Problems of My Own

Happy April! Did anyone get you on April Fool's Day (April 1)? My husband was pretty good at "Fooling" me and I got him really good one year. Now, my oldest son has stepped into the role of Fooler and I fell for it again. Oh, well, I guess it's ok to be gullible one day out of the year. 

And now, a reminder of this week's Seed ...

"For a change, briefly, 

think about all the problems

you don't have,

and be grateful."

There's a proposition out there that if a group of people threw all their problems into a pile in the middle of a room and each person was told to pick out whichever problem they wanted from the heap, no one would go in and get someone else's. The idea is that if you start looking around at other people's troubles, you might be happier dealing with your own. As the saying goes, Better the devil you know than the one you don't know.

Having problems is no fun, however if we analyze them, we can sometimes see how we might have brought them on with our own actions or attitudes. This is good news because it means we stand a chance at changing the circumstances and improving the situation. 

Looking at someone else's woes isn't about feeling better about ourselves at their expense. It's about gaining perspective on what we see as issues in our own lives. Many times I've listened to others tell their sad tales and usually I feel compassion and a great relief that those aren't my problems.

Instead of dwelling on everything that's not quite right in our lives, let's remind ourselves that many others are much worse off. We can send them a prayer, a blessing, and then, count our own -- this is what I wish for you. 

Sparkles and Love,