Appreciating the World

I woke up this morning, did my normal routine and in thinking about all I was going to do today, somehow got myself worked up into a good mood. Sometimes I read about all the bad things that are going on in this world and it's hard to appreciate or even see all the good things going on right around us.

It's easy to think that most things are bad if you just read the newspaper or watch TV. We get ourselves glued to that time-wasting tv screen and I think it washes all the good stuff right out of our brains.

I don't watch it except once in a blue moon. I think I might have shared that with you ladies before so I won't go back down that way.

I read a bit sometime past from this perpetually happy person. She or he, can't remember now, said they got up every morning and wrote a list of a bunch of good things to be happy about. Maybe it was blessings or positive thoughts about the day, can't even remember that exactly. I know I decided that was a good idea and I would do it myself.

Got the note pad, the pen, had it all set out by the bed and I think I did it twice before I got up running to go somewhere and just forgot to do it. After a few days I forgot about it but would try to think about some good things as I rushed about. Unfortunately, planning for the things I had to do pushed those good intentions and thoughts out of my head.

I'm just not the regimented, planning, get in a routine type person I suppose.

However, I am generally a happy person so it didn't hurt too much not to write good things down in the morning. I think there are more good things in this world than bad. I think I am truly blessed. I think we get brain washed into thinking we have to have more or we're not right if we're not doing this or living that way.

That saying about waking up and smelling the roses is right. At least until you turn on that stupid television and it tells you how bad everyone is and how much you don't have.

Think about this one that I have heard and read a number of times recently. Our poorest people, not including those in shelters or living under bridges, have electricity, refrigerators and most even have at least one car. They did this study and most of those we consider to be poor have microwaves and not one, but two televisions. They have dishwashers.

Turns out that if we moved the biggest part of our poor to Europe they'd be considered middle class. I haven't seen these studies for myself, but you have to figure if it was on the news, talk radio and in print that it's probably at least close to right.

I only brought that up to make my point that we are given these impossible standards by the media I think. We watch television and think we can't be happy unless we have that big old new car or the latest tennis shoes or whatever is being pushed. We all have so much to be thankful for and to appreciate.

Family is number one to me. Giving back and trying to help make other people happy is another good thing and I do so appreciate that I am able to do some tiny little things to make a few people feel a bit better. There are so many things in this life to appreciate. We're not here very long in the big scheme of things, it's not worth wasting a minute of it being down or wanting for what can't be. That's not to say that I'm always a happy person. No m'am, I manage to get the ends of my mouth twisted downward at times, but I don't let it last. I just get busy.

What started all these thoughts this morning? It was really something simple. I got up and walked into the kitchen and the sun was shining across the counter top in a way I hadn't seen before. All it was shining on was a tea pot and a dish by the sink, but it struck me how pretty it looked the way the sun highlighted it all, the beautiful swath of golden sun across the back splash, the shadows. Silly little thing but it got me thinking about all the beauty that is around us and all the good things I have to appreciate in my life.

Isn't it a beautiful, wonderful, and great world we have been blessed to live in?

Miss Faye