I've really been digging the positive vibe on blogs lately. Sure there are always posts on DIY projects, neat vacations, and the like, but there seems to have been an uptick on focusing on the good and positive aspects of life, about being optimistic. I've been thinking a lot about this topic too. To tell you the truth, I'm always kind of thinking about it.My mom was one of the happiest people I knew. I wouldn't say that she was "bubbly" but she was positive and she was forever the optimist. As a child, I asked her about it one day. "Ashley," she responded, "when I was about your age I made a conscience decision to wake up each morning with a smile on my face." At the time, being happy was very easy for me. My childhood was idyllic, my world a very happy and secure place, so when my mom mentioned this it seemed like basic common sense. However, as I got older, her wise words took on a whole new truth. My world was still very happy, but things were happening that weren't always easy to deal with and getting the things I wanted did not happen as often as I would have hoped. Basically, life happened, right? I learned that I couldn't be 10 years old and playing tackle football in the backyard with my two younger siblings or chatting out on the porch for the rest of my life.
That's when putting a smile on my face each morning took on more meaning. It became the single action that represented how to live life controlling my reaction to circumstances rather than allowing circumstances to control me. It was determining to focus on attitude, something my mother and father said was the difference between trial and adventure. Focusing on this very thing didn't make life easy, but it made it better. Trying situations still continued to happen but while they happened I felt like I could handle them.
What my mom shared with me that day was something a lot deeper than just smiling. She was telling me to choose to smile. She was teaching me a life lesson. She was really giving me the key to success. And every time I have to struggle with something that is hard for me, I realize this truth again and even more so.
8 comments:
Wonderful post. Great tribute to what your mom was all about.
Thanks for sharing this neat exchange. It definitely is something to think more about.
Such a wonderful tribute. You do a very good job of this, too.
What a great post!
Good stuff, Ash. Great memory of your mom and an inspiring thought.
Ash, you should read "The Happiness Project." I think you would like it. I stumbled upon it at the airport traveling back from Rhode Island and really enjoyed it. It has lots of good points to ponder.
I love that, Ash. I think you do a good job, but it's a good reminder to me! Love you!
Good for you Ash! I needed that reminder as well. I've always considered you a positive person so I'd say you're following right in your mom's footsteps. :)
Post a Comment