Article #222 Good Old Days?

            Too many elderly people look fondly back to the good old days when they were younger, healthier and supposedly happier. If you recall with honesty those days, you’ll also remember the pressures, problems and frustrations that went along with raising a family, working fulltime and trying to balance all the demands in life. Maybe they weren’t your best days? Maybe the best time of your life is NOW. This very moment as you are reading this article in a doctor’s office or waiting to get your prescription filled or lamenting with a friend about your current aches and pains. What if you started not looking back or ahead for better days, but filled your heart with gratitude for all you have today.

            You can always find someone worse off than yourself or with bigger challenges no matter their age or location. A positive attitude can take you closer to true happiness than all the complaining in the world. Would you want to live out your days with a grouch or a thankful person? You do live with yourself daily and listen to the non-stop inner voices that can be full of complaints or gratitude. Listen to what goes on inside your head and try writing down your inner dialogue in your personal journal to see if you need to make some changes.

            Is it possible to change? My mom always said…You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. That is true, if the old dog is set in his way and won’t change. However, you are a human being with hopefully higher intellectual abilities and self-control. You can decide to become a better person, if you desire it. So, make today the best day you can. Set a goal to change your attitude, look for others’ lives to bless or reach out and make a new friend. Give a stranger an unexpected compliment and watch a smile light up his or her face as it warms your heart. Life is only as good as you make it despite your prognosis or current old age ailment.

            It will take some practice and self-discipline. Do you really have anything better to do with your time today? While you are at it, reach out to those younger family members who live near or faraway and share your love for them. They may not know that they are living in their good old days. NEXT TIME: Unfulfilled Dreams (Image from www.clipart.com.)