Prosper
“If you
want to live a long life, focus on making contributions.”
Hans Selye
Andy Rooney famously
observed that everyone wants to live a long life, but no one wants to
grow old. So true. Life is good, I think, as long as you have good
health and can contribute something of yourself to the world. Unless
we receive accolades for some singular achievement, like a Nobel
Prize, or a Pulitzer (and very few of us do), we may not be aware of
whether or not we're actually making a contribution to the greater
good. It's enough, I think, to wake up in the morning excited about
the day, and go to bed at night feeling good about what you've done
with that day.
The older I am, the more
I realize that every single day is a precious gift to be appreciated.
What I do with that day is entirely up to me. Which is not to say
that some of us don't have to pull up our big-girls and go to work—we
do—me, too. Nor is it oblivious to the terrible conditions that
exist for many people in this world. But, feeling good about yourself
and your actions in this world, regardless of how small and
undistinguished they may seem, carries the truest bounty. It's always
gratifying when there's monetary recognition, of course—when we
don't labor for little—but for the most part, it's the state of our
soul that determines the quality of our days and, thus, the quality
of our lives. Approaching every day with an attitude of gratitude
makes whatever we do come alive.
Today, I wish for you a
heart full of love—long or short, it's life's greatest prize.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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