This iReport is part of an assignment:
Same-sex marriage hearings: Your thoughts
About this iReport
- Posted January 20, 2013 by
- eyebrows2012 Follow
Location
Chengdu, China
Chengdu, China
Assignment
 |
More from eyebrows2012
More iReports you should see
Everyday is the first day of the rest of my life!
I strongly believe that learning to give thanks is an empowering practice. It enables us to think of and appreciate the positive aspects of our lives. As I sat thinking about what I could thank for on Thanksgiving, I almost felt despondent. That was when I thought of the results or outcome of my life: away from loved ones, far from being wealthy, and a long way from success.
Living in today’s world can be rather wearisome at times, especially when our society is so result or outcome oriented. If we don’t produce good academic results, our folks will be disappointed and we too may feel disappointed because we let our loved ones down. If we don’t produce the results at work, our boss will get disappointed and we will feel inferior. In relationships, the outcome may not be what we dreamed of when we first started out, the relationship may turn cold and we may feel disillusioned.
Come to think of it, who dictates what kind of results and outcomes should bring real happiness? What should be the measuring stick to determine the results or outcome that is worth celebrating? Speaking of celebration, I am thinking about what humans celebrate on an ordinary day.
We love to celebrate with friends and family when a baby is born. A new member is added to the family. The baby embodies new life. We also celebrate birthdays with friends and family. Why do we do that? We are just happy to have lived and continue to wish for a better life ahead. Birthdays are just celebrations of the continuation of life.
It seems that we love to celebrate new life and the continuation of life no matter what the results or outcome of our life then. But on ordinary days, we lose that perspective of life. Our obsession with results and outcomes ruin our day。
I remember the day when we received our senior high school exams results. I didn’t really work hard and when one of my classmates saw my results, she was visibly upset. She received a grade C for Further Maths and I got an E (borderline pass). She yelled at me and remarked, ”How could you get an E when you didn’t study much and I get a C after working so hard?” Obviously, she felt that she should have gotten an A or I should have gotten an F. Life is like that. If our satisfaction comes from comparing our results with others, there’s nothing much to celebrate. If there is, then it is so shallow.
Let’s go back to the newborn baby and birthdays. Was I famous when I was born? They celebrated anyway. Had I become a Big Shot? They celebrated my birthday anyway. Life alone is worth celebrating. Therefore, I should be thankful for each day as long as I live. For each new day means a new beginning; each new day is the beginning of the rest of my life. No matter what had happened the day before, I will not let it rob me of the joy of having a brand new day. No matter how difficult the day ahead may be, I will go through it thankfully and happily. If I can give thanks for each new day regardless what had happened or may happen, this life can really be fun and exciting.
I will celebrate each new day when I awake. I will be thankful for the brand new day. This is the right attitude to life and the true power to continue this brief journey.
(Bible - Psalms 118:24 "This is the day that the Lord has made. We shall rejoice and be glad in it.")
Living in today’s world can be rather wearisome at times, especially when our society is so result or outcome oriented. If we don’t produce good academic results, our folks will be disappointed and we too may feel disappointed because we let our loved ones down. If we don’t produce the results at work, our boss will get disappointed and we will feel inferior. In relationships, the outcome may not be what we dreamed of when we first started out, the relationship may turn cold and we may feel disillusioned.
Come to think of it, who dictates what kind of results and outcomes should bring real happiness? What should be the measuring stick to determine the results or outcome that is worth celebrating? Speaking of celebration, I am thinking about what humans celebrate on an ordinary day.
We love to celebrate with friends and family when a baby is born. A new member is added to the family. The baby embodies new life. We also celebrate birthdays with friends and family. Why do we do that? We are just happy to have lived and continue to wish for a better life ahead. Birthdays are just celebrations of the continuation of life.
It seems that we love to celebrate new life and the continuation of life no matter what the results or outcome of our life then. But on ordinary days, we lose that perspective of life. Our obsession with results and outcomes ruin our day。
I remember the day when we received our senior high school exams results. I didn’t really work hard and when one of my classmates saw my results, she was visibly upset. She received a grade C for Further Maths and I got an E (borderline pass). She yelled at me and remarked, ”How could you get an E when you didn’t study much and I get a C after working so hard?” Obviously, she felt that she should have gotten an A or I should have gotten an F. Life is like that. If our satisfaction comes from comparing our results with others, there’s nothing much to celebrate. If there is, then it is so shallow.
Let’s go back to the newborn baby and birthdays. Was I famous when I was born? They celebrated anyway. Had I become a Big Shot? They celebrated my birthday anyway. Life alone is worth celebrating. Therefore, I should be thankful for each day as long as I live. For each new day means a new beginning; each new day is the beginning of the rest of my life. No matter what had happened the day before, I will not let it rob me of the joy of having a brand new day. No matter how difficult the day ahead may be, I will go through it thankfully and happily. If I can give thanks for each new day regardless what had happened or may happen, this life can really be fun and exciting.
I will celebrate each new day when I awake. I will be thankful for the brand new day. This is the right attitude to life and the true power to continue this brief journey.
(Bible - Psalms 118:24 "This is the day that the Lord has made. We shall rejoice and be glad in it.")
- TAGS:
- GROUPS:
What do you think of this story?
Select one of the options below. Your feedback will help tell CNN producers what to do with this iReport. If you'd like, you can explain your choice in the comments below.
Be and editor! Choose an option below:
More from this assignment - Same-sex marriage hearings: Your thoughts
iReport welcomes a lively discussion, so comments on iReports are not pre-screened before they post. See the iReport community guidelines for details about content that is not welcome on iReport.
© 2013 Cable News Network. 
Comments