Worthy Life

I work at Trader Joes. It's great, because each day I get to encounter new people and new situations. A few days ago it was such a gloomy day at work. I was on register for 4 hours, out of my 8 hour shift. Whenever I looked outside through the big windows, all I saw was pouring rain (it rained all day). It was frustrating because I had plans later that day. For some reason, weather always affects peoples moods, businesses, and plans (of course).

But anyways,

 Every time I had a new customer walk up to my register, I would ask them:
"So.. how are you liking this weather?"
Their responses: "I hate it", "It sucks", "Isn't it almost summer, wheres the sun?!", etc.

But there was this one customer, that changed the game completely for me. The next person in my line was the cutest elderly man. He inched forward to my register and we began small talk. I proceeded to check out his small amount of groceries, and then I asked him "How are you liking this gloomy weather?" and he responded "Well, any day that I am alive is a good day to me!"

I didn't even know what to say... I was just trying to hold back my tears. (I know I'm a baby, but I just have a heart for old people). But this man inspired me. Here I am at my register listening to people complain about the weather, when really we should be thankful we are alive. Who the heck cares about stupid weather! We should be taking each day at a time and making the best of it! Even though this man was just stating a truth about his life, it completely turned my day around. And here I am now, blogging about it.

I really think that we waste so much energy on complaining, regretting the past and dreading the future. Let's just take a deep breath, and live in the moment. We need to be more thankful for what we are given each day. I decided to name this blog post "Worthy Life" because ever since that old man said that to me, it really stuck with me that life really is short. We need to be spending our time on earth living worthy lives. We are all so wrapped up in the worries of this life, that it can cause us to have bad attitudes or cause us to be unhappy. I have been trying to challenge myself to change the way I go about things. To stop worrying about things like money, time, school, our jobs, etc. Those are all important things in life, but why waste so much energy on stressing over them?

So how does someone live a worthy life? (no matter what you believe in)
This is what I came up with:

• Loving on others, well. Everyone needs to be loved! This is so important to me. I feel like nowadays, people don't genuinely care as much. So, talk to old friends, ask them how they are doing. Keep in contact with your family and best friends. And meet new people! Even though you might not get it in return, it is still the greatest reward and how much of an impact it can have. 
• Praying. I know this might sound really cliche, but praying is such a big part of living a worthy life. I've noticed that people always say "I'm praying for you!" or "How can I pray for you?", but don't you think this is something that is just easily overused? Do people actually pray or is it just a nice gesture to say? One thing that has been helping me, is praying right away. No matter where I am, just praying for that person in my head. Like when someone has a big exam and they're like "pray for me!", legit say a prayer right then and there. Why wait? I believe in the power of prayer.
• Creating. Writing, drawing, painting, playing music, filming, playing a sport. For others, it might be inventing something, building a business, traveling, coming up with a clever idea. Whatever it is, being more creative in your life can bring a lot of positivity. 
• Relating. It's not "family" that makes life worth living. But its the relationships we create with members of our family, and the way we maintain and build those relationships. Same goes for friends, co-workers, boyfriend/girlfriend, and everyone else. 
• Helping. Being able to help those in need or volunteer somewhere. Or even just helping friends with favors, and having a good heart about it. These kind of things put you out of your comfort zone, but it's so important. 
• Goals. Making, working towards, and achieving goals are so important. Everyone has their own goals in life. Seriously, set goals. In the beginning of each new year I set new goals for myself. I love working towards them and then reflecting back on how they have changed me.
• Let go. This one is HUGE. Let go, and move forward! I tend to dwell on things from the past at times, but what's the point? It doesn't help me progress. Let go of when people hurt you, let go when things don't go your way, let go of being angry at someone, let go of frustration with yourself and try to change your perception. Just let go, and identify what the experience has taught you. 
• Growing. Learn new things, improve your knowledge and ability in things that you have already learned. No one is "higher" up than you. All of us are the same, and have the same opportunities to grow and learn new things. We will always be learning and growing until the day we die. Accept that and be open to new ideas.

Have a great week!

Regan