This week I helped tame a class of four year olds at church. Not that they were tamed by the end of it, but we played a nice game of sit-in-your-chair ping pong. As exhausting as it was, there was a moment of enlightenment in the middle when one of the boys stood up resolutely and proclaimed, pointing to his chest, “This is a power tie!”

Yes, yes it is. And you, sir, have hilarious parents.

I was reminded of a YouTube video that instantly melted the internet several years ago with its cuteness and motivational charm. It featured a four-year-old girl named Jennifer, who stood on the bathroom counter and shouted affirmations at herself to start her day.

My whole house is great!

I can do anything good!

I like my hair!

I like my haircuts!

I like my stuff!

Why don’t we all start our days this way? I decided to try the exercise for a day and see what happened. You should have seen the look on my two-year-old’s face while he watched me stand in front of the mirror (on the floor, not the counter–give me that much) and tell myself that I liked my smoothies and my laundry basket.

How refreshing! Feeling like a yoga instructor, I decided to carry the practice throughout the day and see what influence it had on my mood. I’d like to document the experience here, for your enlightenment.

I like how much time I have in the mornings to get things done. Isn’t it nice that I can go on a run before Cannon wakes up? Wow, this feels great. I love running. Running is so good for me. I wish it didn’t hurt my feet though. And my lungs…just a little bit. I love that feeling I get when I can’t breathe. Exercise is the best. Oh, Cannon’s awake. I love that he’s awake. I get to stop exercising. Only one mile? I love how honest the MapMyWalk app is.

How great is it that we have a grocery store right down the street? I can walk there whenever I need to pick up a few things! And I can take Cannon in his cute stroller, and this counts as a fun family outing. Grocery shopping is so fun. I also love that I am fortunate enough to remember most of the things on my list, even when I leave the list on the table because I had to go back for diapers. And, how great is it that Cannon is such an active boy? I love chasing him up and down the isles of the store and having to force him into the stroller so it won’t tip over with the grocery bags hanging on the back.

We have a pool in our apartment complex! How great that we get to live in apartments until we are in our thirties, giving us basically life-long access to a pool without having to clean it? And don’t I know it, I’m so fortunate to be out in the sun so much every day through the whole, six-month long California summer. I even have the sunburn to prove it.

I like my dishes.

I like my laundry.

I like my whole life.