KWEE Liberian Literary Magazine Jan. Iss. Vol. 0115 Apr Iss. Vol. 0415 | Page 15

Liberian Literary Magazine Promoting Liberian Literature, Arts and Culture Finding Meaning in Everyday Living If she doesn’t get it in an appropriate amount of time or if she doesn’t see some progress toward getting it, she makes a noise with her mouth. She has no doubt that sooner rather than later, she will get her snack if she keeps her hand out. Keep expecting. Keep your hand out. Believe you will eventually receive. Janice Almond “Do You Know the 5 Keys to Be HAPPY?” A – Appreciate Life: That’s a mouthful! Appreciate life. In other words, have an appreciation for life – for your life. You’ve heard it said before, “Don’t take life for granted!” I almost died last week. At least, that’s what my husband thought I was doing – dying. In his words, he said, I was pale, my eyes were rolling back inside of my head, and I barely had a pulse. He was scared! Well, you can see I made it, I’m writing this article. (smile) Appreciating life should be as they say a “no-brainer.” It shouldn’t be something we even have to really think about. It should just come naturally. No matter what, we should be grateful. I am grateful and truly appreciate my life that I’m alive. Having life is a precious thing. Last week, my life “flashed” before me, but I was given mercy. If you are having a hard time appreciating your life or being grateful, pray or meditate until you are able to get yourself in a better state of mind. Appreciating life is vital if you are to be a “happy” person. Remember, you could be dead like I almost was. Life is to be lived. H–Have Expectation A – Appreciate Life P – Permit Mistakes P – Purpose to Live Y – Yearn For the Best H- Have Expectation: How important is it to have expectation? It’s super important because if you don’t expect something, you usually won’t get it. Take a minute and think about that. What is something, right now, that you are expecting to get? Something you have an expectation for. If I were to ask you if you believed you are going to receive it, what would be your response? You would probably say, “Yes.” That’s exactly what I mean- Believe & Receive. Even the scriptures tell us that. Expectation is everything! It’s really hard to be happy if you just go through life with no expectations whatsoever. Nothing or no one to live for usually brings unhappiness. It’s a known fact that suicide victims for the most part, give up hope, feeling they have no reason to live. In fact, most lonely people you know are most likely also unhappy. Become like a little child. Children expect and keep expecting, believing until they receive. I’m sure you’ve seen this. I have a granddaughter who will be a year old at the beginning of next month. When she wants a snack, she holds out her hand. She keeps on holding it out until she gets it. P – Permit Mistakes: You have to allow yourself to make mistakes without getting “down in the dumps” about it. Why do so many of us when things are not going well, become illat-ease and unhappy? It’s simply because we are not making allowances for our blunders. But, have you ever really stopped to ponder, you can’t be perfect! 15