Today’s Brilliance from Timothy Carroll

How wonderful it is to wake up to another fresh day – every day. It is easy to take this simple daily gift for granted isn’t it? One of the most positive people I encountered was a lady named Elizabeth. When I last met her she had almost run out of days. She was actually lying on her deathbed on the day before she died.

Elizabeth was resigned to her fate but beautifully at peace with the world in a helpful state of mind that could only be described as happiness. She had let the cares of her world fall away. She was calmly trying to help others understand her disease by assisting in its research – knowing that she was doomed herself. This is something other than bravery – which tends to ignore the threat of danger. It is an open and fearless acceptance of whatever will be.

However we may treasure them, not all our days are equal. Some of them can be clouded by stress, poor health, difficult relationships, drudgery, chores – even bad weather. The mind-trick is to see these influences simply as stepping stones on a pathway to the greater joy of living, giving and receiving.

In so harnessing the power of a positive mental attitude life can sweep us along on a consuming tide of enthusiasm that feels capable of overcoming all obstacles. It also exudes an infectious aura that is attractive to others. Is it magical or simply magnetic? It may even be delusional but it enhances the experience of living not only for those who are empowered but also those around them.

It has been observed that despite our frequent wish for things to be better we would have no concept of how good they were if we were unable to contrast and compare them with the opposite. How would we know black without there being white? How could we know good without knowing bad?

We can improve our days by both loving ourselves and by truly loving another. When we consider the kind of person whom we might love and who might love us we rarely seek a mirror image.

Love can be an illusory process. The common traits in another that we believe will be compatible can sometimes transpire to bore, irritate and even annoy us over time. Yet extreme opposites may only work well for a while too. Opposites can be exiting and different. It is reminiscent of the thrill of a roller coaster ride – but how many times will a person choose to repeat the ride?

Falling in love and remaining in love are connected but different experiences. One can be a temporary self-deception based more on passionate wish-fulfillment. The other permanently raises the importance of another person above one’s own. Those who remain in love are usually people who are both loving and lovable.

We can strive to be such people. The power of love will strengthen our resolve and our positive influence on our own lives and the lives of others. So, like Elizabeth, let us make the most of all our days for as long as we can count them.