“A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety.” Aesop
Recently, I had lunch with a friend that I hadn’t seen for a while. During our visit she expressed that life had dealt her a dreadful hand, then she proceeded to tell me that she would trade places with me any day. I was taken aback by her comment and even more shocked that I had managed to make life look so easy. I assured her that I was not exempt from the trials in life, but my desire was to endure them well.
I believe strength of character is developed during the uphill battles and not the downhill slide, and I have found that peace can exist in the middle of the storm, with a willing heart and contrite spirt.
Patience, love, forgiveness, kindness, compassion, endurance, courage, wisdom, fortitude, and perseverance are just a few of the attributes that are attained through opposition. These treasured virtues define the moral qualities and integrity of a human being.
Patience, love, forgiveness, kindness, compassion, endurance, courage, wisdom, fortitude, and perseverance are just a few of the attributes that are attained through opposition. These treasured virtues define the moral qualities and integrity of a human being.
Then she confessed that her personal trials had made her life miserable and that she was very unhappy. I told her that I believed happiness was a choice, not an entitlement and that no one was responsible for her happiness, except herself. “If you’re miserable, it’s because you’ve chosen misery over power, for everyone has been given the power to overcome opposition." She concluded that it was easy for me to say because I didn’t have any trials! Well, I set the record straight!
In 2011, I lost my sister right after the first of the year and shortly thereafter my grandson died unexpectedly. A few months later my best friend (of 40 years) passed away in her hospital bed during a routine procedure. It’s always devastating to lose someone you love and I had lost three loved ones in a nine month period.
In April, I torn the meniscus in my right knee and three weeks later developed a blood clot. The clot fragmented, sending two small clots through my heart and logging in my right lung. The good news, I lived to tell about it. Then in July, I was walking through a parking lot when a car backed out of the parking space and ran over me. I was dragged underneath the carriage of the car for several feet before the driver realized something was wrong.
Often life is not fair and there are many challenges to overcome, but I don't allow circumstances to control my life. I realized long ago that happiness doesn’t come as a result of what we wish we had, rather it comes from recognizing and appreciating what we do have.
Happiness is an inside job! It begins within and manifests itself outwardly. Happy people statistically live nine years longer than less happy people and report 30% less illness. They have healthier relationships and more money. They are more present, resilient, reliable, and creative than those who are less happy. I have learned that faith, love, and kindness ( in that order) are the keys to true happiness.
"When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.” The Dalai Lama
Happiness is the one gift in life that everyone is constantly searching for, but it's not a final destination, rather it's the way one travels. By Linda Sumner Urza, All rights reserved, One fine day.
