The Sunny Side

Life has continued on, and here I am once again to write about the small notions that run through my mind. I do a lot of thinking, but sometimes I wish my mind wouldn't run so freely. Ahhhh, to be oblivious and ignorant to the cares of the world. I suppose some people have that. But I think once you have passed a certain level of knowledge, you can never go back to that blissful ignorance. Such is life.

I have been thinking a lot lately about a quote that I like from Romeo and Juliet. I like Shakespeare when I can understand his old English. Here is the quote for your reading pleasure:

Thy Juliet is alive,
For whose dear sake thou wast but lately dead.
There art thou happy. Tybalt would kill thee,
But thou slewest Tybalt. There are thou happy too.
The law, that threat'ned death, becomes thy friend
And turns it to exile. There art thou happy.
A pack of blessings light upon thy back;
Happiness courts thee in her best array;
But, like a misbehaved and sullen wench,
Thou pout'st upon thy fortune and thy love.
Take heed, take heed, for such die miserable.

This quote is from when the Priest is talking to Romeo about all the good things in his life that he has to be happy about. Yet Romeo can only cry and whine about all the bad things that have happened to him.

I like this quote because it seems so relevant to modern life. So many times I hear people complaining about all the bad in their lives, when in reality they have "a pack of blessings" on their backs. When your car breaks down, you think of the bad luck, the cost, the annoyance of not being able to get around, and the wasted time it will take to fix. But do you think of the fact that you have a car in the first place? Are you grateful that there are people who have the knowledge and skill to fix your car? Do you appreciate family and friends who are willing to give you rides? Do you think about the fact that you have enough money to pay for the repairs, even if you have to scrape to get it? All these things are your blessings that get easily overshadowed by the misfortune.

The Priest's warning at the end makes the quote especially meaningful. "Take heed, for such die miserable." If we are always blind to our blessings, we will always be miserable indeed. So when bad things happen to you, why not take the time to see your pack of blessings? It may only be looking at a bad situation in a different light, but you will surely be a happier person for it.