Little things...

From time to time, I stop and think about what makes people so miserable. You see them every day. Driving in their cars, walking down the street, waiting in line at the market. And they have one thing in common. They all look absolutely miserable!

Sure, life is stressful with oversized mortgage payments, car troubles, a boss that doesn't appreciate you. But stop and think for a minute about what's really going on with all of these things.

* Mortgage payment - May be a lot of money, but it validates that you've been able to achieve the goal of home ownership amidst all the economic perils you may have encountered along the way. And, mortgage rates are still at historic lows. The prices of housing may be overinflated, but you have a roof over your head for you and possibly your family.

* Car troubles - At least you have a car and probably a job to which you drive it when it's running. A lot of people take the bus everyday and stand in the cold and rain waiting for it not because they are green consumers trying to save the earth, but rather because they have no other choice. I've seen people on the bus with sick children on the way to the doctor's and I'm thankful I can take my kids in the 5 year old minivan when they are sick!

* Sucky boss, job, etc. - First I'll say be glad to have a job even if it seems to suck big time. Second, look for another one. Regardless of your skill level and educational background, there are hundreds of thousands of jobs in this country waiting to be filled. Check out monster.com or simplyhired.com. Maybe the next job will suck just as much, maybe it'll suck a little bit less. At least you'll get a better idea of what you don't like and that's half the battle in finding the right match for what you really want to do.

I've worked my share of craptastic jobs over the years. I've owned cars that left me stranded more than I care to remember. I've shared apartments with people I didn't want to look at, let alone live with at times. I've been kept awake at night wondering how to make the deep red budget creep it's way to black.

And you know what? I wouldn't change a thing or trade it for anything. My past has helped to make me the man I am today. The man my wife loves and my kids look up to. There's a saying that sounds trite when you hear it, but it's absolutely true.

Life is what you make it. I choose to make it happy, peaceful and worthwhile.

Sometimes I forget how to do that and fall into the trap of feeling that the world is a catastrophe not waiting to happen, but midway through a full on implosion. Then I'm brought back by a child who takes the greatest delight in making me a "special" dessert or giving me a hand scrawled valentine or simply gazing at me with wonder and awe at how I can pick him up so high.

Life truly is what you make it. So try to make it happy, make it peaceful and while you're at it, try to make it a little better for someone else each day. A smile, a caring word, a couple of coins in those ubiquitous tip jars. It won't cost you much and you find you get an awful lot in return.

Be nice.

Peace.