I have a friend whom I will call Julie. As it appeared to me, Julie lived a charmed life. Her parents got along whereas mine never stopped fighting. Where I was disciplined regularly with spankings and groundings, Julie was not. Chores didn’t even make it onto her to-do list. My Saturday’s were spent cleaning the house from the time I woke until dinner. Julie had several close friends in high school, and she has remained close with them throughout the years. Her teachers loved her, and she did well in school. Julie could put on a sack and look good where I could put on an expensive dress and look like I just rolled out of bed. She graduated from college and landed a great job from which she eventually retired. I, on the other hand, struggled to find my place. Julie got married, built a house and had children. I got married, couldn’t get pregnant, and after 13 years, found myself divorced.
Why was life so hard for me and so easy for her? Why did I have to fight for everything I have, and things just seemed to fall into Julie’s lap? Looking back, I now see much of it had to do with attitude. Julie always assumed and expected things to go her way. I did not. Julie did not settle. If she wanted A, she didn’t settle for B. I did. Julie knew what she wanted out of life and set goals to achieve those things. I, sadly, did not.
Now that we are older, I know Julie’s life wasn’t all roses. She had her ups and downs just as we all do. Through it all though, she never stopped expecting things to turn out for the best.
M. Scott Peck, in his book The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth, makes the following statement:
“Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult-once we truly understand and accept it-then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.”
Julie recognized this early on in life and accepted this fact. And while she has her struggles, she doesn’t let them dictate her attitude. She chooses to acknowledge the difficulties, deal with them and then move on. While I still struggle with this at times, each day I am now choosing to expect good things to happen. Are you?
Just for Today – won’t you expect only good things to happen and look for the best even in those events that might not have gone as planned?
You begin by always expecting good things to happen – Tom Hopkins
– PSG –
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