Some of my favorite quotes are from Ralph Waldo Emerson. I stumbled upon this on the other day and it resonated with me. I spent so many years after my sister, Heidi Allen's, kidnapping angry. My anger primarily was of course that my sister was kidnapped and had to suffer the unimaginable but it was also at God.

I blamed God for her kidnapping and letting it happen. I could continue and list all the things that angered me but rather than focus on the past and all the minutes lost I'd like to focus on the latter. 

I think this is why Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote spoke to me. To think I spent more than a decade angry, it overwhelms me to think of the seconds of happiness I let escape me and those around me. I was curious so I looked up how many seconds I lost. One decade, ten years that is, has 315,532,800 seconds.

This is a lot of lost happiness BUT on the flip side, since restoring my faith, I've experienced 473,040,000 seconds of happiness. this doesn't mean I haven't had angry moments in life, instead, it means I've chose to make the most of life and not let anger get the best of me. If Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote isn't enough to inspire you then maybe the words of Solomon will encourage you.

I don't know about you but when the options are anger or happiness, striving for happiness and letting go of anger is going to be my choice. Earlier in the week I challenged you to live rather than exist, today I'll take you a step further. Choose happiness and joy over anger and negativity.

IAs the weather in Upstate New York transitions from days of sunshine and warmth to darker and colder days we have a choice. We can choose to hibernate and exist until Spring or we can dust off the winter boots and live. Life is full of choices and one of the most important, and sometime difficult choices, is the decision to put your feet on the floor in the morning. I choose to get out of bed!

What will you choose?

This morning I got up by 3:30 a.m. because the dogs wanted to go out. It was cold and rainy. The breeze awoken me to the degree of "not-going-back-to-sleep" and wanting a hot cup of coffee. Rather than tucking myself back into bed and laying awake until the alarm went up I chose to start the coffee and the day.

What is a girl to do so early in the day? I don't know about you but a hot shower and Hallmark movies was a great start. I recorded and published today's podcast by 4 a.m. and spent some quiet time resting and preparing for the day. It's not even 6 a.m. and I feel rested, recharged, and ready for the week.

Yesterday I started the day with a long list on the family white board and was on schedule to accomplish everything until I received a text, "I have a free afternoon and know you have the day off, want to spend some time together?" and a big smile instantly appeared on my face as I reply, "Of course". The list will ALWAYS be there and have items to cross off BUT time with those near and dear to me won't. We have a choice to make, we can choose to exist and go through the motions OR to live and savor each moment. 

I'm thankful for the afternoon and evening I had yesterday. It was a gift and inspired me more than crossing things off my list. The list is still there and guess what, the world didn't stop. I chose to live, not exist.

Living brings one joy and companionship. Life isn't lived alone but with others and offers each of us the opportunity to soar and excel in whatever we do. The time spent with family yesterday is invaluable and uplifting. The turkey dinner, delicious. The cookies tasted like the best cookies baked to date in my kitchen.

The memories and time spent with those closest to me yesterday will carry me through the week and weeks to come. To cross things off the list would have been accomplishment forgotten before today's sunrise. I chose to live, not exist. Will you?