There is nothing like a Fortune Cookie to get the wheels turning…. I will tell you.  I popped open a couple tonight.  Which leads me to this….

I have met a few people who really “get” life.  They have the secret decoder ring, is what I am guessing.

It is my belief… that our purpose here on earth… is to “get it.”  You know.  Get it.  To figure out what it means to be a complete human being.  To fill our spirit with goodness, and completeness, and light.

Yet.  The thing of it is….. some people have it better than others here.  There are those who suffer endlessly.  I think it would be impossible to see goodness in those situations.  But many times, we will hear great stories of the human spirit…. where people overcome the physical, mental, and emotional challenges of life.  In spite of it all….. they are filled with virtues, and nobility… and joy.

Those people rock.  My heroes.

Other times, people have it pretty dang good, yet they still say…. “What’s to celebrate?  What is so good about THAT?”

Boy oh boy.  We all get our fill of the cynics. Their negativity can weigh down our spirits pretty quickly, I will tell you. Those people are energy suckers.  Like whirlwinds… they pull in all that is around them… and manage to leave quite a wake in their paths.

But I have come to realize that I don’t have to let them control how I see my life or theirs. It is important to keep my own perceptions positive.  If we are able to detach ourselves from those cynics, and pessimists… we become more valuable to others…  more “available” to those who may benefit from our good perceptions.  Perhaps.

Yep. If I can remember to focus on gratitude, I am much better off.  To notice all the tiny blessings rather than to focus on whatever might be wrong.  And then there are the huge, big, holy-colossal blessings…. I have so many of those.

Becoming grateful is the strongest, safest means of feeling good. It can change my perspective… in a heartbeat.

Oh yes.  To be thankful rather than “thankless”!

It brings serenity.

I love those people who radiate a singing spirit. The ones who truly love life, themselves, and others.   They teach me.  And for that… I have gratitude.

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson