Years ago, I watched a successful sales executive’s motivational speech to a group of junior staff. He invited to the stage one rookie salesman who related how he had helped his first client and made a load of money in the process. Success! The exec smiled out at the excited crowd and exclaimed loudly in his southern drawl, “Now, doesn’t that just crank your tractor!”

We Northerners laughed. To us, it was a fun, fresh metaphor, a quirky southern colloquialism. But now, I see there are multiple country songs about tractors being cranked. Maybe it’s already cliche.

How about, “Now, doesn’t that just fire up your new 70-inch TV!”

Or, “Now, doesn’t that just pump up your bike tires to 120 psi!”

Or, “Now, doesn’t that just excavate your kid’s bedroom!”

Here’s one that relates to our Northern Michigan experience: “Now, doesn’t that just gas up your generator!”

After the Great Ice Storm of 2025, we’ve heard reports of frustrated people who verbally attacked and threatened the brave, hard-working linemen.

Others remained peaceful in the middle of it all, waiting patiently, unsure when the lights were going to come on, even as the freezer and the sump pump stopped working. They volunteered to help with yard work, food, and medical deliveries, and opened their home to share the heat from their wood-burning stove.

“Now, doesn’t that just turn the Abitibi/LP/DPI acreage into a beautiful multi-use park!”

Here’s one I like: “Now, doesn’t that just fill your bucket!” I’m speaking of the tank that holds our inner capacity for peace of mind, for contentment, for the energy-giving emotion we call joy. One that holds up even during times of discomfort or suffering.

If that container stays small, it can easily be overloaded and overwhelmed and emptied, leaving us with anxiety, fear, anger, stressed relationships, etc. But if it grows large and deep and is refilled regularly, events and dysregulation won’t bother us for long.

The great thing is that we can increase the capacity of our containers, the part of our brain — the prefrontal cortex — that has executive function over the rest. Focusing our minds on positive memories and experiences, and appreciation will change the structure of our brains.

The neural connections are strengthened in the process. Eventually, white matter covers the synapses, and they grow and get stronger. Soon, joy becomes our default state. We become more resilient. The rocks and dirt of annoyances and problems thrown into our larger bucket won’t deplete us.

Now, doesn’t that just automatically pick the next probate judge so we don’t have to sift through all the lawyers again!

Our brains are natural amplifiers. One problem, as Dr. Rick Hanson says, is that “The mind is like Velcro for negative experiences, and Teflon for positive ones.” Healthy relationships need a 20-1 ratio of positives to negatives. We can choose to amplify the positive in all our interactions.

Because the brain can grow, we have a choice. In Philippians chapter four, we are encouraged to pay close attention to how we think.

“Do not fret or have anxiety about anything…” Wait. How do we do that?

The answer: in every circumstance invest in prayer and thanksgiving. Choose to “rejoice in the Lord always.”

The result: a peace that is beyond human understanding, a peace, in Jesus, that guards your heart and mind from distress. And it brings the best part of your brain online, ready to tackle problems and enjoy better relationships.

“Now, doesn’t that just open an Olive Garden restaurant in the Bare Point Plaza to help revitalize the southern corridor of U.S.-23!”

So, what pokes holes in your joy bucket? That’s worth pondering. Joy-starved people seek it out in “pseudo-joy” experiences, ones we pursue that entice and promise to fill that craving inside but end up leaving us empty anyways. And often addicted.

It’s strange that some people habitually go out of their way to dump their buckets. Take social media “discussions.” I stumbled upon a post of a man complaining about being disrespected by employees in a restaurant. One woman, a complete stranger, responded with, “don’t care where in the country this cafe is I’d travel there (to scream at them)…. fuming on behalf of Chris ….ruined my night” with a few added angry frowny-face emojis.

I guess she stalled her tractor instead.

What we think about matters.

“Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]” (Phil 4:8, Amp).

“Now, doesn’t that just dry out your basement!”

Phil Cook can be reached at 3upquarks@protonmail.com.