An 85-year-old man who learned that he was dying wrote the following piece:
“If I had my life to live over again, I would try to make more mistakes. I wouldn’t try to be so perfect. I would relax more and laugh more. I would limber up. I would take more chances, climb more mountains, swim more rivers, go to places I have never been to, eat more ice-creams and fewer beans! I would have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones!”
You see, I was one of those people who lived prophylactically, sensibly and sanely hour after hour and day after day.
“If I had to do it all over again, I would ride more merry-go-rounds, I would watch more sunrises, I would play more with my children, be happy and not hold on to debilitating grudges if I had my life to live over again.”
“But you see, I don’t !”
Isn’t this message a beautiful reminder to all of us? We have to make the most of the time we have on earth. The old man realised that in order to be happier and get more out of life, he just had to change his priorities. The world is already a beautiful place, to enjoy what we already have, we just have to live consciously.
Whenever we are unhappy, if we analyse the reason for our unhappiness, it is because life is not matching our expectations.
Happiness is a decision. Each of us can be as happy as we make up our minds to be. We can, if we want, fill up our days with positivity, animated conversation, chatter and laughter.
To be happy we need to concentrate only on happy thoughts. A friend of mine still gets exercised and breaks down every time she remembers the nasty remark that was made to her by a relative 15 years ago. Let us not be garbage collectors carrying around trash that was thrown at us 15 years ago. The ghosts of the past have to be exorcised.