Looking on the bright side.

1. On Friday, I rear-ended a little red Ford Focus on the 5 freeway. Several pieces of my poor, brave Toyota have shifted so that I can't open my driver's side door. It's going to cost me a pretty penny getting not just my repairs done, but hers as well. But things could have been worse.

The damages to her car were minor.

If anything, she gained some brown paint.

Neither of us were injured.

She was super sweet.

She hardly laughed at all when she realized my door was stuck shut.

I have good insurance.

And I didn't even cry!

(I really wanted to cry.)

2. On Saturday, I drank too much. (A word of advice: do not play drinking games with two guys who each have 100+ pounds on you. They will win.) Then I had a breakdown and sobbed all over The Husband while we were fooling around. (Yes, we were fooling around. Let's move on.) I had been afraid this might happen and was terribly embarrassed. But things could have been worse.

We could have had a terrible time with our friends.

The burgers we enjoyed could have been made with bad meat.

And we all could have suffered food poisoning.

There could have been a black-out.

And we'd have been unable to watch the fights.

I could have puked on him.

In hindsight, crying doesn't seem so bad.

3. On Sunday, while riding bikes with friends and enjoying the madness that is the Fourth of July in downtown Newport and Huntington Beach, I fell. Like, my feet got tangled in the peddles and I took a tumble into the dirt. In front of everyone. And, as blood oozed from my knee down to my toes and all over my ruined pedicure, I had to get back up and ride home. But things could have been worse.

At least I got back up!

I landed in the dirt, not on the concrete.

Or, I don't know, IN FRONT OF A MOVING VEHICLE.

I scraped my knee and three of my toes and have cuts and bruises all over both legs, but my head is fine!

(I think.)

4. On Monday morning, sometime between two a.m. and three a.m. while we RODE OUR BIKES BACK HOME, sometime after stopping at 7-Eleven for much needed water, I lost my debit card. And if you've ever lost your debit card, you know what a huge pain in the ass this is. I had to bum ten bucks off my dad tonight to buy gummy bears and pain relieving antiseptic spray. But things could have been worse!

My dad could have said no.

And going without gummy bears would have been devastating.

Someone could have used the card to buy themselves, well, not much of anything.

'Cause I'm broke.

I could have not lost it.

And spent even more money.

And been even more broke.

5. Today I had to attend a service training class, one we're required to attend every year. (Somehow, I've managed to go without for several.) I... how shall I put it? ...detest these classes with every fiber of my being. You are forced to role play. ROLE PLAY. Hello! I hate having any kind of attention. HATE IT. I was sore all over, miserable over my knee and my car, and thought I might be coming down with a cold on top of everything else. I almost called in sick to the class. And then it occurred to me that if I didn't just go and get it over with, I'd regret it. So, I went. I role played. It was not that bad awful. But things could have been worse.

There could have not been coffee.

Or bagels.

Or grilled chicken and provolone sandwiches.

Or, later, root beer floats.

Oh, and Peanut Butter M&Ms.

Um.

Other than the food, it pretty much sucked.

Okay, peeps, it's your turn. ('Cause, let's face it, I've bitched and moaned enough for several upon hundreds of posts.) Your assignment: name one unpleasant thing you've had to deal with recently. Then tell me the bright side.

(P.S. Do you hate it when people say, "look on the bright side?" I do.)