Helloo0O Ladies
and Gentlemen!
Welcome to Graceland Ontario, your one stop location for success
advice from the greats. Today, we’re going to talk about appreciation.
It’s also my
Mum’s birthday, so this one goes out to her.
When, I was
young, my Mum and I had very different opinions on certain things. She liked
looking at pretty things in shops, I liked buying toys. She liked gardening, I
liked watching television. She liked walking for exercise, I liked gluing the
rug (no joke).
She’d say,
“isn’t that a beautiful flower?” and I’d nod my head before quickly going on to
play. I didn’t understand how you could be happy by watching a flower.
But, as years
go by, though we still have disagreements once in a while, I’ve come to
understand and live by her perspective.
Everything’s
beautiful, even in ways we wouldn’t maybe see at first. Everything’s strong,
but tender; colourful, sometimes while looking bland; wonderful while coming
across as normal.
And, the more I
learn about people, that they like to be liked, that they fancy someone who
listens and cares about what they say, that they are, in general, inherently good, the more I thank my Mother.
You see, she taught me something most people never learn. She taught me how to
appreciate good things and, by not much of a stretch, other people.
Now, before you
stop reading because this is either sounding way too new age-y for you or just “soft”, wait a sec.
When you appreciate life, others
and yourself, you develop true kindness. You honestly enjoy seeing the best in
others. Now, I’m not saying you aren’t already like that. But I am saying we’re
all a work in progress and that it never hurts to put in a bit more to up your
skills. Through appreciation, it becomes hard for us to be put down and hurt for, as Albert
Schweitzer said, “Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun
makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to
evaporate”. It helps us become stronger and more likely to go out there and
live a full life because we realize at a deep level how good everything is,
even the bad. You’ve gotta be part of a world like that. Sitting out is wasting
all the beauty and opportunity. When you have that mindset, you realize the bounty open to everyone
and, with your deep appreciation of others, it makes it that much easier
to persuade and work with other people to fulfill your goals.
I don’t know
how you live, but I’m sure you make a similar choice to me in the morning. You decide
to have a good day, no matter what, a so-so day, no matter what, or a bad day,
no matter what. Chances are, your day will turn out that way simply because you’ll
only focus on the information that makes something a “good”, a “so-so” or a “bad”
day. You can go, “wow, she’s looking great for eighty” or you can think, “she’s
a week away from the grave”. You can breathe deeply and savour the gift of air
or you can complain about pollution.
I tell you, whenever
I choose the more positive, more appreciative viewpoint, take what my mother
taught me and thank God for the smell of roses on a mid-August day, I always, always
feel better.
And, from
experience, I’ve learnt it’s not just me.
Happy Birthday
Mum and talk to you all next week!
Alex H.
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