It’s New Year ’s Day. If I could figure out a way to make confetti fall as you read this, I would. It would be awesome, because it’s 2017. Three decades ago I was 17 years old. I’m having a difficult time wrapping my head around the fact 30 years have gone by.
Interesting facts from 1987:
1) The average price for a new car was $10,305;
2) 1 gallon of gas was 89 cents;
3) U.S. postage stamp was 24 cents;
4) A dozen eggs was 65 cents. Please, bring all that back.
According to the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1987, the top song of the year was “Walk Like an Egyptian” by The Bangles. I loved them.
Well, back to 2017 and back to reality – do you remember that song? I was afraid my new year would start out a little sad. A friend sent me this:
“There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend. He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?'
The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.
Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'"
This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.
Life Is A Gift. "Before you say an unkind word, think of someone who can't speak. Before you complain about the taste of your food, think of someone who has nothing to eat. Before you complain about your husband or wife, think of someone who's crying out to God for a companion.
Before you complain about life, think of someone who went too early to heaven. Before whining about the distance you drive, think of someone who walks the same distance. When you are tired and complain about your job, think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job. When depressing thoughts seem to get you down, put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around."
Always foster an attitude of gratitude. It will change your life.
Some people do spend too much time thinking about what we don’t have rather than cherishing what we do. Let’s strive not to be those people in 2017.
Standard reporter Lisa Hobbs can be reached at 473-2191.