The "It could be worse" mug

Being a somewhat, ah, moody individual, I've developed various coping strategies to keep myself within acceptable mood ranges (e.g. cats, coffee, tea, chocolate, yoga, knitting, complaining, etc.)

But one of my favorite strategies I borrowed from my last roommate, who had only one logo mug in her collection of matching, designery, classy looking mugs. The logo happened to be from an office she used to work in, and, oddly enough, absolutely hated. I asked her why she had a mug with the company's logo on it, and she told me that it was her "It could be worse" mug. That is, when she's feeling grumpy, stressed, or otherwise drenched in self-pity, she drinks her tea of out that mug, and reminds herself that at least she's not working there anymore.

Now, I'm not going to tell you what company my last roommate gave her such a bad experience, nor am I going to tell you which company-logo mug I use (you'll have to pour through my kitchen cabinets for that one, fat chance). But I will say that the genius of this strategy is that mugs are generally used for hot drinks, which tend to be of the comforting, curl-up-on-the-couch-with-a-blanket kind, a perfect match for when you're feeling a bit down. So, a great time to remember that, well, at least you're not working there anymore.

Speaking of which... time for some tea. Ugh.