I’ve told this story on Quora before. My brother is a policeman, probably the best man I know. When he first started on the Job he discovered that a fair amount of the role consisted of much isolation and loneliness. Cops are often alone in their cruiser for long stretches with just the radio and the constant calls for assistance, hours of boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror. People rarely want to see a cop unless they need one. Everyone is guilty of something. And one day when this was building up in his mind he found himself parked outside an alley where a homeless man was lying on a piece of cardboard. He got out to check if the man was alive or dead. The man was an end-stage drunk, dressed in filthy clothing, obese, covered in filth and grime and reeking of Listerine because Listerine contains alcohol and when you can’t get booze a bottle of Listerine will take the edge off if you drink enough of it.

He tried to rouse the man. It was difficult but eventually he rolled over and opened his milky white, runny eyes, the eyes of a man close to the end. My brother asked him if he was ok. The man grunted. My brother moved to walk off, then stopped. He was consumed with morbid curiosity. “Why do you do it?,” he asked the man, “Why do you get up in the morning? What keeps you from stepping in front of a bus or jumping off a bridge?”

The man struggled to sit up, his jaw working over his gums as he thought about his answer. Finally he said, “Tomorrow is another day. Something wonderful could happen.”

This is what I think about when things are really bad, but I add something I often write on Quora: “Nothing good happens by itself. You have to make it happen.” Most people wait for something to happen to them rather than going out and making it happen. For them, bitterness and despair can take real hold. You can’t think about the failures of the past. You can’t wait for God to reach down and give you the winning lottery ticket. You can’t hope someone will, out of the blue, rescue you. Your success or failure is up to you. Perhaps that success is as modest as getting a sandwich from the homeless van so you don’t starve. Perhaps success is landing that job you wanted or getting into some school. Your success is defined by you, but it doesn’t happen by itself. You have to make it happen.

So when things are really bad I tell myself tomorrow is another day and something wonderful could happen - especially if I make it happen.