I had one of "those days" in late summer a few years ago. One thing after another had gone wrong that day, and to top it off, as I was heading out to meet friends for dinner I couldn't find my car keys. I ultimately found them 40 minutes later after I was supposed to leave. They had gotten under the lining of my pocketbook that I had looked in, emptied, upended and patted down. (It's a good thing I wasn't doing a bag check for TSA!). So, there I was almost an hour late, silently fuming as I drove my convertible in the approaching dusk down a country road near the reservoir. I was just about to call and let them know I wouldn't be good company and was going to go home instead, when there was a large white flash flying towards me under the tree cover in the middle of the road. It swooped down, looking as if it was going to crash through my windshield, when at the last moment it banked up and in the opposite direction. I slammed on my brakes and with my heart pounding, I watched as this huge snowy owl landed  on a stump not 20 feet from my car. And it sat there, staring at me!

I was captivated, mesmerized by the magnificent animal. I sat there maybe a full 5 minutes, bad mood, phone call and dinner forgotten, until the owl decided that (s)he had had enough of my company and flew off into the woods. As I continued on my way, I thought to myself that if I had not misplaced my keys, or I found them minutes earlier or later, my "adventure" with the snowy owl would never had taken place and I would have missed something, which to this day, is still a vivid memory that never ceases to fill me with awe and bring a smile to my face. While I was still late, I realized that my frustration had flown away with that "Snowy Owl Moment".

Now, when I have "one of those days", I start looking for my "Snowy Owl Moment" to help restore my mood. It could be simply my favorite song on the radio, though for me the moments usually involve nature; seeing unexpected deer, a fox trotting down the road, hawks hunting or a turtle crossing, but sometimes I see an accident and I'm grateful  it's not me. Now I'm not saying you should intentionally pick a fight or be late for work so you can look for a moment, but the next time a situation beyond your control has you stressing down the highway, maybe you should take a minute and look for your own very special "Snowy Owl Moment".