100 Things I Want to Tell My Children And Grandchildren: #23

The measure of the quality of your life is less about how well you plan than about how well you deal with what comes your way.

When I recently asked one of my grandchildren how school was going she rolled their eyes and mumbled something indicating unhappiness.

To that I replied, “You better figure out how to be happy in that situation because there’s always going to be something right around the next corner – a hard job, failure, fear, hate, disappointment, bias, lies, shame, death, the list is endless – all things that will make you miserable if you let them.  And because misery loves company, you may unconsciously make the people around you unhappy too, so you won’t feel alone in your misery. And that’s no way to live."

Understanding this truth and managing your emotions is the hardest thing you will ever do, and a lesson you will probably learn many times.  In fact it’s a lesson I’m still learning.  I’ve recently been very upset about something - to the point of loosing sleep and crying. And then a friend told me of caring for her dying son, and I immediately realized I was making myself unhappy over something comparatively, ridiculously small.

You can choose to be happy, but as with anything worth having, it requires effort – forgiveness (ourselves and others), reflection, a positive attitude, self-control, patience, appreciation, calm and more.

I don’t have to tell you what feels better.

Here's a brief video of our Thanksgiving family camp out on the Blanco River. I wish everyone could have been able to come, but regardless it was a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope you will take the length of one song to watch this.