My Own Thoughts

May your life bring happiness, peace, harmony, kindness, and fast download speeds.

In a world reporting shootings, bombings, high gas prices, lower productivity, quirky elections, diving internet stocks, and homelessness, may we all find the time to consider the lives of one another and do our part to help our fellow man.

Often we don't see the goodness in our fellow human beings. Therefore we should always take the time to look just a bit harder, or at least consider laser eye surgery to improve our eyesight.

The wonderful news is that with problems in the world today, now, more than ever, there is room for solutions and opportunities.

If you are a unemployed, may you find a successful company in the new year, or at least take the opportunity to use your time to help others.

If you have personal problems, perfect your sense of humor and capitalize on the fun in life, because as they say on the X-files, "it's out there."

Grab the humor in life. Grab love where you can. Grab the happiness brought on by our landscape and our children. Grab peace wherever you can find it. Grab all that you can that is good, but only grab what you can't be arrested for.

If you're plagued by frustrating computers, may your company upgrade to Macs.
If you're a salesman, may your order book run out before your patience does.
If you remember when gas was half the price it is today, be thankful. Your memory is still intact.

If you're young, learn from those older and more experienced in life, for they have much to offer. Listen to them and you will benefit.

If you're older, learn from the innocence and enthusiasm from those who are younger, for they have much to offer. Teach the young, and you will both become learners.

If you are overweight, remember that love can't be weighed. If you're still concerned though, the local fitness club is offering a two for one special next month.

Listen to the advice of others, then weigh their merits in your own mind. A 108 year old man interviewed said he smoked 4 packs of cigarettes a day until he was 60. If fighting the habit ruins your life, ease up, but don't make life miserable trying to do what everyone tells you to. George Burns felt the same way and loved life. 20 cigars a day. He lived to a hundred.

Everything in moderation. Drinking can ruin your life, but a glass of wine each day has been found to help the heart, and a beer a day has been found to help the mind. Bottoms up, just not too often.

Drive with patience and enjoy the wonderful scenery along the route. The greatest joy in a trip is not the destination, but the travel involved to get there. But make sure you have a loud horn just in case though.

Seek true riches and you will find them. The richness of creating a smile. The richness of making someone laugh. These are all worth more than the bank account of Bill Gates. Remember what makes him the happiest is the joy and peace in life. He just happens to be able to buy a bit more peace than most of us, but we should appreciate what we have.

If something makes you unhappy, place it on the back burner. It can simmer just as well in the background, giving you the front burners to cook up something exciting to bring true happiness.
Don't dwell on the successes of others or failures of yourself, but rather create and nurture your own success, be that peace, creativity, harmony, or whatever else you define as wealth.

If you are lonely, curl up in the evening with a good book, or someone who has just read a good book.
Look into the eyes of your nearest canine friend. See the joy and patience in his eyes. A dog rarely dwells on sadness, but rather seeks joy wherever or whenever he can find it. We can learn from our four footed friends. You may be surprised just how enjoyable chasing a fast cat really can be.

A recent survey asked 4 to 8 year olds, "what is love". One youngster said "Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents for a minute and look around."

In all aspects of life, learn from the best. Dismiss the rest.


-Don Andrews