Shine With Grace

You were at the airport, the plane had been delayed for 4 hours and there was still no sign of any re-scheduling.  Passengers began to gather around the airline counter and grumbled at the staff.  Finally boarded and you were most disappointed to discover that there was no individual TV screen installed at the seats.  During the 6-hr flight, the baby sitting behind you just didn’t stop crying due to the air pressure and you were at the brink of losing your temper…

“The worst trip ever,” you thought.  You felt annoyed for more than 10 hours, travelling from airport to airport thinking how bad and slow and uncomfortable the trip was.

We forget that in human history, not many years ago, it took 4 to 5 months for people to travel from Atlantic to Pacific and if the trip was completed 2 days early and enjoyed nice weather throughout, it was regarded as an exceptonally smooth trip. 

Any safe trip is a good trip.

Modern technologies bring us much comfort and convenience.  Our lives today are arguably more comfortable than that of the kings and queens of the last century.  Nevertheless, are we happier than our ancestors?  Not necessarily.  I think no matter at which point of time of history do we exist, as long as we take the good things in life for granted, we could easily subject ourselves to the trap of frustrations. 

It is normal to have expectations.  Today, unless we intentionally choose to travel by cruising, we really don’t expect our trips to take a month.  Yet, if you want a happier life, you may wish not taking yourself too seriously when things don’t happen as expected.  When you focus less on the things that went wrong but more on the blessing that it brings along, when you don’t insist so much that “people should…”, “the company should…”, “the government should…”, when you can be more relaxed when life take a sharp turn, you may discover a great book at the store around the corner during the flight delay, or enjoy the nap that you have long deprived yourself when your seat is not supplied with the individual TV screen…  And your trip would suddenly becomes more enjoyable.  After all, it is your reaction that counts.

I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.

~ Mark Twain

Related posts:

• Happiness, And Things I have Learnt So Far
• Why Complaining Is Hazardous To Your Happiness?
• Wealth, Success, Happiness 
• Be A Class Act 

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