Guest Author - Cathy Brownfield
Is the cup half empty or half full? Attitude has something to do with our outlook on life. My children frequently used to say, “I had a bad day today.” And that little gem annoyed me then and still today. One little episode can ruin the entire day?! There are 24 hours in a day, and one 30-second incident is enough to ruin the other 86,370 seconds of the day?
Attitude means a lot.
When I was a child, I remember my mother telling me, “When I wake up in the morning. The first thought I have is, ‘OK, Lord, what wonderful things are going to happen to me today?’” I guess I must have said something about too many bad things happening. I have found Mom’s words of wisdom to ring true. Attitude can do a lot, including building your life philosophy.
There she goes. Life philosophy. Sounds like a religious lecture coming on.
A decade ago I was looking for something. My life was constantly filled with demands. I wanted to scream, “STOP! Let me get off of this merry-go-round! I don’t want to do this any more!”
I looked at the realities. How was I going to handle so much stress? How was I going to simplify my life? I was in my early forties, burned out and needing to overhaul my life philosophy. Basically, I didn’t have one of those. I was on autopilot, my emotions shut down because there wasn’t time enough to experience emotions. I was too busy doing what I thought I had to do.
I needed balance in my life. I began exploring yoga. I had never considered it before because others had always defined it as a mystic religion and unacceptable to the religion with which I’d grown up. I was surprised to read that yoga is compatible with all religions. Yoga is not a religion, but a life philosophy. Yoga brings mind, body and soul into balance. And I have to tell you how great I feel after a yoga workout, which really isn’t a workout at all, but stretches and positions that enhance well-being.
The most wondrous thing for me was that at the end of my workout, I was in touch with my inner self. I could feel. I could relate to my faith again. And I began to rebuild my relationship with God—my personal life philosophy that gives me hope and joy and love…a positive attitude. Yep. There’s that word again: attitude.
So, are the golden years golden? I guess that depends on your attitude.
