la guadière – n. a glint of goodness you notice in something that you wouldn’t expect, which is often only detectable by sloshing them back and forth in your mind until everything dark and gray and common falls away, leaving something shining at the bottom of the pan – a rare element hidden deep in the bedrock, that must’ve washed there by a storm somewhere upstream.

It is easy at first glance when something sad, distasteful, or otherwise negative occurs to get upset or see a problem. When you think about it, sometimes you feel like there is something good. That blessing-in-disguise that is revealed after your initial reaction fades and you have a moment to consider the situation.

I have often felt that I react to something and think about the negative. That seems like a very human reaction. For example, a customer doesn’t want to spend time changing a process, even though it’s broken. I only think about the negative.

However, if you pause a moment and twist the situation from your view to someone else’s, then la guadiere comes out. A broken process, but a known one, isn’t the worst thing in the short term. It allows other work to get done, people are familiar, and it can be lower stress, even if it requires more effort.

The same thing if you have an issue. A flat tire, broken internet, a broken horse feeder. There’s some la guadiere in there. A flat might let me know my tires need replacing and they’re dangerous, or maybe I haven’t cleaned up around the garage properly. Internet teaches me to prepare more in advance (or take a break). Broken horse feeders let me catch up on some maintenance and maybe improve something before it gets much worse.

Find the good in life, even when it’s bad.

From the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows