The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"
He was a natural motivator.
If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, "I don't get it!
You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"
He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood.
I choose to be in a good mood."
Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.
Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.
"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.
"Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood.
You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."
I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.
After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.
I saw him about six months after the accident.
When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins Wanna see my scars?"
I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.
"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live."
"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.
He continued, "..the paramedics were great.
They kept telling me I was going to be fine.But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?" I asked.
"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said John. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'."
Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."
He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude... I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.
Attitude, after all, is everything.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34.
After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
Thanks cdb. I wanted to share it with everyone. I have also been meaning to reply back to you on your last post. Just want you to know that I feel for you. I hope things are better for you and hope that you will keep coming to the chat room. I really enjoyed visiting with you. I am going through a really rough time too and detachment is extremely hard for me. Not sure I even know what it is but am working to try to get through it. Please stay strong and we can help each other do that. I need all the support I can get and I am sure you do too. Take care of yourself and don't be a stranger. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
That is awesome.... :) Thank your for sharing. I just finished a post on the thread cdb started about gossip, just to set things straight that is mainly about choices as well. Reading your post after writing that is just another way I feel God acknowledges what I write and confirms that He knows what is sincere in my heart. Thank you again. God works in AWESOME ways.....
Suntansuzie I work in an Assisted Living Center. We have a gentleman there that s in his 50's and suffering quietly with his huge health issues. Every day he asks me how I am, I must reply "great" or he is disappointed. He also replys with "great" and his fist in the air. He says he must choose to be great every day and not to dwell on his health. Today he was transported to the hospital. His insurance has run out and he may soon have to move out because of lacking funds. But, he was still great today. I look at him often to remind myself how lucky I am and the choices I have in front of me constantly. Dwelling can be very hazardous to my health! Thanks for your inspirational post.
So glad you shared that with us suzie. I love it so simple, and that's exactly how i want to live my life too. Thanks for taking the time to type that out for us.
