Barbara Walters & Oprah Winfrey

Once in a while I slowly nudge myself out of the blues with a little trick meant to inspire me to cope better: I imagine that in the future Barbara Walters or Oprah Winfrey are interviewing me on television. Barbara (or Oprah) has read about my painful struggle and asks me, "How in the world did you manage through that period?"
At once, it forces me to imagine the future and a possible end to my current state. It also helps me to take an outsider's perspective.
How I handle this moment suddenly becomes more important. I may feel like I'd rather crawl into bed and eat or drink myself into a stupor, but getting up despite it all matters-- maybe it's not apparent to me how it matters at the moment, but it matters.
Of course, my little mental trick is not really about Babs or Ope. It helps me to become more aware that there is a witness to how I cope --whether it is my child, fate, karma, God, or just my own inner psyche. How I choose to cope in this moment matters because there IS a witness.