Count your blessings

[Laura M. Rodebaugh]

Ahhh, the holidays. What an interesting time of year. So much going on, so many different views and beliefs. The holiday season tends to evoke a wide range of emotions in people. Some are incredibly happy, excited or sentimental. Some do not celebrate or avoid the holidays altogether. Some seem to experience nothing but stress as they prepare for the celebrations, gift-giving or time with family and friends. Others approach the season nonchalantly or with lukewarm feelings. Still others are sad or even depressed, particularly if they've recently experienced a rough event in their lives or the loss of a loved one. All people have different feelings about the holiday season and sometimes they even have different feelings each year, and no one emotion is necessarily right or wrong. However, regardless of your current position in life and no matter how you may feel about the holiday season, I believe that you should do at least one thing this time of year (and really all year long too): count your blessings. Everyone endures tough times in life, but there's usually at least something for which you can be thankful. It really doesn't even have anything to do with religious, political, or any other type of beliefs. It's just about being a positive person who can find the good in life. Be happy with yourself. Strive to have a good outlook while still maintaining your passion and your drive. Focusing too much on the negative things in life or the things you don't have will only bring more of the same. Instead, take this opportunity to focus on the things that are going well in your life. It could be something big or something small; the only requirement is that it brings a smile to your face or a warm feeling in your heart. Maybe it's a close friend or family member or a kindly neighbor. It could be an animal companion who always makes you feel like you're someone special. Maybe you enjoy your work or your hobby. Maybe your volunteer work makes you feel that you have contributed something helpful or meaningful to society. It might be your comfortable home, your children or your spouse/partner. Maybe you're grateful for your health or that of your family. It doesn't matter what it is, so long as you can identify it and be thankful for it. Perhaps this all sounds a little too familiar and possibly even corny, like something you learned in grade school. Well, it is. It may sound like something you were told as a child, but sometimes we need to be reminded of those simple childhood lessons once we've entered adulthood. Too often we become engulfed in the rat race of daily life and we forget some of the most basic lessons we learned as children. Rather than taking a few moments to enjoy the simple things in life, we are overly concerned with getting to the next step. We try too hard to "keep up with the Joneses." There's certainly nothing wrong with having drive or ambition or a desire to do more; after all, our country was founded on those principles. But it's also nice to enjoy the good things in your life during each step of the way. Like most people, I can be guilty of focusing too much on the next step in life; sometimes I have to remind myself that I should just be thankful for the things I do have. A lot of Americans are so consumed with the thought of having everything that they fail to realize they are actually pretty lucky right now. Most people in this country enjoy a standard of living far superior to many others in the world. In our constant quest to "have it all", we allow negative or self-pitying thoughts to invade our thinking. We turn a blind eye to the fact that we're most likely pretty fortunate already.
So as we prepare to usher in the new year of 2009, I ask my fellow Hoosiers to join me and find something positive in your life, something for which you can be thankful. No matter what's going on in your life, I'll bet you can find at least one thing that makes you smile. Sit back in your chair, take a few deep breaths and envision yourself as that little child you once were, listening to the voice of a parent or teacher: Count your blessings.

[Lindsay Manfredi]

This is a good blog. Everything we have could be gone in a matter of seconds. Definitely be appreciative of your blessings.