Have you ever seen a flower growing in concrete? You look at this little flower blooming in what seems to be insurmountable odds as it is surrounded by concrete with just the slightest crack offering it space to grow. You may look at that flower and feel sorry that its life seems to be hard. Or, you may look at it and feel it living a good life as its still shining bright despite its current circumstances. It’s the same flower in the same circumstances yet each of us gets to choose how we perceive it.
What does a good life mean to you? What does a good life look like to you? What does a good life FEEL like to you? It’s so easy to get wrapped up in believing that living a good life means everything is easy and filled with sunshine and rainbows. That you must have wealth and health to live a good life. That you must have a wonderful job and the best relationship to live a good life. While all those CAN be part of living a good life, your good life starts right from where you are with what you have. Living a good life is an attitude and a decision that you make daily on how to see the life you currently live. You can see it as surviving or you can see it as thriving. Same life, different perception. Just like the flower, you may see it as struggling to survive or you may see it as strong and thriving.
So, what does your good life look like? See it, feel it, believe it. A good life to me means many things, but it starts off with living in deep appreciation for life itself. A good life to me means facing my fears with gentleness and compassion. It means embracing life… all of it. It means ((hugging)) others to heighten celebrations and lessen sorrows. It means laughing a lot. It means living with intention and attention. It means helping others see the good in life. It means looking at life through a lens of LOVE. It means knowing when to let someone go from my life AND sending them LOVE along their journey. It means being curious and excited about what’s to come. It means being grateful for the challenges that have brought me to today. It means knowing that life is so very precious. It means knowing that hard days are okay, and that LOVE is there too. It means facing the injustice, the tragedy, and the unkindness in the world with a deeper dive into LOVE, kindness, and compassion. It means sharing my time, heart, and energy with those in my inner circle and LOVING everyone… even those that are no longer a part of my life. It means knowing the power of LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. It means all of this and so much more!
Mostly, living a good life to me means LOVING the life that I live from the celebrations to the sorrows.
So, what does it mean to you? I’d LOVE to know and hold your good life in my heart for you.
Until next time, here is to LIVING and LOVING the good life.
Affirmation:
I live my life with LOVE as my guide.
Words to LOVE by:
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” – Maya Angelou
“Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.” – Og Mandino
“Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone’s face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I LOVE? These are the real questions. I must truth that the little bit of LOVE that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.” – Henri Nouwen
Sounds for the Soul:
