Every once in a while, I’ll have someone tell me that they’re not really happy with where their journey through life has taken them. They feel that they should have done better or accomplished more. When I hear this, I ask these people to reflect for a moment on where their life journey started. This usually brings a smile to their face.
In an article which appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Melinda Beck referred to a growing body of research which shows that feeling grateful for the good things that have happened to us can improve our psychological, emotional and physical health.
I never looked at the people we meet on our journey through life as gifts before, but when you think about it, they really are. Some become mentors, while others become life-partners, best friends, role-models, intermediaries, cheerleaders, confidantes and soul mates.
Not long ago, I was in Trader Joe’s looking for a Mother’s Day card. I checked the card section of the store but found none. I then asked an employee who I’ve known for a while and affectionately refer to as “Awesome Ava,” if there was any other place I should look.
Often times, when we set goals for ourselves to do things like exercise more or lose weight, we start out with all kinds of enthusiasm and then back off or procrastinate when the going gets a little tough.
Optimists are those people who have a positive outlook on life. They’re the ones who see the glass as being half-full instead of half-empty. And, if life sends them lemons, instead of feeling sorry for themselves, they figure out a way to make lemonade.
The following story was sent in by a subscriber in response to a previous Reminder about taking advantage of opportunities to make other people’s days.
An article by Derek Thompson, which appeared in a recent issue of The Atlantic, discussed an experiment conducted by Nicholas Epley, a psychologist at the University of Chicago, where he asked commuter-train passengers how they would feel if they were asked to spend the ride talking to a stranger?
Kristina Ulmer, a ninth grade English teacher, lost her 29-year-old sister in an automobile accident. As she went through her sister’s purse, she found $80.00 in her billfold. Since her sister was a very caring and giving person, Kristina wanted to do something with the money that honored her sister’s spirit.
A friend related this powerful moving story to my wife and me. On February 15, their 17-year-old granddaughter and two friends had some free time, so they went to the local market and bought a large number of half-price, unsold, Valentine flowers.