'Laugh when you can'

Here's a quote attributed to "Anonymous" that I saw online recently:

"Laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can't change. Life's too short to be anything ... but happy."

I like that. Part of it reminds me of the Serenity Prayer (letting go of what we can't change). At the same time we know that while remaining positive and happy is healthier for us, we can't be happy every minute of every day. There are times when it's appropriate to be sad. Someone we dearly love has just died. We just got an awful medical diagnosis.

Still, this is good advice for those times when we really are able to choose between feeling gratitude and joy—or being sad and fearful. And there are plenty of times when we can make a choice. As we've said before in these blogs, focusing our sights on gratitude and joy helps us see the blessings that are always right around us—those we miss if we're all tied in knots of anxiety and sadness. Don't misunderstand me; I don't mean you should put on a happy face when your world is falling apart. It's important to be real and authentic, too.

And laughter? We have all heard about the positive effects of laughter in our lives. "Laugh when you can" seems like sound advice. Apologies? Yes, we want to keep our relationships clean and clear. Apologies and forgiveness are important elements toward that end.

"Anonymous" just might have given me another inspirational quote to post on my mirror.