My new life philosophy...

I'm in a rather philosophical mood today, and after a recent conversation with a friend I thought I'd put all my musings down on paper (or er... blog so to speak). This year I seem to have changed my outlook on life. Not consciously, but the way I've dealt with the trials and tribulations life has thrown at me recently have not been my usual 'oh my god the world is ending' dramatics. So, to ensure I maintain this out of character nirvana, here's my current philosophy on life...

• Everything happens for a reason. Even the bad things. Just because you don't know what the flip side of a seeming disaster is, doesn't mean it won't become apparent eventually.
• Negativity attracts negative people and situations, positivity attracts positive people and situations. All the bad things that have happened to me over the years have been self inflicted in a way. When something bad happened, I'd sink into a hole of self pity and sit and wait for the next bad thing to happen. Now, I get knocked down, I pick myself up, shrug, and go off looking for something better.
• Friends are everything. Make the effort with them and be there for them, because when you're in need they'll be there for you too. Friends will get you through any crisis you experience and if you neglect your friends when things are good, you'll be totally alone when things get bad.
• Life is short. Don't waste it on worrying about why things happen, and why they happen to you. Don't waste it on people not worthy of your attention, affection and thoughts. Instead, spend it on doing the things you love, with the people you love. When life throws you a challenge, think about how to over come it instead of why life is so unfair.
  

And just to re-enforce and illustrate my 'everything happens for a reason' theory, I got this on email last year and it stuck with me. Maybe this is what changed my outlook on life, but it definitely made me think, things are not always what they seem.

Two angels, one young, one old, were travelling and had to find a place to sleep. They came upon the home of a wealthy family. When they asked for lodging, the family is rude, and refuses to let them sleep in one of the many guest rooms. Instead, the angels are given a place to sleep on the cold basement floor. As they make their way to sleep, the older angel sees a hole in the wall, and repairs it. When the younger angel sees this, he asks "Why did you repair the hole when their hearts have been so unkind?" The older angel answers, "Because things are not always as they seem".

The next night, the angels go to the home of a very poor couple of farmers, who are very kind and hospitable. The couple insists that the angels sleep in their bed, where they can have a good night's rest. When the angels wake the next morning, they find the farmer & his wife in tears. Their cow, whose milk is their only source of income, is lying dead in the field. The young angel, now infuriated, asks the older angel how he could let this happen. The first couple was not kind, yet you helped them. This couple is very kind and giving, yet you let their only cow die. The older angel answered "Because things are not always as they seem."

With love and compassion, the older angel replies, "When we slept in the basement of the mansion, I looked into the hole in the wall, and saw bags of gold. Since the couple was obsessed with greed, and unwilling to share it, I sealed the hole in the wall so they couldn't find the gold. Then last night, as we slept in the farmer's bed, I saw the Angel of Death come to take the farmer's wife. I asked for mercy, and gave him the cow instead. Things are not always what they seem."