Staying positive in the mist of a barrage of bad news is no easy task.  I have learned to spend less time thinking about bad news and more time focusing on the good.  Small things like "Hey!  I woke up this morning!  And my feet were above the ground!"  Or jumping on the scale and realizing I lost two ounces.  Sometimes making a dinner that everyone liked.  (This I want to mark on the calendar with a big star!)  Too many of us dwell on the the bad stuff around us and forget about the small things that make our life bearable or, dare I say, happy!

This week, two of my friends got jobs after being unemployed for several months.  They are happy with their new position in life, and this makes me happy.  Two other friends, lost important people in their lives, which makes me sad. But, death is part of life.  We need to deal with it because we are all coming to it eventually.  We will be sad, but life continues.  One of my friends had her first two grandchildren within two weeks of each other.  Life and death.  Joy and sorrow. The ying-yang of life.

Now, am I jealous of my younger friend that now has two grandchildren?  You betcha!!  Am I even close to being a grandmother?  Nope.  But, I find joy in the knowledge that maybe some day I may be lucky enough to experience that joy.  It gives me hope.  Looking forward to a special event, visible, such as an impending marriage, or not yet visible, like grandchildren, is the essence of life.  It is not traveling, or winning the Pulitzer, or winning the lottery that defines us.  It's the every day events that make us smile and give our life meaning.

I have a bucket list which I believed I needed to have completed before I die.  I found myself striving to check off the list and becoming frustrated because the bulk of the list I don't think I can ever accomplish.  Traveling is just not feasible when you're broke!  But, when we die, who cares?  I have had a marriage for almost 36 years.  I have raised two children who appear stable and well-adjusted.  (well, one out of two maybe) I have seen my parents and grandparents live long healthy lives.  I have a big extended family who are loving, caring and always around when they're needed.  My only hope is that I will be remembered as loving and caring as well.  A good mother, wife, sister, cousin, aunt, daughter and friend.  Feel free to put all of that on my tombstone!  I have never seen anything about people's other accomplishments at the grave site.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, we need to be happy with all the blessings we have that we tend to forget about, or not notice at all.  Just the fact that we have food every day and heat and a bed.  We can see and smell and feel and hear life all around us. How special is that?  Again, if we think about it, we are all blessed and we are all the same!