Cock a Doodle Day!
I woke up this morning on the wrong side of the bed.
I have a few things pressing, and I felt my negativity gnawing at me like a scavenger, licking it's lips in anticipation of a self pity feast.
In our prayerbook, there are a number of blessings that are said every morning upon rising.
We first give thanks and appreciation for a brand new day and our health, and subsequently say fifteen consecutive blessings for a variety of other critical human functions and needs.
The first of these blessings, unbelievably, is about a rooster!
In it, we bless G-d "who gave the rooster, the understanding to discern the difference between night and day".
Why, of all the things that we should be grateful for, do the morning blessings begin with talk of a bird that crows at sunrise and wakes us from our much needed sleep? Perhaps we should bless our alarm clock as well, while we're at it?!
We are the rooster.
Like the rooster, we wake every day in darkness. It's our default position.
The blessing we are thankful for is that we are given the chance to discern day over night, look for light over darkness and embrace positivity instead of negativity.
So if you ever find yourself waking, feeling hen-pecked and harried, lift your comb to the heavens, spread your beak wide and squawk this message, for yourself and for the rest of the animals on your farm.