Today's Lesson is Waiting For Me

From : The Promise of a New Day , Nov. 21:" Our experience in this life is a composite of many lessons-... which will ease our personal growth and offer us the opportunities necessary to encourage our unique contributions..... Those things we need to experience, to learn, to understand, will present themselves again and again until we have attended to them.... we must trust that our lives are unfolding in ways that will evoke our full potential, and that no challenge comes that earlier lessons haven't prepared us for".

Yesterday, a friend and I spoke about happiness. 'I'm not really happy, she said. I want to be happier..' That got me thinking. Sure, we want to enjoy our time here on earth, but is that why we are here? Is this a party place designed for us all to have fun? Or do I have some sort of higher purpose? I remember the film- 'I never promised you a rose garden'. In my day, we sometimes wondered if/when the fun would start, but we didn't take it as a given. Today, I think , the world believes that "happiness" is something we are all entitled to. But if we stop to think for a minute, we might even ask ourselves- why do I think that I'm entitled to have such a good time here? Why am I still looking for all that "good stuff"?

I learned that lesson a while back, when shopping for the "best, latest, most modern" electronic item. I'm the type who will do tons of research before buying anything, and since the internet hit my home, I've become an expert "shopper" of sorts. The problem is, that as soon as I purchase the item, be it an mp3, laptop, etc., there is another, newer, better, and probably cheaper model being advertised. I can never beat the system, if I can't learn to be satisfied with what I have chosen. My point is, this constant, lifelong quest for more, more, better, better, is somewhat off the mark. Because, at the bottom of it, is this hidden wish and desire, and even hope, that maybe THIS thing will finally make me happy, or satisfied with my life.

Recently someone shared with me their secret to happiness and satisfaction. "Every morning, I write down 10 things that I'd like my Higher Power's help with ; and every evening I mark down 10 things that he HAS helped me with that day".
To me, 10 sounded like a lot, and I thought that perhaps 3 things might be more my speed.
I did something similar not long ago; I started marking down 3 things every day that I am grateful for. And before long, I felt very different about my life. I kvetched (complained) less during the day, and appreciated things and people more.

In fact, if I had measured it on a happiness scale, I would have to say that at the end of the experiment (don't ask me why I stopped, as it's clear that it would be in my own best interests to continue this wonderful practice) I would have rated myself as being much happier and more satisfied overall with my life.
Why does this work?
Perhaps the recognition of all that is going well in my life, and of all Hashem's (G-d's) gifts and kindnesses to me is enough to "bring on" the happiness; Perhaps seeing that I am loved by my HP does it; Perhaps realizing that He is involved in my daily "trudge" is the secret; Perhaps seeing how I am actually getting through the daily trials, and how He is helping me to do this is the answer;
Perhaps it is all of the above. I'm not sure it really matters. The point is, that it works.

Back to the message of today's meditation; Since life is full of lessons for me, and they will keep knocking at my door until I "get" them, I would do well to handle what comes my way immediately, and not try to hide from it until its next "visit". If I have real trust in my Higher Power, I will believe that He is sending whatever it is, at a time when I have already learned from earlier trials, and am well prepared to deal with it. I know it's a pretty high level for someone to be able to look at life's challenges and say- okay, here is another spiritual opportunity for growth, and I'm supposed to learn and grow from this- instead of saying, oh, shucks, not again, or why this, or why me? --- but I am working on getting there.
I remember that old saying from my youth- "Hashem, please remind me that nothing will happen to me today that you and I can't handle together" , and this helps me to accept whatever comes, because I know that it's all happening for a reason (my own growth) and that , no matter how difficult, I never have to handle it alone.