's motd Tue Feb 2, 2010

[Guest guest]

FIRST THING

Tuesday, 02 February 2010

When I was a child, I had very serious asthma. So serious, in fact, that I slept under an umbrella with a sheet over it and with a vaporizer. For many years, this was the only way I could sleep. But the good news is that it did work. It helped clear the mucous from my throat and lungs so I could breath.

I was never a person who slept for long periods of time. And I also had trouble just falling asleep. See, for one thing, I figured I just might die in my sleep some night because of the asthma that made my life so miserable.But you can imagine how excited I was every morning when I opened my eyes to see...I was alive! Oh sure, I was still under that umbrella and the sheet but, like I said, I was alive. I would then crawl out of that homemade cabana over my bed, stand up and think how lucky I was to have that new day.As I got older, I became more and more overweight. I'd feel sad when I went to bed then because I felt like such a loser...and not of pounds! I felt the extra weight was destroying my whole life. And I thought that one night I'd go to bed and not wake up because I had a heart attack in my sleep.

So you can imagine, when my eyes popped open and I was still here...I was overjoyed! I'd stand up and think about how lucky I was. And to this day, even though I no longer have asthma and I'm not overweight, I still pop my eyes open, hop out of bed and say to myself..."I'm so blessed!"Now I know, there're some folks out there who don't share my feelings. Some people really don't care if they go to bed and die in their sleep...because they're so unhappy. And when they open their eyes in the morning, they think to themselves, "I didn't really want another day!" (And how sad is that?) I know this is true because lots of people have E-mailed me with those very thoughts.

Listen, if you beat yourself up at night, you're gonna wake up in the morning with "bruises" and in a lousy mood. I want you to understand that the first few minutes of your morning...set the tone for your entire day.And if you wake up then begin your day in a terrible mood, chances are, you'll have a terrible day all day to go along with it...I promise you that! You need to calm yourself down and think happy, positive thoughts before you go beddy-bye each night. And the first thing you have to do when your eyes pop open each morning is to embrace the day, count your blessings and be happy...just being alive!Love,