You've Had a Wonderful Life...

Listen to me, this is REALLY important.... Are you ready?  Ok, here goes...We are ALL George Bailey!  What's that you say, John?  Has the bar opened a little earlier than usual?  Nope, afraid not.  Just stating a clear and honest truth.  All of us, no matter what our upbringing, no matter what our personal experiences, we've all had a wonderful life.  Some of you will nod "yes" and close out this blog.  See you next time.  Now, for the rest of you that think I'm full of an excessive amount of shit, I'm willing to go to the mats on this one. 

Now, I'll admit, comparatively speaking my life has been pretty ok these past 49 years.  Sure, I've been divorced, had some financial troubles, some emotional set backs, as well as family drama, whatever.  Yes, I've even considered suicide on two separate occasions in my life.  Blah, blah, blah.  But it's also true I've never experienced the death of a loved one, never personally experienced a violent act of aggression against me.  But I do have my share of emotional baggage, some of it carry on, some of it I checked at the counter.  But you know what?  I've survived all that bullshit.  And you know something else?  If you're reading this, you've survived YOUR bullshit as well.  You've overcome.  You've persevered.  Whether you think so or not, there's a part of you, that survivor, that overcame ALL that garbage that nearly destroyed you. And look who you have become?  This amazing, wonderful, inspirational person that we love, respect and admire.  More so than you could POSSIBLY imagine. 

This is probably the part where I lose all you cynics. I imagine many of you are choking on the "wonderful, inspirational..." part but whether you believe it or not, you are all those things and more.  Many people have come before you, have been faced with the same hardships you've faced and gave up.  They're gone.  They packed it in.  But not you!  You survived.  Something inside you said "NOT today".  That's why you're here now, reading this.  That alone is enough to earn my respect and admiration.  You may not feel like a hero but you are.  For all those who survived hardships in life, you've inspired others to endure theirs.  Remember the line from the movie?  "Harry didn't save the men on that transport because you weren't there to save Harry."  If you weren't here now, how would others be inspired to endure the hardships of life as you have? 

So, whether you believe it or not, you've had a wonderful life.  Your ability to survive and grow from life's experiences has cleared a path for the rest of us to follow.  Your spirit and your strength feeds the rest of us on our journey through life.  My love, thanks and admiration are yours, always...