Our Life--Results of Our Thoughts

 

I was in my favorite position, laying next to Shawn with my head cradled in his arm, watching Fringe last night.  (Love this show.  Great writers!  Sometimes I have to cover my eyes at particularly gory things, but the ideas, science, and elaborate plots are incredible.)


During the show one of the characters quotes Marcus Aurelius. 

"Our life is what our thoughts make it."

I had Shawn rewind the show so I could write it down.  It had me thinking all night.


On his trip last month, Shawn met a guy in the streets of Kosovo.  The guy had been handed down--through many generations, lastly his father to him--his profession and shoe shine kit.  The elaborately carved and beautifully organized shoe shine box was stocked with shoe shining necessities, and the box its self, was a work of art, ancient and beautiful.

As the boy shined Shawn's travel shoes to a state never seen before--nor I imagine ever seen again-- he talked about his profession that is his birthright.  He told of how he is envied by his brothers, and others because he has the right to claim this profession.  He was proud, honored, and extremely good at his job.  He spoke of it as an art form, and a privilege.  He prided himself in his work, and in his families good fortune.


I thought, as Shawn retold me this story,  about how this boy is able to make a living in his country, in his town, because of the careful practices and forethought of his predecessors.  He lives where jobs and opportunity do not abound, and where his life may never allow him the opportunity to see another country, nor surf the internet to understand all that the world holds.  Additionally I thought about how a son in the United States might feel about being handed down his father's and grandfather's profession.  Doesn't this quote--"our life is what our thoughts make it"--fit so perfectly with attitude? 

It made me wonder.  Are we sometimes not appreciative of the life, privileges, and gifts we have simply because we compare what we have to what we wished we had?  Or what others have?


Are we trapping ourselves in our lives by the thoughts we think?  Rather than freeing ourselves the same way?


Is our happiness a matter of controlling our thoughts? Or rather seeing all the positive and allowing our selves to focus on that aspect?


Further, like my father did when he determined he wanted to change his profession, is our life a matter of deciding who we truly are and then going about becoming that person?