One winter morning, my husband and I were spending some quiet time in the living room before breakfast. I was trying to get myself into a positive frame of mind about the upcoming day, but it was feeling like a chore to do that, and my thoughts kept wandering, without enthusiasm, to my to-do list. 

Meanwhile, every time either of us shifted in place or got up for any reason, our two dogs would leap up with wagging tails and sparkling eyes, smiling as dogs do, clearly expecting their breakfast to arrive early since we were up. As I watched them over the next hour, it struck me how different their expectations for the day were from mine. I was trying to feel joyful anticipation, and they were just doing it.

I suspect that many of us can relate to the frustration of trying hard to feel joy, love, forgiveness, or something other than the negativity we may be experiencing. Often, we seem to have good reason to hold on to negative emotions—and even kind of enjoy wallowing in them. And then we may add guilt to our burden.