As most of you know, it is too easy for our thoughts to dwell on the negative events of yesterday. These experiences can cause us to dread tomorrow because we believe it might bring more of the same. To prevent either of these frames of mind, it is necessary to make the decision NOT TO ALLOW ANYTHING TO STEAL OUR TODAY! Our ‘todays’ are a gift; we can use those hours in a positive way or throw them away. It is necessary to remember that we won’t have today again. We can’t redo or undo anything that touches our lives but we CAN get a BACKBONE as we learn to ENJOY our days and ignore or try to avoid those who might make our days more difficult.
We never reach an age when there are no crushing events in our lives. As long as we breathe, regardless of our physical state, there will be problems to resolve. We can see these as challenges or obstacles, depending on our attitude on how we face whatever happens. If we slide down in our recliners and let people ‘run over’ us, they will. These might include some that we had regarded as friends, acquaintances, relatives or even those in our family. It is much easier to dismiss the first three of these but more difficult when a family member causes our hurts or disappointments. An in-law might try to turn our son or daughter against other family members. Another might take items that belong to other members, then deny it even if the evidence is indisputable. We find ourselves in the middle of a mess not of our making. That is when the metal hits the road. It is necessary that we know how to pray; there is no other solution.
There are some whose sole purpose is to ‘stir’ things up, in other words, cause trouble or problems for others. I have met many who actually enjoy doing this. It seems to be the purpose of their days. Well, since I can now recognize and ‘see through’ these phonies, I say, “Come on down and meet this great-granny with a backbone. You don’t scare me; I’ve met others like you and I REFUSE to allow your shallowness to touch my life.” These might act big, brave and strong but the truth is that they are none of these. These are adult bullies who have no goals or ambitions and are bent on destroying or causing damage to those who do. Call it envy or jealousy or whatever, but these trouble-makers have many lessons to learn. Sadly, they seem the type who ignore learning anything as they crash their way through their lives.
My advice to these is for them to realize that their efforts are wasted. Many, including me, have dreams to reach for, ideas to work on and plans to ENJOY our remaining days as we work toward making our dreams and plans a reality. We refuse to cower and/or give up because of your words or actions. We are not quitters; our experiences of past years have taught us to ‘hang in there’ and that is exactly what we plan to do! As we enter our later years, we believe that the best is yet to come. No one can change our attitude and this helps to bring our success.
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