147 – May 27
“A government that always robs Peter to pay Paul will always have the support of Paul.”—George Gershwin
One morning, I got up early and went to a networking breakfast. The sun was shining, business was good, and the people at the meeting were fun. I was in a great mood as I sat down with my plate full of bagels, eggs, fruit and cereal. The gentleman who sat next to me, though, was clearly not in the same frame of mind.
“I can’t believe how much money I have to pay in taxes,” he complained. “I had to write such a big check to the IRS this week, it’s obscene. And what the government does with the money is even worse! I can’t stand the fact that I’m paying for the industrial military complex, the stupid politicians, the no-good people who aren’t working but collecting welfare…” On and on he railed.
Oh, no! I had inadvertently sat next to one of the “Ain’t It Awful” people. I put up my mental shield so that I wouldn’t take in the negative energy, and waited for him to wind down a little. I could tell he was upset and needed to vent, so saying anything but “Hmm” was useless at the moment. Until he was done, he wasn’t going to be able to hear anything I said.
Finally, he seemed about finished with his list of government entities that shouldn’t get his money, so I looked up at him, smiled and said, “Oh, none of my money goes there.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, scowling.
“Well, my tax money goes to all the good things, like the libraries and the schools. It fixes the roads, pays for policemen to keep me safe and firemen to rescue me if I need it. It goes to pay for the space program, which I really like, and to the relief organizations to feed the poor and starving. It goes to the welfare recipients who really need some assistance briefly and then go back to leading productive lives. I like how the government helps people with my money.”
“But you don’t know your money goes there!” he argued.
“You don’t know your money goes to those other things either,” I replied. “But I’m happy and you’re not.”
He stared at me and I smiled. Then we both started laughing and had a lovely breakfast after that.
Maintain your positive outlook in the face of other’s negativity and you will stay happy. Who knows? They may decide to join you!
Today’s Affirmation:
“I choose beliefs that make me happy.”
I divide the world into three groups: Dolphins (glad), Sharks (bad), and Tuna (sad or mad). A friend forwarded me a fabulous take one of her friends wrote on this subject:
Are you a shark, a dolphin, or a tuna?
What a great question… After way too much thought I have concluded that I am none of the above.
I am a LOBSTER
I am protected by a hard shell on the outside, but am really soft on the inside. And what is inside me is highly valued by humanity.
In order to grow, i periodically shed my hard exterior, allowing me to become vulnerable from time to time.
I am expensive.
I am resilient.
I am a fighter.
I am a seductress.
When I want someone or something, I am determined and I go after it.
When i make love I am tender, and become vulnerable and unguarded, and allow my mate to see what is beneath my hardened exterior.
I do not slow down or weaken with age, but improve.
I am a loner, but when I am in groups I show hierarchy and dominance.
I move slowly and thoughtfully through life, but have the skills to artfully retreat when threatened.
I am not the most intellectual, but am clever when I need to be, and have been known to get myself out of sticky situations.
My core is perfectly balanced and symmetrical except for the part of me that is my deadly defensive mechanism, (my claws).
I love that! Can you think of another sea creature that perfectly describes you?
