Something to Think About

I've been doing some thinking lately.  After reading the opinion column with which the above video was paired, I was strangely affected - almost in an epiphany-type way.  Whenever tragedy strikes, whether it's on a personal, community, national or international level, those affected have a tough time making sense of how to deal with its effect on their life.  While this struggle is part of the grieving and acceptance process, I think LZ Granderson makes a great point in his column..  He says that while grieving is important, it's just as important to think about what you can learn from the tragedy.  In the case of 9/11, he says the lesson could be not to take anything for granted - your loved ones, your freedom, and quite simply, your life.  You never know when it will all come to an abrupt halt, so it's important to relish the things that make you who you are today. In short, count your blessings.  In the video, Granderson said something that immediately struck me as not only a stroke a genius, but also, quite simply, beautiful:

Happiness is wanting what you have, not always getting what you want.

Think about it.

I know it's probably pretty easy for me to write this, given my gross lack of experience in dealing with tragedy and maybe I'll feel differently should I ever have to follow my own advice.  But, for now, the eternal optimist in me thinks this makes a ton of sense...