The Card

"For most of life, nothing wonderful happens. If you don't enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the chances are that you're not going to be very happy. If someone bases his happiness or unhappiness on major events like a great new job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that person isn't going to be happy much of the time. If, on the other hand, happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap, then we are more likely to live with quite a bit of happiness." -Andy Rooney

As a young boy back in high school that was one of the quotes that I came across on one of my usual afternoons spent going through books. Amazingly someone had left one of those "pick me up" type of card things around the sports section. Back then I never really understood its meaning but now..all I can say is.. Whoever that person was, I thank you.

In my life, I have always had a tendency (a desire) to be different. I don't know why. Now that I "am different" I can see that a better way of looking at it would have been just to listen to my heart. Maybe my heart will tell me to be different but maybe my heart would be happy to do something "normal". I doubt that I will ever have a "normal" life based on prior experience but you never know. Without a doubt, following a path that brings happiness -- that is the path less traveled. We need only look around in the major cities of the world or pick up a newspaper to see that.

Still, it is kind of funny in that when I was unsatisfied in my life, I always tended to meet other people who were unsatisfied. Even when I started to make this transition in my life, I seemed to still always come across people who were unsatisfied and seemed to be mixng with the same sort of people. So many years on from that day in the bookstore I realised that I am actually surrounded by people who are happy in their lives. The strange thing? More than half of them are the same people! Now did the world change completely since that day? I very much doubt that. However, I have changed and in changing I have either started attractive positive things in my life OR am now able to see the positive things that were always around me (or at least trying to). I bet it is a lot of both factors. I love that Andy Rooney quote. It's a keeper.

As to why I came up with this post, I was recently clearing out some things that I had in my wallet. And oddly enough, I found this forgotten card tucked away in some obsolete corner. The other interesting thing I found was a magnet that had the words "sadness flies away on the wings of time" on it. However, thats another story, for another day.. =)

Remember my friends, when you change, everything else in your life follows!

Yours sincerely,

Yuen