Happy 2009!

I don't know about you, but I get a lot of emails forwarded to me by friends. Some are jokes or stories or warnings; some are true, half true, or downright false. Before forwarding stories on, I try to verify the truth of them with a site like www.snopes.com or www.truthorfiction.com so that I do not perpetuate some of the urban legends that are out there. It's amazing; some rumors seem to have a life of their own, circulating again and again with various permutations, even though they are easily proven false with a minimum of effort. We want to believe that Bill Gates or Disney or some other corporation/wealthy person is going to give us money just for forwarding an email, or that sending that email on to seven of our closest friends will cause something cool to happen on our computers.

The kind of email I am most likely to forward on is something humorous or encouraging. It's hard to resist sharing something that makes me chuckle or touches me in some way. Someone forwarded a list of  tips for a better life to me recently, and I liked it so much I thought I'd share my own variation on it here.

25 TIPS FOR A BETTER LIFE - 2009

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile.  It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2.  Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.
3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, "My purpose is to __________ today."
4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and less that is manufactured in plants.
5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, and almonds.
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive, present moment.
8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 
11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
12. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'What will this matter in the light of eternity?'
17. Forgive everyone for everything. Forgiveness is for your sake and peace, not theirs.
18. What other people think of you is none of your business.
19. GOD heals everything.
20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: "I am thankful for ______________. Today I accomplished _____________. "
24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
25. Never forget to say "I love you" every day.

What strikes me about so many of those tips is that they call us to change our perspective. It is amazing what a difference it makes when we can look at things from a different angle. Taking a walk, sitting in silence, forgiving; recognizing our blessings—those are all ways of gaining a different view of life, of letting go of stress. How different would our lives be if we could do that on a regular basis?

We pray that 2009 will be a year of new vision, new perspective, and new blessings for you and yours. Whatever went on in 2008, we have a fresh new year starting. Happy 2009!

January 2009