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At the age of 45, writer Regina Brett wrote a column for the Cleveland Plain Dealer listing 45 lessons that life had taught her thus far. As a breast cancer survivor, many of those lessons were learned the hard way. Five years later she added five more lessons rounding her list up to 50 and turned her popular list into a book called God Never Blinks. I found her list to be entertaining, inspiring and thought provoking. I thought I would go through each of her lessons learned and write about how that lesson has or has not come up in my own life, now that I am over 40 and feel old enough to have finally learned something.
When I was younger, I spent a lot of time being envious of others. I looked at the lives of friends and family and coveted the various things that they had going on that I didn't. I wanted to have the handsome and loving boyfriend. I wanted to have the terrific job that paid well. I wanted to have a shiny new car that didn't need repairs. I wanted to have the glorious apartment in the trendy location.
As I got older, some of those nice things came into my life. They weren't enough. There were still things happening to other people that weren't happening for me. I wanted to have a husband willing to commit to me. I wanted to have a home of my own with a yard and everything. I wanted to have a real vacation of my own design. I wanted to have tickets to all the cool events in town.
Over the years some of those desires became a reality. They weren't enough. Someone else was always involved with bigger and better things. I wanted to have a loving child. I wanted to have a different career. I wanted to have a beautifully renovated home. I wanted to meet new and exciting people from around the world.
I now have a son, a new job, a comfortable home and friends from throughout the blogosphere connecting me to their worlds daily. I have what I have because I worked very hard. I didn't stay envious, pout and compare my life to those I felt had it better than me. No one wants to date a sour puss who stays home feeling sorry for herself. No one wants to give a raise to a distracted slacker, wishing she could lounge around instead of working hard to improve. No one wants to travel with a complainer who is never happy with the accommodations. I relaxed and took stock of my life. I realized that I had an abundance of friends. I had a supportive family. I had a paycheck. I had good health. I had all I needed to get me where I wanted to be. While I had been busy being envious of others, I saw that I had been neglecting the qualities of my life that others would kill to have. I decided not to sit around waiting to be lucky. I already was.
I will always be seeking more, more, more. Because I want to always learn, explore and grow. I will want more knowledge and experience. I will want more compassion and love. I will want more variety. Because these are the things that make me happy. I will always seek inspiration from what is going on with others in the world around me. But I will not be envious of them. Because I have all that I need. The ability to live well, laugh often and love much.
We are all capable of these things. Living well means giving yourself to others when they need you. Laughing often means finding joy in both the simple and the glorious occurrences out there every day. Loving much means having compassion for and finding common ground with folks who cross your path. You get what you give. Give often and you'll never need to be envious again.
6 comments:
Bravo! Well said! Why does it take us so long to learn that "stuff" will not make us happy? (at least not long term) I love your idea about wanting "more", but more of the right things.
counting ones blessings always gives one a better outlook. nice article.
I need to email you about your new job! I hope it's going well.
I admit that this is one I've never struggled with in the superficial sense, but have always been envious of people that make friends easily. I am friendly with lots of people, but developing the deeper friendship is something that I really appreciate when it does happen. And since we've been in Cleveland every close friend I've made has moved. Sigh.
You can keep the big house and new fancy car, leave me a friend next door :)
I have a neighbor who spends her days copying everyone. If we get a new grill, so does she. If we got a new car, new roof, new lawn mower...so did she. It was fun to mess with her head--I'd put up an old builder's permit in our front window and it drove her CRAZY trying to figure out what we were doing to our house!
Anyway, she is and will always be miserable. You can't live someone else's life because you don't know what that life is! Happiness isn't a new lawn mower or cutting the grass the same time I am--it's living your OWN life and finding joy in what you have and do.
There are so many ways to find happy, and I think you will figure that out as your child grows up and you can explore together. Just going for a walk around the block with him will show you the world in a whole new way! Count the barking dogs or kitties in the windows....it's all simple and wonderful.
My mom has this saying..."Mediocrity is underrated" and you know, it is. I think we need to lower our expectations a bit and we'll find so much more happiness!
What? What? You have a new job? When did this happen? I need to know! I'm so out of it. I love these posts that you do, because they balance things out. It is easy to get caught up in the rat race and want what everyone else has. Sometimes it is hard to separate what YOU want versus what you think you want because that is what everyone else is doing.
Really great post and words of wisdom Molly. I've learned in this past year, after losing a dear friend to cancer that life is what we make it. It's a waste of time to sit around and think about what we don't have. We have to be grateful for what we do have and if we want something else, we have to go after it!
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