitement – but not this time. Our holiday wasn’t exciting. It was excruciating. It was nearly midnight, we’d spent the entire weekend in airports as we waited for two cancelled flights and an unscheduled stopover. No one was in the mood to feel excited.

We waited for our luggage, then staggered outside into the darkness. The airport was nearly deserted. It was a small town. We were the last flight. Luckily, there was a cab still waiting.

The cabbie greeted us, helped stack our packs in the boot, then asked: “Where to?”

We told him and he started driving.

“Thanks for waiting for the last plane,” my husband said.

“That’s okay,” the cabbie answered. “It’s exciting.”

I nearly fell off my seat.

It’s exciting?

I’m not a fan of being in a car, yet here was someone whose job it was to be in a car all day, and he still felt excited to do it.

He told us he loved waiting for the last plane. He told us it was exciting to see who would come off the plane. He was excited to find out where we were staying. He was excited to introduce us to his town, to explain all the local attractions and give us advice on what we might like to do and see while we were there.

He was the best taxi driver EVER.

His love for his town and his work perked us right up. Sitting in his cab was fun, even after way too long spent sitting in a plane.

Thanks to his energy, our own energy and excitement for our holiday came flooding back.

And I realised that feeling excited is entirely tied up in perspective. And gratitude.

I’d been so busy bemoaning our cancelled flights and long waits, I’d lost sight of the big picture. We were lucky enough to be going on a family holiday. We were lucky to have our family. We were lucky to be able to travel. We were lucky to be able to hoist our backpacks and walk out of the airport and into a new day.

So much of how we approach every day is about perspective. And gratitude.

It’s so easy to lose perspective. Now, I have a note pinned to my computer monitor that helps me keep perspective. The note says, “It’s not eye cancer”.

That note has been for YEARS, ever since I read Wink by Rob Harrell. I read that note every time I get cross or impatient or disappointed by another rejection. Whatever I’m going through, whatever hassles I’m dealing with, I remind myself of the big picture: whatever is happening, it’s not eye cancer; it’s not really that important.

For the last few years I’ve realised how vital it is to focus on the good. To choose joy.

Whenever I can remember, I try to remind myself to take control of my thoughts so I can harness positive energy where I can find it. Do you do this too? Do you do it consciously or unconsciously? I feel like when I remember to do it consciously, it really helps me sing and skip through the day.

When was the last time you felt excited? What are you excited about in 2024?