Yes, I have those days. You know, when things just aren’t as right as they should be. Oh, they are right with the world, just not with me.

So, I struggle through them just like you do. I’m happy to report that I made it through every one of those days. Even the really hard ones. The ones when the world seems to hate me and everything in it seems ugly.

My perception becomes my reality.

Then there are those other days when there really isn’t much of a challenge, but enough to make you feel “low.”

I was having one of those “low” days recently. I knew I’d get through it. I knew I’d get over it.

Still, I was right in the middle of it when I decided to walk around my yard.

I paused at the small pond and watched the nine fish and two frogs I love so much. Hoping to bring a little smile to my face, I stooped down to “talk with my frogs.”

Both of them took off, only adding to my gloom.

“See, even the frogs don’t want to see me,” I whined.

I stood up and headed for the bird feeders. Often times if I stand there long enough, the small birds will still come down and without hesitation feast on my efforts to supply them with treats everyday.

Not today. Not one.

The picture was getting darker. Not because the world was out to shun me, but the world was just being the world and I not appreciating that chose to only see what I wanted to see…proof that I was not worthy.

I was about to turn around and head back into the house where I could wallow in my pity, when I caught a glimpse of the sunflowers Marianne planted in our small vegetable garden.

I was stunned. “Look at what happened!” I said out loud. “This isn’t fair at all!”

Early in spring my wife had planted several sunflower seeds but only five took to grow. For so many years we tried to grow them but somewhere along the way they would die. Although one year we managed to grow a wonderful flower, but once it opened a hungry squirrel pounced on it and bending it to the ground, devoured most of it.

This time, once they started growing I placed netting around and over the entire garden. A deer had attacked our tomato plants right after Father’s Day. It was a battle, now to protect the sunflowers.

These were enormous. At least 10-12 feet high. That’s right 10 to 12 feet!

And now, on this gloomy and depressing day, the first and tallest one reached for the sun, opened and slumped over.

I felt so sorry for it.

I walked up to the fence to tell it so.

“Oh, how sad, ” I said. “I did all that I could to protect you and now…now I know exactly how you feel.”

Then I heard these words…”I did feel low until you walked up. I was looking at the others and tried to lift my head up. I couldn’t. I was feeling bad until you arrived.”

“Me? What did I do?” I asked the flower.

“When my head was so low and I couldn’t see the sun, you came and I realized as low as I felt, you were looking up to me.”

She was right. The flower felt low, but there was someone lower. As tough as things have been in my life, I learned that there was always someone who had it tougher.

So even in my most challenging moments, days, weeks, months or years, I can always find someone else I can lift up.

Life is such that in your lowest times, you can always reach down to help someone else. In doing so, you touch one life and change two.

Feeling low? Reach lower.

Bob Perks 2believe@comcast.net