How to lead a charmed life

I lead a charmed life. Impossible, you say? Well, it is possible. Not because we have more money than we need or because our cars don't break down. Not because our house never needs repair or we have no debts. Not because my toddler never has a tantrum or my husband never forgets my favorite flower. The reverse of those statements and more are all true but each day I wake up and choose to live in the moment and be thankful for all the good that is in my life. 

It's really easy to go through your day comparing everything to the perfect life that you want to have playing simultaneously in your head. Nothing will ever live up to that fairy tale and you'll feel disappointed all the time. You imagine the perfect Mother's Day. Breakfast in bed, smiling children, flowers from your husband. They wait on you hand and foot all day, telling you how glad they are to have you in their lives and what a spectacular job you do each and every day. But it doesn't happen like that and you inwardly grumble at the scrambled eggs with a shell in it, eating at the dining room table instead of bed. The kitchen's a mess and you just know you'll have to clean it up. The kids are fighting and you just want some quiet. 

By comparing everything to that perfect day you had in mind (which you didn't mention to anyone, by the way so how are they to know what you wanted?), you missed that your kids helped dad with the eggs, hence the shells. You also missed the smile your husband tried to give you across the table where he sat so overwhelmed with joy with you and the kids. That they're a perfect combination of the two of you and he loves every aspect of them. And the kids are fighting because they both wanted to sit next to you. 

No one's life is perfect. No one is immune from having crappy things happen to them in life. But you have control over your reaction to them. What is your focus? Is your focus on the problem, the mess, the debt, your unfulfilled expectations? Or can you put that aside and find something you can be thankful for? When you focus on something, it becomes larger and clearer while things in the periphery become smaller and more inconsequential. 

It's a reaction you have to chose every day, sometimes multiple times a day. But making that choice will enable you lead a charmed life.