Whatever you put in your glass is what it will be filled with.
          Well, duh! That’s pretty obvious; however, I’m sure you can guess I’m speaking metaphorically. What I really mean is, whatever we bring into our lives, whatever we spend time and money on, whatever receives the best of our attention and efforts will be what our lives are filled with.
What does this mean?

          If the glass is only half full, that means there’s a lot more that you could be doing to enrich your life and to have it be more fulfilling. If it’s full but murky with ick, that means it needs to be poured out and refilled with the good stuff. If the glass is filled with brilliant ruby red essence but, over time, it turns pink through dilution of non-red stuff that means it’s time to find what is doing the dilution and get rid of it (being bored is a prime diluter of the goodness in life).

          I’m looking at this issue because, for me, it shows just how much of our happiness IS within our control. When we look outside ourselves and see the economy, the weather, our behaving badly friends, family, or neighbors, when we can’t get beyond our body shapes and sizes or the wrinkles on our faces, we can easily sink into frustration and not do anything to make life better.
It’s easy

          Hark! The joyous truth is upon us! I charge you with the power to make it sweet and satisfying and fun and rewarding and silly and memorable….all by yourself! Nothing is needed; you can do this without money, without a job or a fancy home, without all the answers to the cabillion questions you are plagued with daily. There’s a little tuft of fluffy white cloud with your name written on it, and it is up to you to step into that space and claim it for yourself. But how, you say, how can I have all that? I want the glass filled with the brilliant ruby red essence. But how?

          The way to get what you want is to make room for it. Get out of your own way and make the necessary space for the good stuff to arrive. Your glass may need to be emptied and refilled, the contents added to or enhanced with more essence.

          Sometimes what works for me is to remind myself that my time on this earth is limited – what am I going to spend my time doing today if I only have a small amount of time left. It’s not going to matter what I look like or how the stock market performed today?

My story

          On the day I was diagnosed with breast cancer 22 years ago I felt my life was imploding.  I was told my time on earth was much shorter than I originally planned. I did, however, get one outstandingly wonderful thing from that experience and that was an instantaneous recognition of what was important and where I wanted to spend my remaining time. I wanted to be with my family and friends, with my cat, my books and hopefully the ability to enjoy a nice glass of chardonnay. My life went immediately from being murky with ick to brilliant ruby red with meaning and joy.

          Don’t let a serious illness – or anything else — rob you of your full glass of whatever turns you on. Act now…time is limited. Take control of your happiness!

You may also enjoy:
     Want More Fun?  Show Me the Basket!

Contact Antonia at Antonia@TheJoyofAgingGratefully.com or