Life Is Good

     So, a short while ago,  I went to the craft store to find some things for the wall I'm decorating behind our couch (it's only taken me 6 years, yes years, to do this; News Flash, I am no Martha Stewart) and found this script that reads, "Life Is Good".  I stared at it for a bit, envisioning how it would look where I thought it would go, but then realized that my mind had wandered (as it does a lot) to how our lives certainly are good.  I guess my mind figured, "Why put this saying up if it isn't true?"  Yeah, I'm weird like that.  You'll come to understand the madness.  Just give it time.

     I bought the script and as I ran other errands, I got to thinking about life; the good of it, the bad of it, how we got to where we are, the paths and roads we chose that got us to this point, how things could've been different had we chosen different options.  No one in this world is without worry.  I don't care who you are, there is something that matters to someone, everyone.  We do not know what others go through or are currently going through in their lives.  We wish for bigger houses, more money, better jobs, shiny cars, love, babies, the list is endless.  Do we ever just stop, look around and say to ourselves, "Look at all I have that makes my life good,"?  I did just that today, because I am guilty of wanting just a little more out of life or worrying about what may happen in the future, and not taking the time to look around at what I've already got, and truly appreciating it all.

 

     As I thought of everything that I have that I should rejoice about, being able to stay home with my kiddies topped the list.  And don't get me wrong, I loved working, and yes, still long to feel like a professional, but how many times while I was at work did I think, "God, I'd just love to be home right now, playing with my kids or discovering with them,"?  Too many times to count.  Now, I make our schedules (or am run by the kids' schedules), I get to go outside on warm days and have picnics in our backyard, create masterpieces on the front porch in chalk, become a monster that makes the kids join forces to defeat (during playtime, well, same may go for when mommy's having a bad day), full-time on-call boo-boo kisser, Play-Doh sculptor extraordinaire, and the best giver of hugs, all day long.  Sure, I don't get to punch out and call it a day or take off when I'm sick, and my income contribution is zero, but the good days far outweigh the bad and no amount of money could replace the memories being made.  And on those before mentioned "mommy bad days" when the kids are driving me to the very brink of insanity, I step back and think, there are people out there in the world who would just love to be able to have the kids to drive them crazy.  It's all about perspective. 

     Another thing I am grateful about is the fact that we have a roof over our heads and food on our plates.  Do we live in a huge house?  No.  (Plus, I shudder at the thought of cleaning a house that size.)  Do we go out to eat every night at fancy-schmancy restaurants?  Nope.  I make our meals, and due to the picky eaters, I sometimes even do special orders.  But we're very fortunate that we have these things and we know it.  We watch our finances and don't have all the cool, hip new gadgets out there, and that's fine. We are rich beyond measure in our own eyes. We know life can change on the turn of a dime. 



     What if for one whole day, we all thought, "Life is good"?  Really looked at the things we are blessed with in our lives and for one moment forgot about the negatives.  Friends, family, significant others, children, jobs, food, health, happiness, whatever matters to you, actually think about it and appreciate it.  Big things, small things, whatever matters most. Some people won't have what others do, but what means something to one person may not mean the same thing to another.  Take in the little things like watching the sunrise, hearing a bird call, smelling the fragrance of a Fall day, embracing someone in a hug, making someone smile with your kindness.  So many times people say, "I wish I could go back to when life was better, things were easier," etc.  Well, embrace these days, and let this time be the time and moments you'd like to go back to.  Because Life Is Good, you just have to step back and notice it.