With so much going on in the world - naming of Supreme Court Justices, meetings of world leaders, immigration discussions, charges and counter-charges, and on and on, it is difficult sometimes to focus on everyday happenings and to maintain a positive attitude. But the truth is we are born with the capacity to control our attitudes.
So, are you happy today? We all have so much to be happy about, but whether and to the extent we are happy or not is largely up to us. We can be helped in that direction by following the advice of such positive thinkers as Dale Carnegie, Og Mandino, Norman Vincent Peale and countless others who advise us to laugh at the world.
I have alluded to this in various ways in previous columns and it is good advice, shared by Og Mandino: Of all living creatures, only human beings can laugh.
Trees can bleed when they're wounded, just as we can, and beasts of the wild can cry out in pain and hunger, just as we can, but only human beings have the gift of laughter and it is ours to use whenever we choose.
There are four words that I have trained myself to say, and they are not new words. In fact, they've been passed down through the ages and yet they carry me through every adversity and maintain my life in balance. These four words are, "This too shall pass." I'll laugh at the world and all worldly things shall indeed pass.
When I'm heavy with heartache - and ALL OF US are at times - I can quickly tell myself, "This too shall pass." In fact, whatever my situation might be on any given day, I can accurately and unhesitatingly tell myself, "This too shall pass." I'll laugh at the world.
I won't wait until tomorrow to laugh, nor will I fret about whether I was happy enough yesterday. Yesterday is gone folks and all the great minds in this world working together can't bring back one second of it.
It is gone, it is irretrievable, it isn't coming back. The one benefit you and I can derive from yesterday is to recognize the importance of living today, this day, each day, in a way so that when the day is gone, we can look back on it without regret.
To quote Tillman King, "If I knew it would be the last time that I'd see you fall asleep, I'd hold you close and pray the Lord your soul to keep. If I knew it would be the last time I'd see you walk out the door, I'd give you a special hug and say 'I love you' just once more."
So tell your loved ones that you love them, and do it TODAY!
To close on a humorous note: "What do you call a dog with no legs? It doesn't matter what you call him, he's not coming."
Have a wonderful day!
