Swing

Is there anything more precious than the innocent smile on the face of a child? Is there anyone more in love with life and thrilled with every new day than a child?

The photograph that accompanies this post should be a poster that everyone looks at every day—or any day that they are not feeling happy to be alive!

Certainly, life brings us both joy and pain—happiness and disappointment—gain and loss. The ups and downs of life are the training program for wisdom. The grace we gain from the learning that comes from every experience is a part of a life well-lived. Sure, we could isolate ourselves from other people, unknown places, challenging situations. And if we did that, life would be a stagnate “visit” to our time on earth. But, to rejoice in every opportunity and to learn from every victory and every defeat is to live life to the fullest and to “grab the golden ring” and experience life to the maximum.

What is it that draws people to a place of negativity, to dullness, to lethargy? Who knows. But, according to Dr. William James, renowned psychologist, one of the greatest discoveries of our time is that mankind has the power and ability to control how we process our experiences. We may not be able to control the events of life—but we can control how we respond to those events. He said, “Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.”

Learn. Grow. Nurture relationships. Love yourself and others. Maintain a commitment to joy. Joy is at the heart of your very being. If you have lost contact with your joy—dig deeply and find it again. One swing at a time. One smile at a time.

Smile. Swing.