114

It’s funny how many things I’ve learned in life that if truth be told, I knew in the first place.  But there’s a difference between knowing something and having it filter down from your brain to your heart.  There always seems to be a fake it till you make it component to every great endeavor I have.  That time when I know something but I’m not fully subscribing to it yet. 

There are things I knew as a child that I was years ahead of my friends because I simply believed what my brain told me.  My heart hadn’t learned to be cautious yet.  Therefore if an adult told me something, I believed them, even in my heart.    All the way down to defending Santa Claus tooth and nail.  Comical yes, but probably not all that shocking to those of you who know me well.

So I sit here tonight and ponder the advice of a 114 year old woman.  One of her secrets was simply to never speak ill of anyone and to never gossip.  I’m not a gossipy person at heart, but my concern for people does cause me to say things, maybe even in their defense that I probably shouldn’t say to another person.  And yes, that does qualify as gossip. And even if it doesn’t qualify in the strictest sense, it still gets you in similar situations.  The 114 year old matriarch wouldn’t even be critical of a boring sermon in church.  If someone complained about something about a service, she would just respond  “Well, it was in the Bible”.

I wouldn’t even begin to pretend that I have that kind of inner peace.  Imagine what kind of inner dialogue you must have to not ever be outwardly critical. 

What kills me about this woman is that she volunteered in one of the hardest capacities that I can imagine.  She checked in on children with poor school attendance in impoverished rural areas.   Imagine doing that job without being critical. 

Part of me is critical because I believe it helps me to understand what is happening and how to fix it.  It’s my way of assessing things and creating a blueprint on how to attack it.  I just can’t believe that never  speaking ill of others is a matter of self control – meaning not saying what you are thinking.  It has to be a matter of training your brain to think positively and look for what is right with a situation.

Doing the things that I know to be right seems almost too simple to be helpful, but in the end, it has always been this way for me.  I just have to get my brain aligned with the new way of thinking.  And it always is that easy.  Want to lose weight?  Eat less and do more.  Want to save money, be aware of how you spend your money so that you don’t over spend.  Don’t buy things you don’t need.  Make sure you enjoy the money that you do spend.

Want to be happier?  Think happier thoughts.  Put happier thoughts out there into the world.   Not like this is a shocker.  I know these things.  I do know it in my head.  It’s just working its way into my heart. 

Then again, I’m 37.  If I live to be 114, I think all the imperfections of my youth will be forgiven.  J