My ATTITUDE Is GRATITUDE...

    Sometimes, it's, simply, the 'little things in life' that keep us holding on. I know, for me, that when I open my eyes, each morn, (this, not a little thing!)regardless of whatever else is going on in my life, I am grateful, and thankful, for another opportunity for a 'new beginning'. It is true, that, 'today is the first day of the rest of my life'; and, I'm happy to be able to acknowledge, accept, and, embrace, this sentiment. If this were not the situation, I might find myself looking backward to 'better days gone by', or skipping forward, in my mind, to 'better days ahead'. I choose, instead, to live in the 'now', and, deal with what I am presented with, on a 'moment to moment' basis. Believe me...it helps! In addition, sometimes, when we can step out of our own heads, and allow ourselves to understand that, often times, when compared to the lives of others, ours 'isn't so bad', this awareness can assist us in getting through our own hardships. Yes, I realize that all things are relative, and our 'stuff' is ours to manage; and, regardless of how much more fortunate we may be than some, our difficulties are ours, alone. Yet, when we can be compassionate, understanding, and, empathetic toward the lives and situations of others, I believe it enables us to better cope with our own lives. I didn't, always, feel this way, as I recall. As a child, my dear, Mother would utter these words, to me, on occasion, which were: 'There is, always, someone worse off than you.' Back then...I didn't 'get' what she was inferring; I didn't want to go through life comparing my problems to others, in order to feel better. Today, I believe that I understand, well, what she was implying; Perhaps, her message was that everyone in the world suffers, at one time or another, and, if we can be considerate of this fact, then, maybe, we can have a better understanding of people, and, life, in general; we can accept that hardship is part of our human-experience, and, appreciate it, on a level, insofar as recognizing and understanding that, through our suffering, can, come lessons, when we open our minds and hearts to this reality; and, life-lessons learned, gives us wisdom. As far as I can see, this is our reason for being here, in the first place. In any event, TODAY is what we have...this moment, NOW, is all that matters; and, with each, new, moment, we are given, an opportunity to choose our 'new attitude', and, gratitude. Just Sayin'...