The Glass is Half Full!!!!!!

So there is a magnet on our refrigerator that pretty much is geared mainly towards me that says, "An Irishman has an abiding sense of TRAGEDY which sustains him through temporary periods of JOY."  Well, I have been working on that and this article about the roadblocks to happiness is one that I've been ruminating on since it appeared yesterday.  You see, for most of my life I've suffered from periods that I've called my "blue funks" and although they usually only last a day or two, they have been known to last months (or maybe years).  Usually during these periods I wonder what the heck I'm doing with my life and I lament the fact that I don't have the money that some of my friends, family or colleagues have.

I guess part of that stems from having grown up in a military family where we moved around a lot and didn't really have a lot of money.  I always had friends (mainly officer's kids) who had the newest stuff or the coolest things and I never really did.  My first car was one that was donated to our family and was about 13 years old when I got it.  Of course now I'd love to have that car back because it was a Champagne colored 1967 Caprice Station Wagon:


(Yes, it looked like this, just without the wood paneling - boy were we stylin')

It wasn't much but I was able to cram about 25 people into it during drive in movie night.  It was all the people you could fit in a car for $5.  And being one of the only kids who had a car at all I was a little on the popular side - at least for a summer.

Its taken me a lot of years to start to make some improvement on the jealousy that I feel about others who have all the things I wish they have, especially those who don't seem to be appreciative.  Its not easy but I am working on it.  I think this summer actually helped me make a lot of strides in that direction.  I also like to go back every now and then and be reminded of what is really important and the words that help me do that are as follows;

Sonnet XXIX

When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man's art, and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts my self almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

Because quite honestly, I have my wonderful family and they are my world and my worth in this life.  I have them and they are all healthy and that is my greatest treasure.  Everything else is gravy/frosting/cherry-on-top to what I already have in life - a great job, some good friends and a healthy family.

        

Now granted, if there are some of you wealthy people out there (you know who you are, part of the top 3% of money earners in the country) who want to sponsor us to help us help the kids at Sunrise, feel free to contact us and offer us oodles of money  - the gift that keeps on giving.

And that is filling up the glass all the way!

Okay, my friends, stay well and I'll see you on the road (and lets get those followers on board!)