"If You Think You're Lucky, Then You Are!"

My dad always said, “If you think you’re lucky, then you are!”  He truly believed that happiness and life satisfaction were based on perspective, not situation. 

I think about this on a daily basis and have always tried to emulate this attitude.  Dad wasn’t really what I would call a philosophical kind of person; he was just wise and practical enough to see that it’s easier to get along with a smile on your face than a chip on your shoulder.
 

But since Dad's diagnosis in October, I have learned that the glass isn’t really always half full … I think if I were viewing the glass as "half full" right now, it would only be because I was in full-blown denial of what has transpired.  I'm not a big fan of at leasts - but at least the glass isn't empty, and, with the legacy Dad has left behind, most notably the gift of perspective, I don't think it ever will be. 

I recently saw a story about a man who was fired from his job because his wife had cancer:
Click here for the story on ABC News

As in every controversial situation, I’m sure there is another side to this story, but, any way you slice it, it sucks that this guy is out of a job and his wife has cancer. 

Maybe things will turn around for them, or maybe not.  Either way, though, I know my dad would say that they should look for any at leasts they can find … in other words, as Dad would say, “It COULD be worse!”

Whether one sees the glass as half-full or half-empty, though, at times the contents of the cup are sloshed around so much that it’s tough to function.  

But as we try to remember recognize the at leasts to keep our perspective, we can hope for a better tomorrow, believe that we'll get it, and, in the meantime, be happy for what we are lucky enough to have, because, after all: "If you think you're lucky, then you are!"