Cheers to Life – Few Short Stories……

FALL & RISE: Today, when I slipped on the wet tile floor a boy in a wheelchair caught me before I slammed my head on the ground. He said, ‘Believe it or not, that’s almost exactly how I injured my back 3 years ago and there was no one to help me.

LOOKING BACK: Today, I interviewed my grandmother for part of a research paper I am working on for my Psychology class. When I asked her to define success in her own words, she said, ‘Success is when you look back at your life and the memories make you smile’.

TRY AND YOU SHALL KNOW: I am blind by birth. When I was 8 years old, I wanted to play baseball.  I asked my father, ‘Dad can I play baseball?’ He said, ‘You’ll never know until you try.’  When I was a teenager, I asked him, ‘Dad can I become a surgeon?’ He replied, ‘Son, you’ll never know until you try.’  Today I am a Surgeon, just because I tried.

GOODNESS & GRATITUDE: Today, after a 72 hour shift at the fire station, a woman ran up to me at the grocery store and gave me a hug. When I tensed up, she realized I did not recognize her.  She let go with tears of joy in her eyes and the sincerest smile and said, ‘On 9.11.2001, you carried me out of World Trade Center.

AFFECTION: Today, I kissed my dad on the forehead as he passed away in a small hospital bed. After about 5 seconds after he had passed away, I realized it was the first time I had given him a kiss since I was a little boy. I had lost the opportunity to hug and love him a long time back.

SHARING: Today, I was traveling in Kenya and I met a refugee from Zimbabwe. He said he had not eaten anything in over 3 days and looked extremely skinny and unhealthy. Then my friend offered him the rest of the sandwich he was eating.  The first thing the man said was, ‘We can share it.’

THE POWER OF UNIQUENESS: Today, I asked my mentor, a very successful businessman in his 70’s, what his top three tips are for success. He smiled and said, ‘1. Read something no one else is reading.  2. Think something no one else is thinking. and 3.  Do something no one else is doing.

These were all people who took up life’s challenges bravely and faced them no matter what in a cheerful manner.  Live simply, Live abundantly and Live in the moment.  A Big Cheers to Life.