What do I have that’s good?

Every now and again, especially if I’m feeling exhausted or hungry or a combination of the two, I sometimes lose my focus on what’s good in life. Perhaps even start to feel sorry for myself for the things that I don’t have in my life. And by things, I don’t mean material “stuff,” but rather the more meaningful things, and I might even begin to compare my life and things that I feel are lacking to what other people appear to have that’s better.

It happens to the best of us.

Then I have to remind myself to keep my eyes on my own paper.

It happened to me today. After traveling to Indiana for a fun-filled weekend with family and friends, full of music and dancing and laughter, I was feeling exhausted. And hungry. A bad combination for me, because that leads to feeling down. But this time I circumvented that feeling by thinking about the things in my life that I have that others might look at me and say that I’m blessed with a lot of goodness in my life. (Plus I ate dinner, so I was no longer “hangry!”)

Here are some of the things that I thought of that make my life so very good…

• Two amazing, funny, smart, and healthy children
• A fun extended family with whom I can always connect and have a hearty (and maybe even hysterical) laugh with
• Some very good close friends who are there for the laughter and the tears
• A growing circle of friends whom I enjoy
• A rich cultural heritage
• A beautiful home
• A good job

This, of course, is just the short list, but is by no means a small or meaningless list. It’s a powerful list of very good things.

Yet, if one were to be negative, it would be possible to say that every item on that list could have a down side.

True.

There is a yin and yang to everything. But the amazing rewards that I’ve gathered from just this short list have made my life and my world a much more joyful place. And for that I am so grateful.

So when you’re beginning to slide into a slump, try to consider all the good you have in your life.

It just might dispel the notion that things are looking down.