Once discontent, now appreciative

I know someone who was not content with how things were in her life. There was nothing horrible, but she wanted a lot of improvements. Although she complained a lot about her dissatisfaction, she was working hard toward getting the things she wanted - she was at least doing something about it. However, one day, she got hit with consecutive problems. As much as she is trying to survive these consecutive problems now, she wishes that she was more appreciative of the previous time in her life when life just needed some improvements.

Always cherish your moments, no matter how bad they seem to be.

My Hero: My Grandmother, Lola Ala*****

Lola Ala, my paternal grandmother, is my ETERNAL HERO. She endured being WIDOWED TWICE, being BLIND in one eye, and HARD LABOR throughout her whole life. She started off as a coconut FARMER then over the years moved to managing the plantation/business, and then by the time of her death she owned 32 ACRES of land. Her life was tough for her (being educated as far as 4th grade) yet she raised 4 GREAT and also successful children - she put all her children through school as a SINGLE MOTHER. She raised good children - my dad is one of the most genuine people I know and her children (my uncles and aunt) are my second parents. In a country with very poor economy, she was able to fund her OWN RETIREMENT without aid from anyone - not her children - not from the government - all from herself. And most of all, she is widely known as a HELPFUL and GOOD PERSON.

I wish I counted how many people went to her viewing/funeral; it was just too crowded.

Happy birthday my Lola! Hope you're resting in peace.

Same situation, different reaction

I know someone pretty close to me. I saw her last weekend and was just asking about how life has been lately and she mentioned that due to how bad her company/employer is doing in this harsh economy, she got a 20% pay cut, no longer works full-time hours and just last week, they had a company-wide shut down; thus, she had to take unpaid time off for a week! However, what struck me was not how "scary" her professional/financial situation was, but it was how she delivered her message - she said it without intent - it was simply informative - meaning she wasn't trying to be upbeat about it which would have been untruthful, but she also was not looking for sympathy (like a drama queen). She was just plain honest...which now that I think about it, is something I have always admired about her.

She is a wonder because even though she goes through the same hardships as most people do, she is the opposite of a drama queen without being overly/annoyingly positive. I just found it admirable that although her situation is of a concern during our hard economic times just like everyone else, she is keeping her cool and is handling it with a strong yet honest attitude.

10% is what happens to you; 90% is your reaction.