| The Beauty of Self Control |
Chapter 16 |
Page 4 |
Here is a paragraph from someone, which suggests a better way at home, than the complaining way: “She knew how to forget disagreeable things. She kept her nerves well in hand, and inflicted them on no one. She mastered the art of saying pleasant things. She did not expect too much from her friends. She made whatever work came to her congenial. She retained her illusions and did not believe all the world wicked and unkind. She relieved the miserable and sympathized with the sorrowful. She never forgot that kind words and a gentle smile cost nothing, but a rare priceless treasures to the discouraged. She did unto others as she would be done by, and now that old age has come to her, and there is a halo of white hair about her head, she is beloved and considered. This is the secret of a long life and a happy one.”
Everything depends upon the way we look at things, whether we see shadow or brightness in them. Miss Mulock, in one of her books, tells of a gentleman and a lady who were passing through a timber yard, by a dirty, foul smelling river. The lady remarked, “How good these pine boards smell!” “Pine boards!” exclaimed her companion. “Just smell this foul river!” “No, thank you,” the lady replied, “I prefer to smell the pine boards.”
The woman was wiser than her friend. She was entirely right in her way of dealing with the conditions. Both the foul river and the fragrant pine boards were present in the surroundings, and it was a question which of the two she should allow to impress her. She had the happy faculty of trying always to find the most cheerful quality in her circumstances, and so it was the sweetness of the air and not the foulness of the river that she chose to find in her walk that day. We may train ourselves always to make the same distinction and choice in what we find in our circumstances – to see the beauty, the pleasure, the charm, rather than the ugliness, the pain, the disagreeableness. Too many people never see anything but the discouraging aspect of things, so they are never in a really thankful mood. This is not a Thanksgiving homily, but there can be no harm in saying that a little sunny hearted philosophy would make a world of difference in the lives of a great many men and women.
Page 4