Choose Joy

I have a neighbor who just turned 80 last month. She has known me for the majority of my life and from time to time we'll stand outside and have a little chat. Well today, we started talking a bit about life which I love to hear, especially from elders, and she made some good points. She mentioned how most of the memories that are held closest to the forefront of her recollection are of happy moments in her life. We of course have painful times in life too, and she mentioned that if she so chose, she could sit and harbor on those times and bring more of the memories back with it, but she chooses not to hold on to pain. She expressed how it's good to learn from all of life's experiences but sitting in hurt does no one any good. Similarly, she acknowledged that she has made mistakes in her life, because she of course is human like the rest of us, but she chooses to apologize to those she hurt, forgive herself, and keep living! This was such a sweet reminder to me to accept myself as I am, learn from the past but let it go, and honestly to also not hold others' offenses towards me with such a weight as to bring myself down. Also her nugget of wisdom... if you notice someone moving a little "funny" early on, keep it pushing! All in all, live life with compassion and surround yourself with goodness. She was so encouraging of living life with a fullness and I hope our chat today will be one of my good memories I can always remember, even when I'm 80. 😊