“The tragedy of life is not death…but what we let die inside of us while we live.” ~Norman Cousins
Have
you ever interacted with someone who is negative and bitter? Had a conversation
with someone who has nothing to share but life’s catastrophes? How do you feel?
I'm a skilled conversationalist and in those situations where someone joins the conversation and removes all laughter and fun from the conversation, resists all gambits to change the subject or a nudge toward good and fun —c'mon there has to be something good in their life, right? I can't wait to get away.
Sometimes people need to be heard and validated. They need a compassionate ear and there is nothing wrong with taking the time to listen. I do frequently. Where I have to draw the line is if the pattern is a self-repeating loop and it doesn't matter what you say or do, this is the road they're on and it's venomous to anyone around them. It encases your feet in quicksand, swallows the light, sucks up the oxygen and beats against any joy or good.
And
it’s heartbreaking to see and interact with someone who has let the light
within die.
Sadder
still, is the fact you can’t fix people, no matter how much you love them. And you wish you could.
A hard lesson
learned in life: the only one who can
effect change is each individual. Only they have the power and ability to
change what they are or their attitude toward life. If we believe anything else
we’re beating our heads against a wall.
 |
| Spider webs in the early morning |
No
matter what happens in our life and granted there are many tragedies in life,
the only thing we have control over is our self and our attitude. There is
still good things to be found in life regardless of our circumstances and
beauty in abundance if only we allow ourselves to open our eyes and see
it. Absorb it.
 |
| San Francisco |
And
it’s not the big things that bring quiet joy and add to our collection pieces of happiness.
It’s the little things. A snatch of song that makes us tap our feet or sigh at
the exquisite play of notes, watching the sunrise or sunset and soak in the
scents and sounds and seeing the richest colors and textures. Watching the
seagulls dip and sway over the ocean or the otters bobbing in the waves. Even
the ugliest city, by day, is beautiful when it’s lit up at night. City lampposts
whose light hide the ugly and give a mythical feel to the streets.
 |
| City Lampposts computer wallpaper |
Ever
watch the uninhibited laughter of children? You can’t help but grin or laugh in
response. Our children saying, I love you, or the smell of a child after a
bath, snuggling beside you and wanting a story. What a feast for the eyes to
see the dance of the butterflies over a field of wildflowers or coming across a
beautiful spider web collecting the mist of the early morning. The scatter of drops of dew shining like diamonds as the sun rises. Watching the skies turn charcoal gray and
darker clouds racing and churning across the horizon and how green the trees
and vegetation is against such a backdrop. I love the smell of rain in the air.
The wonder of fireflies rising in the summer night.
Thing
like these renew my spirit. I choose to immerse myself in life. To see the wonder of it all. To grab the
little things and celebrate. I choose to let go of toxic and destructive emotions and
steer clear the people who foster them.
Life is too short and precious to do
otherwise. J
“The control center of your life is your attitude.” ~Norman Cousins
Pictures taken either by me (most of them), from my wallpapers collection, or from wiki commons
