Very little is needed to make a happy life: it is all within yourself in your way of thinking.”
—Marcus Aurelius
I sometimes think of myself as an old soul. I wasn’t born that way. It was thrust upon me. Like so many I took all of the blessings bestowed on me for granted. I believed that life would always be the same. I had a handsome brilliant father and a beautiful loving mother. Together they created an environment for me and my brothers that was comfortable and secure. Mine was a world of books, trips, celebrations, adventures and always a routine in which I might flourish. I was unaware of poverty, hate, dangers. Those were concepts so foreign to me that I rarely gave them a thought. My extended family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins enriched my existence even more. My parents had good and loyal friends who often filled our home with laughter. Continue reading “Every Moment of Every Day”
I’m one of those individual’s whose mood becomes dark when the days are short and the weather is frightful. For that reason I have generally found myself languishing in a bit of a funk during February. Not even Valentine’s Day or the holiday provided by President’s Day is usually enough to bring more of a smile to my face. What I need to feel really good is sunshine. I believe that some psychologists call my winter time moodiness SAD disease, or seasonal affective disorder. 
I don’t cry much in public. My waterworks seemed to malfunction when my father died. For some reason I lost the ability to cry when the occasion seemed to call for tears. It has created a few problems for me over the years because I often appear to be cold and uncaring. Even back then some of my friends told me that it seemed strange that I was so stoic about Daddy’s death. They wondered out loud if I had even loved him. Of course I did! The tears just would not come, at least not in front of people, and I’ve been that way ever since. I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. It simply is what it is. It doesn’t mean that I don’t have feelings or that I never cry. In fact, I often sob but in very private places. I never know when the urge to shed tears will hit me but when it does I can’t seem to turn the waterworks off until I am almost exhausted. 
Most of us wander through life searching for a modicum of happiness. Just what brings joy will vary somewhat from person to person. There are those who need little more than the dawn of a new day of possibilities to feel a sense of satisfaction and others who appear to be constantly seeking some unknown evasive goal. As we go about our business each day we never really know what will happen to us. There are surprises and tragedies and routines awaiting us. Most of us work hard, plan, prepare, and even pray for blessings. We faithfully follow the rules, take care of ourselves and those around us and follow a steady course. In the back of our minds we almost always believe that we should somehow be rewarded for our diligence and good faith. The reality is that such recognition doesn’t always happen. We are not immune to disappointments, rejections, challenges, loss, and even death. All too often we have to shoulder responsibilities and hard times that seem unfair and may even prompt us to question every aspect of who we are and what we believe. Maintaining optimism in the face of severe hardships is a daunting task and yet we have all witnessed those incredible individuals who somehow find the strength and the will to do so. 
All It Takes Is A Little Love 