The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

Today Is The Best Day

by Dessa Rodeffer, Quill Publisher/Owner

May 13, 2009

If you haven't made a change in your life for the better, today is the best day.

If you have been meaning to grab hold of what quality of life is left and make it count for something, why not do it today.

"It's too late," you say. Well, it's never too late unless you are just full of a million excuses.

It reminds me of a man in his 40's who had always complained that his father never sent him to college, and therefore he could never do well in a job. "It was Dad's fault!" he would say.

Yet, this man had been out of the house since he was 18 making all his own decisions of where he went and didn't go. He could have taken night classes, correspondent courses or taken many opportunities to help himself, but he chose to blame dad. Lots of money was spent on all the wrong women, on alcohol and gambling, fancy clothes and nice sport cars which he wrecked, yet it was dad's fault for his lack of success for not sending him to college.

Think how different his life would have been if only he had taken his negative energy and the chip on his should and found a job and found how he could climb the ladder of success by educating himself in every way he could.

If he needed a diploma to advance, he could have sought help to obtain it. I think the movie "The Pursuit of Happiness" would certainly show those who feel like it's someone else's fault, just what power one possesses to make their life better.

Blaming parents, siblings, spouses, your boss, your coach or teacher is only telling yourself that you have no responsibility for your life. But once we step into the adult world, we certainly do. Stop looking backwards, stop blaming others, and start thinking about what you can do to improve the quality of life around you. Hopefully, the memory book you start making will not be full of excuses, but will be full of how you made each day a better one.

There are some who always watch the neighbors and complain. It could be about the single mom's unkept yard who lives next door or the fact that her children were always getting into things or throwing balls in her yard.

I know from experience that being a mom is very difficult but especially being a single mom when you have to work as well. It is wonderful to have a neighbor that doesn't watch, but actually lends a helping hand. I know one girl that told me her neighbor mowed her yard as she worked two jobs to make ends meet and it was getting taller than what most be would say is acceptable. And then a mom told me that her good neighbor often comes over and takes her children for an ice cream cone, or on a ride, or just invited them over to play a game, or for a visit.

I remember Thor Martin in Stronghurst would help out the Pre-School/Day Care directors after they opened with building projects. He could have been a neighbor that complained about the children's noise but instead he offered his help.

If you are thinking you have an overwhelming problem that is ruining your life or just annoys you to death, why not take time today to turn it into a positive in some way.

If you can't do that, maybe today is a good day to move on to a new location where you can make life better.

Life is just too short to not be able to bloom where you are planted, or to smell the roses. Sometimes to do it, you have to move out of the shadows of doubt and blame, so you can move into the light that is ahead.