My take is:
"Live well. Laugh often. Love always.
Think deeply. Live simply. Work hard. Give freely.
Speak gently, speak kindly. Care deeply. Love generously.
Be kind. Be thankful. Be honest. Be loyal. Be fair.
Spread Positivity.
Explore. Help. Listen. Understand. Transcend. Pray.
Fight for what you believe in. Let no one stop you. And never stoop down. Be wise.
Play. Laugh as much as you breathe. Love as long as you live."
It's funny because this is what our email signature (the hubs and I) screams right at you when you get a message from us. Believe it or not, it grew from a few words to a lot -- almost like a real email message all by itself. It grew through months and months of learning from these first-hand experiences with people. And it keeps on growing still.
You know, each day blesses us with lessons. Life's lessons brought about by our interaction with others. Everyone is a messenger...the good, the bad, they all come with a purpose: Serving you a bowl of lessons. It's a fruit salad of sorts. That self-righteous neighbor across the street, the pesky authoritative character in your own circle, the most humble human being you've ever met (which defies reality sometimes), a "biatch" who won't get off your back, people trying your wisdom and patience every single day, the sweetest stranger on earth, the smarty-pants co-worker, a greedy but lazy family member, the ever-generous and "going the extra-mile" sales associate. They all give us lessons. They are all there to make us better people in the long run.
Well, if we look beyond the face value of situations and work hard to transcend, that is.
Even the worst of people can bring out the best in you. They are there for you to realize that you are better-bred and so much wiser. To cut to the chase, smarter because you're nicer... And then you strive even harder for your own growth.
Life is a school. Lessons get harder with time, but in the end, we get better. We end up knowing better.
The blurb above is just the tip of the iceberg of what I've learned so far. And I seek to practice it every single day. It keeps me on the right path when challenges blind me with strong retaliating emotions. (I'm only human...)
Like when irritating people throw their weight on me (TODAY, for instance), and then I manage to have the last laugh. Because it's pretty comical how some people can really make a fool of themselves being who they are and doing what they do!
Upsetting? It amuses me. And I'm laughing til my sides hurt.
"You can't call it a day, until you've spread some positivity."
