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Lately, I've been doing a lot of thinking. Thinking about what a privilege it is to be alive and well.  While my health isn't perfect, I'm incredibly healthy compared to many.  It seems every where I turn these days, another one of my friends or former co-workers have taken ill or have succumbed to a deadly disease.  It makes me stop and give God thanks for my health and my blessings. While I know I'm not immune to illness, I am grateful for my health TODAY. 

It is also a privilege to have been born in this wonderful country.  I ponder how, but for the grace of God, I could have been born in Darfur, Sri Lanka or countless other countries where poverty and oppression is rampant.  While we undoubtedly have our share of domestic problems, the privileges we enjoy in the USA far exceed our problems - and the proof lies in all those wishing to come into our country legally and illegally.  While I would love the experience of living in a country like Itay, for example, I would not want to do so on a permanent basis.  America is still the land of the free, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  

A few years ago, I decided that I would start living in the moment, to appreciate each day for what it brings, and to not spend my life looking back but forward.  It is good for us to know from whence we came - nothing wrong with that - but it's more important to know where we're going. Everywhere we look, people are afraid of this and afraid of that.  Is this how we should spend the rest of our lives?  I don't think so.  The media is constantly bombarding us with negative news.  I choose to turn off the news at times, because it gets so old.  And as popular as the reality shows are to many, they have always been a major turn-off to me.  They produce excessive amounts of STRESS in the eyes of the viewer, and those on the shows.  There was a time when TV was there to entertain us. These days, it seems there's too much reality on TV.  I choose to DE-STRESS, thank you very much.  I'll save the stress for the real emergencies in life.  I'm not volunteering myself for more needless stress.  Give me a good comedy, love story, concert or even a documentary that centers around something positive and educational.   

I'm sure someone will think me a Pollyanna, but I'm far from it.  I think I've spent too many years of my life looking at the glass as half empty.  Dealing with a terminally ill best friend has taught me one thing.  We don't know what tomorrow brings, so it's important to be happy and live each day to the fullest - regardless of our circumstances.  The adage, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks," is just that, an adage, and I beg to differ.  You CAN change.   We all have a choice as to how we live each day.  We can choose to be happy or choose to whine and complain. We can choose to make a difference in someone's life, or become part of the problem.  I choose to be happy,  and I'm so glad to be alive.