Today, I'm happy to be alive.
I'm happy about it every day, but just today I officially made the connection -- like a newly-formed neural pathway.
Neural pathways must be reinforced to strengthen or even simply to remain intact.
I'm happy -- not because life is easy or always pleasant, but because I have the chance to make it what I choose.
Because I have the chance to know great people and count myself among them.
Photo source: pixabay.com
Because I have free will.
I exercise free will onto my life and it exercises its free will onto me.
It's a fair exchange that is complicated and beautiful.
With each passing day, I notice more signs of how I'm aging and how the circle of life is progressing, regardless of what I do.
So what do I do?
Photo source: pixabay.com
I could resent the circle of life, or become oblivous and let it pass me by, or cast revenge upon it.
But what would be the point?
Would that accomplish anything positive?
Would that make me a better person?
Would that be the way I want myself represented to my son and to the world?
Instead, I'll do what first pops into my head -- what my spirit tells me to do.
I'll do what spreads happiness and contentment.
I'll keep on trucking.
I'll pluck out the thorns from my side and continue on my way.
Photo source: pixabay.com
I'll learn to appreciate my ever-increasing gray hairs, spider veins, and oddly placed hairs.
I'll cast a sideways glance at my 14-year-old who brings those signs to my attention, but instead of taking offense, I'll shrug it off.
Maybe it's his way of bringing the signs to his attention -- that his mother isn't getting any younger.
Maybe it's a token of his love.
Love is often rough around the edges, bluntly honest, and unapologetically unromantic.
Love's intentions and outreached hands of support (never with a hidden agenda) are often misunderstood and quickly passed off as something else entirely.
Yes, that's love.
That's even life.
There's so much that is misunderstood in this world and so little time as we know it, to figure it all out.
some cool and meaningful comment had to be here
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It took me a long time to learn this - that unhappiness is often just a result of pathways created by bad habits. Thank you for this -resteemed.
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It took me a long time to learn as well -- almost 32 years. Thanks very much for the resteem; I really appreciate it.
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Great bunch of thoughts there @cali-girl. I've thought about how our bodies age too and I like it in a way. My body is doing exactly what my species is meant to do. It's programmed to do this that and the other at certain ages and in that regard it's working perfectly as it should! Sounds odd to type but perhaps the concept resonates.
Thanks for the reminder to face each day awake and be happy for the struggles that each day presents. Again, seems funny to type but I do get your premise.
Thanks 😊 and keep us informed of your 14 year old's wisdom 👍
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A lot of important things sound odd to type out or even to say aloud, but it doesn't make them any less important. You know, come to think of it, people quite often say to me: "Why did you say that?" or "Did you really just say that?" I'm used to it by now. :D
And yes, as he passes along gems of wisdom, I'll be sure to share.
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Happiness is a choice we make every day. Every moment is a challenge, and at any moment our happiness can turn, and the only person who can do anything about it is ourselves. Beautifully written!!
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Age often brings a lot of benefits such as experiences to pull from. It allows you to look at a tough situation and have the view point that you have dealt with worse before; or you have already gained the skillset to deal with it. If not then you can often assure yourself you have the ability to gain the necessary skills to move past whatever is troubling and back into a better place in life.
If we all could be so blessed to see how age allows us to be happier over time the world would a merrier place.
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What a beautiful honest open letter. Thanks for sharing your heart. One of my favorite lines, Love is often rough around the edges, bluntly honest, and unapologetically unromantic.
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I liked your post notwithstanding the probability that there is only one theistic coherent view on free-will: incompatibilism! All scientific research is intuiting this truism although it's not without irony considering Sam Harris's incompatibilism which is also, coincidentally, and again, ironically-- the Islamic position on free-will! (who knew Sam would make such a good Muslim?).
Anyway, there isn't any but it's a nice illusion:) At which point we run into Buddhist ontology...Yikes!
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Well said!! Thanks for sharing =)
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Nice write. Deeply heartfelt. I've followed you to see more of your poems. Cheers!
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Thank you for reading.
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Never experienced something so profound in such simple words.
Amazing.
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Well Said!
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https://postimg.org/image/iuanzivxx/2417092a/
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Well said .
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I also wrote about happiness today. Liked your post!
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What did you like about it?
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Your statement "I'll do what spreads happiness and contentment."
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Beautiful! You have my attention! Upvoted and followed! :) :)
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Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by cali-girl from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews/crimsonclad, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows and creating a social network. Please find us in the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
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wow ... this is very interesting @cali-girl . I like from your habits. But I have no courage .. :-)
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Good!
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