1977 I will not wear a leisure suit or anything else made from polyester. I will make my mother love me.
1981 My legs are not cold. I will not wear legwarmers. No matter what Olivia Newton John says. I will gain my mother's approval.
1982 I will not get a mohawk. I will not wear spandex. I will loose my virginity. I will gain my mother's approval.
1983 I will not wear my sunglasses at night. I will earn my mother's approval.
1984 I am above fads. I will not imitate Wham! I will not wear white in winter. I will not subject myself to tanning beds. I will not wake you up before I go go. I will make my mother love me.
You can sort of see how the ensuing years went.
This year is going to be different. 2007 was so good to me, I have decided to build upon the successes of the last year.
So THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that in 2008 I WILL CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY.
I think happiness is a conscious choice. I know several people who, sadly, seem to choose to be unhappy. My mother was one of them. She was closest to "happy" when she was miserable. I don't want to be one of those people.
So, at the end of the day, I choose to be happy. It doesn't mean that bad or sad things aren't going to happen...I am sure they will. But I have a wonderful life. I have a wonderful wife who, after 16 years, still makes me laugh. I have a son who I can tell will grow up to be a good person. I have a lovely home. I have a job I enjoy going to where I feel valued.
Let's close out this first post of 2008 with Psalm 30, one of my favorites.
A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House; of David.
O LORD my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou didst heal me;
O LORD, Thou broughtest up my soul from the nether-world; Thou didst kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Sing praise unto the LORD, O ye godly ones, and give thanks to G-d's holy name.
For G-d's anger is but for a moment, G-d's favor is for a life-time; weeping may tarry for the night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Now I had said in my security: 'I shall never be moved.'
Thou hadst established, O LORD, in Thy favor, my mountain as a stronghold--Thou didst hide Thy face; I was affrighted.
Unto Thee, O LORD, did I call, and unto the LORD I made supplication:
What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise Thee? shall it declare Thy truth?
Hear, O LORD, and be gracious unto me; LORD, be Thou my helper.'
Thou didst turn for me my mourning into dancing; Thou didst loose my sackcloth, and gird me with gladness;
So that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent; O LORD my G-d, I will give thanks unto Thee for ever.
"...[W]eeping may tarry for the night, but joy cometh in the morning." I really like that.
May the New Year be filled with Peace, Joy, and Blessings.
9 comments:
Thank you for the past few posts, very insightful and sharing. I, too, believe that people are as happy as they decide to be and try to actively choose to be happy. It works. Ratty things happen and you simply survive and think "oh well"; good things happen and you are eternally thankful and never take them for granted. This makes for a much more pleasureable ride through this life.
By the way, what is the new four wheeled bauble? I'm hopeless when it comes to automobile identification.
Choosing happiness is the best choice you can make. I did it a few years ago and it's really worked. Of course, having the great one's help makes it much easier.
blessings.
Amen! Thank you for a beautiful post- a positive attitude will always carry one through the difficult times. Alida
And let us all say: Amen
Happy New Year to you and yours.
Tami
Lovely post. Even during the sad things and hard times I think that it's important to find at least a glimmer of happiness, it's what gives us hope.
Happy New Years to you and your family and friends.
happy new year AND happy birthday! what a nice present from your wife!
it took me many years to figure out you cannot make someone love you, and that people gravitate more toward a happy person than a bitch. two valuable lessons learned on the life path.
Amen! I love your new bauble! She's faboo! Try ABT in Glenview (they do audio cable installation for your iPOD)
Also, good luck with those resolutions. I'm working on feeding myself better this year, too. Oh, and knitting from my stash. (No. Seriously. I mean it!)
Happy New Year.
Jen: Could you clear something up for me? What do you mean by "Oh, and knitting from my stash..."?
I read that a couple of times -- I even read it out loud. The way the words are lined up, it sounds like you mean you are only going to knit with yarn you already own! I thought, "She talkin' crazy!" So what DID you mean?
Thank you for your eloquent expression of an important truth.
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