Live well, laugh often, and love much!

Ever wonder where the popular phrase “Live, Laugh, Love” came from? 

The phrase has been a favorite of mine since the first time I saw it on a framed print in the home décor section at Wal-Mart. It’s been years since that moment, and I have always wondered which genius put these three words together, and exactly how he or she became so inspired. Well I finally got around to finding out, and I just had to share what I found. 

I just love this poem, it redefines true success simply but yet so elegantly. In my opinion, we would do better to paraphrase by saying “Live well, Laugh often, and Love much”.  The original author wrote it so sweetly and perfectly, that by leaving those three words out we change the beauty and meaning of the phrase and the poem from which it came.  

When you read this poem, I suggest you consider the time period it was written in. Do not allow yourself to let silly offenses stand in the way of a possibly blissful moment. For those who have seen the majority of the best and the worst of their lives; the author offers you self-reflection, reminiscing, and a chance (however big or small) to completely change your self-perception, replacing regret with fulfillment. For the young, maybe even better; the poem offers you the opportunity to rewrite your bucket list, reinvent yourself, and maybe live your life with an entirely different mindset. You might decide that peace, joy, laughter, love, relationships, art, music, nature, and generosity might be the types of things you put on your to-do list and the elements by which you measure your life’s success. Happy reading, I hope you enjoy this poem as much as I did and still do, while you contemplate and consider the meaning of “success.” 

In 1904, Bessie Anderson wrote the poem, called "Success."  

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much;
Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it;
Who has left the world better than he found it,
Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;
Whose life was an inspiration;
Whose memory a benediction.

Just a Little Scroogey

Every year at this time, I watch people scramble around, upsetting themselves and others with their anxiety and obsessions over getting "it" all done in time. They absolutely must decorate inside and out; shop for all their loved ones, liked ones, and 'barely know' ones; throw parties, go to parties, feast with family, drink with friends, and more; and all possibly with too little money, time, and especially too little patience.

I'm not really  a scrooge; I enjoy getting together with my family and exchanging small gifts, whatever the excuse may be. However, the rest of it isn't my thing.

Consider this, if Dec. 25th was Jesus's birthday (which it's not), and if Jesus's birthday were indeed one of the 7 (and only 7, no more, no less) holy days which God explicitly commanded us to observe (which it's not); do you think his instructions for observing the day we call "Christmas" would resemble the activities I described? My guess is probably not. 

So how about we all relax this year, spend more time loving our dear ones, and less time keeping up with the Jones's? How about we spend more time giving the free gift of love, and less time buying presents that aren't worth the precious time spent searching for them?

Also, do we really need to kill a beautiful piece of God's handiwork, so that we can drag it into our homes, and decorate it with trinkets and lights; for no good reason?  If we feel the need to participate in this tradition (which by the way originated as part of a pagan ceremony); we could buy a fake tree, spray some evergreen scent on it, and call it good.

The hardest part for me is how to handle all of this when it comes to my children.  When I was  younger, I did the whole shabang for the sake of my kids. I didn't want to disappoint them by explaining that Christmas is a scam. Plus, my then husband didn't share my concerns about the holidays, and he always wanted a big Christmas, with lots of presents and decorations. For many years, I even chose to ignore my intuition and roll with the Christian dogma.

Once I divorced, I was forced to rethink the whole thing, because I couldn't play follow the leader anymore.  I couldn't afford it, and I didn't have any excuse to ignore what I had  learned, which completely validated my own feelings about Christmas.

I still participate, somewhat reluctantly, in our family Christmas traditions; but with much less vigor. But then again, I do everything with less vigor because I now have several chronic illnesses that steel my strength.

If I could have my way, my family wouldn't celebrate the major holidays,  but instead would learn about God's holy days, and celebrate those instead.  If that were too far of  a reach, I'd have them realize the displaced importance of these traditions, and choose to put less effort in their participation and celebration of them.

To sum it up, my hope is that we all would know that we don't need a holiday to get together with family and friends, and we don't need a special day to give someone a gift. Gifts are extra special when given from the heart, rather than from a Christmas list. In that respect, every day and any day could be Christmas.

If you took the time to read this entire thing, I appreciate it.  I hope you found something to ponder. I wish you well, and a very Merry Un-Christmas.