One of the best things about living in California is the weather. It’s a mid-February morning as I write this, and outside my office window are blue skies and people walking on the sidewalk wearing light-weight wind breakers and tennis shoes. If you’re feeling depressed or sad today, you certainly can’t blame the weather!
Of course, if you are feeling that way (down) there probably is some reason for it; something didn’t turn out the way you wanted, someone let you down, or you need something that you aren’t getting. Maybe you’ve had a loss of some sort — maybe a big one, or maybe several. If I am speaking to you, please know that it is not my intention to make light of your situation or deny that you may be feeling pain. But please remember this: regardless of the weather, we all have challenges in life but it is how we choose to react to those challenges that matters most.
I will be the first to admit, I sometimes find myself wallowing in negative—worried, anxious or depressed—and then something amazing happens. I’ll encounter another person who is the ray of sun piercing my self-created black cloud. Just their presence lifts my spirit and turns my thinking in a new direction.
There are some people in my life—I call them “life enrichers” – who exude positive energy. Their lives are not free of problems—to the contrary, in most cases these are people who have overcome major challenges—but whenever they are around, they seem to brighten the universe around them. Their secret seems to have something to do with focusing on uplifting others more than worrying about their own problems.
My friend, Joe is one of these people. So are my friends Mike, Eli, Del, Jean, Rodney, Wanda, Bob and Tami. Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting weatherman Lloyd Lindsay Young and his wife, Bonnie. While many would think his on-the-air, upbeat persona is an “act,” I can tell you that it is not—Lloyd is a genuine “life enricher” too.
There is a wonderful song entitled, Keep on the Sunny Side (of Life), and whether they know it or not, it is the theme song of all the people I mentioned.
Why don’t we make it our theme song too?
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