Wiseguy Wednesday: Gravity & Adversity

“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” 

―Khalil Gibran

If you're ever having a bad day, just think of the following quote and try to remember that while gravity and adversity are sometimes inconvenient, they are both necessary and desirable for life. 

Gratitude

I found this little concept extremely thought provoking. It completely changed the quality of my prayers and made me think of all the little things I take for granted every day. Apply it and see if it doesn't make your life feel a little lighter.

True Wealth

Wealth is not the things we own–
A stately house upon a hill,
Paintings, rugs and tapestries,
Or servants taught to do one’s will.
In luxury, a man may dwell,
As lonely as in a prison cell.

Wealth is not a plenteous purse,
The bonds that one has stored away,
A boastful balance in a bank,
Or jeweled baubles that fools display.
The things that really gratify
Are things that money cannot buy.

Wealth is health, and a cheerful heart,
An ear that hears the robin’s song,
A mind content, some treasured friends,
And fragrant memories lingering on.
Living is an inward art–
All lasting wealth is in the heart!

--Alfred Grant Walton

Perception is Everything

"Change your thoughts and you change your world." --Norman Vincent Peale

I've been thinking about something the past few days. I don't know how organized my thoughts are on the subject, but I want to briefly try to express them, so bear with me.

I've been homeschooling my 9 year old son this year and as part of his 4th grade curriculum he is currently reading Pollyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter. You may not have read the book, but you most likely have seen the old Disney movie version of it with Hayley Mills; which by the way, is VERY faithful to the book.

I know I've recently posted a story about happiness being something you decide ahead of time (here), but Pollyanna offers a whole new layer with her "Glad Game". At several points in the story, little Pollyanna has so much to complain about but she instead chooses to be glad and look on the bright side of every situation. Her beloved parents both passed away and although she finds it difficult, she's glad that they did so that they could be together in heaven and she could live with and learn to love her Aunt Polly. Her grumpy aunt puts her in the shabbiest, bare, hot room of her opulent house and Pollyanna is just glad that there's no mirror to reflect the abundant freckles on her face. Aunt Polly tries to punish her for her childish behavior on numerous occasions and Pollyanna finds something to be glad about every time. She's glad when it's sunny, she's glad when it rains. She's glad that her little attic room is hot so that she could discover the coolness of the night and the abundant stars when she climbs out her window to sleep on the cool tin roof.

Pollyanna's sunny disposition spreads wherever she goes. She cheers up an old, heart-sick woman, makes friends with a grumpy old man, and even her Aunt Polly eventually succumbs to the indefatigable sunshine in Pollyanna's soul. In short, she changes her entire world and the lives of everyone around her simply by making up her mind to find something to be glad about all the time!

Can a simple decision REALLY make such a difference in the world? Is gratitude and perception REALLY that important? Could it be that the old adage, "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change" is one of the foremost secrets of life? Pollyanna really is on to something!

Here's a good video I found on the subject by Wayne Dyer. Food for thought...

Gratitude...it just feels better

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."

 --Epicurus

Have you ever noticed that it takes the same amount of effort to be grateful as it does to complain or ask ‘Why,’ but they feel completely opposite?

I don’t know about you, but being grateful for things gives me energy and makes me feel positive about life and the world around me. Complaining and asking ‘Why?’ fatigues me and makes me feel negative about life and the world around me.

Simple example: My printer is a pain in the butt! I’m always complaining about it. That thing will NEVER simply print something out. It is a constant inconvenience to me. Until the stars finally align and the dust bucket decides to print something properly, I always end up spending a whole lot of time feeling icky with negative emotions. This rant session is almost always accompanied by repeated, useless questioning of no one in particular, “WHY me? What did I do to deserve this plague of a printer?”

But here’s my point: Does it not eventually print? Am I not still in possession of the wonder of technology? How would I feel airing my various printer complaints to a typesetter from the 1700’s? What did I do to deserve the printer, indeed!

How much energy did I waste spoiling the wonder of what I have by ranting and raving and thinking about how much better my printer could or should be? What I have now is genuinely among the things only hoped for in past generations! Ah…this line of thinking makes me feel so much better!

You see what I mean? Same amount of effort in the choice, one builds happiness and well-being, the other takes it away.

You choose the fruit of your labors, but for me it seems much more efficient to put my effort into being grateful.