I Wonder . . .

It is a beautiful fall day.  The sun is bright in a clear blue sky.  This morning was our first frost!  I had to do a double take when I looked out my window and saw the frost on the cars in the parking lot.  Wow!  Fall is here and the leaves are beginning their colorful shift from green to orange, red, yellow and eventually, brown.  At that point they fall to the ground and it is time for homeowners to get the rakes out and clean up.  (Glad I don't own a home any more!  I can watch out my window from the comfort of my computer keyboard as others do the work.)

I have just finished reading the blog post of a friend from China who was commenting on her life and reviewing her attitude about her work, her team mates and friends.  What started out as a somewhat negative retrospective turned out in the end to be a positive reflection on how she could make her life more meaningful and fulfilling.  I was struck by her philosophy and her willingness to accept what friends had shared with her about how she could chart a more successful course.

After I shared my coment with her, I began to wonder.  I wondered why so many of us have times of despair where we feel like things are never going to get better.  Of course, in America right now it is not difficult to list numerous reasons why we get depressed about how life seems to be going.  Some of us hope that when the elections are over in November, a new crop of politicians will get busy to set things right that they think the current politicians have done wrong.  It is always like this.  Unfortunately, it seems that we get farther and farther away from constructive change in our elections.  We have become polarized regarding just about every issue.  There doesn't seem to be a powerful effort toward reconcilliation or positive compromise.  In fact, it seems compromise has become a dirty word and deleted from our conversations and actions.  So, yes, there are many things that give us pause to reflect on just what in the world is going to happen to us?

It is probably trite to mention, "behind every cloud the sun is shining," especially on such a sunny day as this.  Or that it is raindrops seen through the sunlight that brings the rainbow, an age-old symbol of prosperity and well-being.  And yet, this is exactly what we should be focusing our attention upon.  It seems to me that we have a choice.  We can choose to look at life positively, to believe in rainbows of abundance.  Or we can join in the negative conversations of those constantly moaning about how terrible everything is.  You might reflect:

As I sat frustrated and alone
A friend came by and said,
“Cheer up.  Things could be worse.”
So I cheered up.
Sure enough! Things got worse!
        -- Anonymous

There are plenty of people complaining.  What we need is people positively reflecting upon what is right with life.  Cherish your friends, especially the positive ones.  Enjoy the sun, the clouds and even the rain--they are part of the life cycle that continually renews itself.  You live in that cycle of renewing life, so focus your attention on the positive possibilities within every aspect of the cycles of change that come your way.  There is good to be found there.  If your friends cannot find good things to talk about, don't give in to the temptation to whine along with them.  It may be time to take a constructive stand or even find new friends.

I wonder . . . What would life be like if we really did change our viewpoint, our conversations and our dreams?