In today’s post to his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, Pastor Freed used this quote from Elvis Presley – “Every time I think that I’m getting old and gradually going to the grave, something else happens.” Jack went on to writer that Presley died at the relatively young age of 42. Jack also repeated the oft-heard phrase that “you’re as old as you feel”.
It is an interesting phenomenon that the mind does not sense age. In my mind, I don’t feel any difference between how I felt as a younger man; however, my body provides many cues to my physical age that my mind cannot completely ignore. There are limitations that weren’t there a few years ago, as well as aches and pains that seem to linger. The good news is that Presley was right, something new is always happening to keep life interesting.
American Country singer and songwriter Lee Ann Womack has a great quote about this – “I hope you never lose your sense of wonder. You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger. May you never take one single breath for granted. God forbid love ever leave you empty handed.”
It seems to me that the ability to maintain a sense of wonder and gratitude about each day of your life is a key to a long life. Being thankful to God for each day and approaching each new day with a sense of anticipation that something wonderful is going to happen puts one in the right frame of mind to enjoy each day.
Sometimes the “something wonderful” is obvious when it happens – an unexpected encounter or the happenstance of good fortune – but most of the time you have to look for it. If you start each day with the goal of finding that “something wonderful”, you will find it. It may be something that you “see” every day, but which you never noticed before. It may be in the rekindling of an old friendship or perhaps reinvigorating the love of a partner that you had started taking for granted. It can be an extremely small thing or something big. The key is that you recognize it, appreciate it and maybe even savor it. You can go to bed tonight with memories that something happened today and anticipation that something else will happen tomorrow. Make sure that you take the time to thank God for both.
In addition to anticipating that something wonderful to happen to or for you today, you should also start out each day with the goal in mind to make something wonderful happen for someone else today. It is easy to be the unexpected and pleasant surprise in someone’s day by just saying hello with a smile to people that you meet. Any of the gestures of kindness, concern or empathy that you extend to others today may be the “Something wonderful” in their day (and in yours if you really think about it). A side benefit of your acts of kindness is that feeling good about things means that you don’t have time to feel old.
So, start today by thanking God for another day and for another opportunity for something wonderful to happen in your life and for your to be the “something wonderful” in the life of someone else. Then go out and find that something wonderful. Look for it. You’ll never grow tired or old, if you keep looking for God’s wonder in your life and keep being the something wonderful in the lives of others.
Have a great and wonderful day!
NormsMilfordBlog 
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