Monday, January 30, 2012

It's A Great Day To Be Alive

Last week I was thinking about a friend who is going through a lot of health problems. Some of them are very serious problems. He had to take an early retirement and with his problems he doesn't get out much. So I decided I would give him a call. As soon as he answered the phone I could tell he was not having a good day. We talked a little and he said he had to go as he had a doctors appointment, I said that's ok hope you get some good news from the doctor.




The next day he E-Mailed me and said I am sorry I gave you the bums rush yesterday. I told him not to worry about it I understood. He then said some thing that really made me feel sad, he said when I go to bed at night I hope I will not wake up.



After thinking about it for a few days I decided to do some research about people and their reasons on why they are so happy to be alive.



Thanksgiving was just a couple of months ago and I hope you used that day to reflect back on the things you had to be thankful for.



Twice in my life I have gone through depression but with the help of some loving family and some great friends Thank God I was able to work my way out of it. I also made a lot of changes in my life and one of the biggest changes was defining what is important in my life and what is not so important. I discovered that a lot of the things that depressed me really were not that important after all.



I asked myself if I wanted to have a more meaningful life and of course the answer was yes I do. I found the best thing for me was to start dwelling on the good things in my life and stop dwelling on the bad things. It is a big challenge when every day we have to deal with all the problems and burdens that come our way, annoying and cruel people, illness, death, and so on. And yet when we begin to be grateful for what we have and stop complaining on what we don't have, it can change your life dramatically, if you don't believe me, try it you will be surprised how much it can change your life.



I think I pretty much know the reasons to be happy but when I started my research I discovered a lot of things that I should be grateful for that I have more or less just taken them for granted. I came up with so many reasons I will not attempt to list them all but will list some that just jumped out at me.



1. You are alive. Mornings are a gift, every morning when you wake up say Thank you God for the gift of a brand new day.



2. You can see. The gift of sight, what a blessing, you are able to see the beauty all around you, your family, your grand children, just so many reasons we are so lucky to have the gift of sight.



3. You can hear. You can hear the waves of the ocean, raindrops falling on the roof, the laughter of children, and you can hear the words when someone tells you they love you.



4. You can speak. You can say words like Thank You, I am here for you, and very important you can tell the people you care about, I Love You.



5. You can touch. Your hands can caress and soothe a loved one. With touch you can express your love without words.



6.You can read. Reading can open up so many doors for you.



7. You can write. You can write and share your experiences, you can write love letters, thank you notes, etc.



8.You can sleep. You can rest when you are tired and exhausted, so you can recuperate and re-energize yourself.



So many other things we can do that we mostly take for granted. You can sing, you can think, you can feel, and the list just goes on and on.



Relationships are Blessings:



When you begin to see that each person is brought into you life for a purpose and reason you begin to appreciate them and view them in an entirely different way.



Family:



Be grateful for your family. Isn't it great to have a family. Imperfect they may be but here we find the opportunity to grow, share, give and receive love.



Friends:



Be grateful for your friends. True friends stand by you, they know your quirks and weird ways, but love you any way. LOL



Teachers:



I had some great teachers, Thank God they had a lot of patience, I wasn't always the best student. LOL



Coaches:



They taught me teamwork, how to work with and get along with others and most important discipline.



Listeners:



They can listen to you when you pour out your heart as you pour out your burdens.



Joy Givers:



They radiate sunshine and warmth. When you feel down, a dose of their joy lifts you up.



Huggers:



They engulf you in a big hug that makes you feel safe and secure. Their hugs let you know you are not alone.



Lovers:



Be grateful for lovers, the words that come out of their mouth are the words that start with love. Lovers of life, lovers of goodness, lovers of sports, lovers of helping people se the beauty in themselves. Be grateful for people who will lead you gently back to yourself.



Things we can enjoy:



Pets:



Finding joy and love in taking care of and nurturing animals. My life has been touched by amazing animals.



Other things we can enjoy, food, be grateful if you are not hungry, having a roof over our heads, water to drink, books, where you can gain knowledge and wisdom, Google, I have learned more since I discovered Google than I learned in 12 years of school. LOL



Great memories:



Fun things from when you were a child.

Your first bike.

Falling in love.

Getting married.

Birth of your first child.

High school reunions



In wrapping this up think about these things,

If you have someone to love, some thing to do, something to hope for, every day can be a celebration.



A quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson,

When I open my eyes in the morning and look

out at the beautiful world I Thank God I Am Alive.



INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON WHAT YOUR LIFE IS MISSING, BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU DO HAVE.



LAUGH AS MUCH AS YOU BREATH AND LOVE AS LONG AS YOU LIVE.



RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS GOES A LONG WAY, WHETHER WE REALIZE IT OR NOT.



Go to Google and type in video of It's a great day to be alive, that video will help pick you up.



Love And Best Wishes To You And Yours. Joe

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