A fellow by the name of James published the following on the internet. My practice is to not copy from the internet, but this was very on topic for me, so here is his comment.
“When was the last time you noticed a yellow car on the road? I know it seems like a strange question. Did you know it’s the second least popular car colour in the US? With just 0.2 per cent of cars in the US registered as yellow. Obviously, white, black, and silver are the most popular car colours and you might drive a car in that colour or you’re almost sure to see one in those colours whenever you go out for a drive.
“Why am I bringing up yellow cars?
‘If you tell your mind to look out for yellow cars, you’re bound to see one sooner or later – they are pretty rare – but they’re there. If you choose to focus and look for them.
That’s a lot like life. If we’re focused on the sadness, the challenges, and the troubles in our life. That’s what we’ll find. Because that’s what we’re focused on. If instead, we’re thinking about our happiness, opportunities, and good things in our lives, that’s also what we find. Because that’s what we’re focused on. By changing what we think about and what we focus on we change the direction of our life.
“Think about it.
“Could you drive your car if all you did was focus on your rear-view mirror? How could you really move forward? It’s the same way with life, what we’re thinking about and looking forward to, that’s the direction our life will go.
“Too bad too many people are thinking about the past – stuck looking at what is behind them instead of what is in front of them. I hope that you are looking forward to all the bright and beautiful possibilities your life has in store. Just look out for those beautiful things – they’re rare like yellow cars, but if you focus and look hard enough… they’re always there.”
My community has a fellow who recently purchased a yellow car. He just happens to be someone who I would call the happiest and most upbeat person in our community – always a smile on his face.
I read this column to my wife while we were driving to the hospital for more tests for my cancer and other ailments. She said, “yes, you should be more like him.”
My answer to her was that I feel that I am like him. She then replied, “you can be, but you are so wrapped up reading about your health issues on the internet, looking for problems you don’t have.”
She was correct. I do look through the rear-view mirror. I must resolve to look ahead – positively not negatively – and see the positive side of life because that is where I am. Sure, I wish that I could play golf, work hard in my garden, and do many things that I did when I was younger but those times have passed. That’s life.
But, I realize that I am 83 years old, have a perfect wife, great friends, and neighbours, and live in a wonderful house bordering the eighteenth hole of our golf course. Life is good and I must learn to enjoy it every day.
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Bob Murray is retired from the graphic communication (printing) industry and has been living in Seaforth since 2015. Murray was diagnosed with Dementia in 2013 and works hard to stop the progress of the disease. He shares his experiences in his column entitled “My Voyage with Dementia.” Follow him on his blog entitled Voyage with Dementia – https://myvoyage553264702.wordpress.com.
