Every January someone bound to come up to me and ask "what it's going to be for you this year?" I am always severely tempted to say "better, stronger, faster, tougher" then I realise I am not from planet krypton nor am I Clark Kent.
So I resist that impulse and say "everyday is going to be good because I have decided so. There's no problem. Everything will be a lesson and a challenge. With that I proceed to view life as if I was born to enjoy every second of it.
For a moment or two, a look of astonishment on the face of the person who just asked the question. Then, I get this gut feeling that he or she is going to punch me as if I have spoken out of turn.
When I crossed the Big 5 (50 years), I decided enough is enough. I wasn't going to wait for life to hand me a bouquet. I was going to plant my own garden of flowers and enjoy the blooming results.
Since then, I have been relishing every minute of every hour of everyday. Isn't that great? Now, if you were a pessimist, you would tend to reply "what's so great about life, anybody's life for that matter?"
People walking around with a cloud of doom and gloom over their heads have a propensity to say "we are born, we live, we cry, we laugh and then we die." Everybody makes up his or her own mind what the person wants out of life. If you want to be rich, there are ways.
If you want to be happy, everyone else wants to know the reason why. If you cry, nobody wants to share that sorrow with you. Humans are like that. They gravitate towards what makes them feel good and shy away from the bad bits. They want no part of it.
This year, 2006, will be another magnificent year for me. How I know? Because I have said so. So it is said, so shall it be done! Somehow this line sounds like a phrase that comes from the movie Ben Hur. There are lessons to be learnt in everything we see, hear and touch.
Sometime ago, I learnt that all that touch our five senses have benefits for us. All it takes is some time on our part and a moment of reflection to absorb the moment and know that the goodness emanates to enhance every fibre of our being.
Take for example, when an infant suddenly breaks out into a smile when you stare at him. How does that make you feel? Surely, you will not break out into tears. The normal reaction on the part of any individual would be a smile returned. A baby's joyful disposition is terrribly infectious. It gladdens the heart of the most hardened criminal and brings joy to all child-bearing women. It is a quality that is inbuilt in all of us.
Thus, joy is a matter of personal decision. So are sorrow, misery and sadness. Many people are annoyed when you tell them that everything that happens to them is a matter of choice. They exclaim "how can you say I WANT to be poor; that I want to be sick; that I want to feel pain."
What they do not realise is that from the day they emerge from the cradle, everything and I mean everything is entirely up to them. How is that so, you may ask.
Well for one thing, studying hard in school is a matter of choice. Let's admit it, most of us feel laziness creeping in now and then.
Later on in life when someone fails miserably in exams, he may blame it on God and his parents but really the fault lies squarely with him. If you really slog, then the worse you can do is to obtain a "D".
At a later stage in life when your health is questionable, chances are that you have been abusing your body since your teens. If you are born sickly, then it's not your fault but there are those who have conquered such physical handicaps and emerged as champions in their own right.
Recently, I watched a segment of the Oprah Winfrey Show. A guy who was born without hands and legs has achieved so much that he put most normal people to shame. This guy because a champion wrestler in his school. Asked how many times did he fail in his attempt to win over an opponent on the wrestling mat, his quick answer: "The first 36 times!" Unbelievable and yet this chap conquered everything in his path and excelled to the astonishment of everybody concerned."
So in actuality, life is pretty fair. If you are born with certain handicaps, it could be your lot to teach others some valuable lessons in life. So don't mope around and feel sorry for yourself. There are others 100 times worse off than you.
That is why this year, as I have decided, will be another great year for me. It will be full of excitement, joy, happiness and surprises - all in the positive light. In turn, I shall endeavour to bring as much joy and happiness that I receive. As they say what goes around comes around.
The punchline is: Decide it be so and so shall it be.
So the opportunity arrives
Call all knife knuts
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