HAROLD KELLER

Positive life better Many years ago, there was a popular song titled, “Make the World Go Away.” Today, many people are trying to do just that by using drugs. Last year alone, Americans spent more than $50 billion on illegal drugs. Keep in mind, that doesn’t include alcohol, which is the most-abused drug. The words to another song I recall are, “It’s a great, big wonderful world we live in.” With all the crime and greed that exists today, It’s hard to focus on the positive. The bottom line is – how you look at things is in the eye of the beholder. Thirty-five years ago, I heard a motivational speaker say that 98 percent of the people in the world die at age 21; they just don’t get buried until they are 75 or 80. Sounds confusing? It did to me at first, but now I realize how accurate that statement is. In other words, 98 percent of the people don’t live, they just exist. Only 2 percent choose to live an exciting, productive life. What group do you belong to? The only person who can decide that is you. It all depends on the choices you make in life. The decision is yours whether you will be positive or negative. I am reminded of a story I heard about a man who had two sons. One always looked at the dark side of life. The other was just the opposite – he always expected something good. One Christmas, the man decided to experiment with the boys. The negative child received everything he asked for – a new bike, a pellet gun and a basketball. He was really excited about this and went to his day and thanked him. His dad said, “Why don’t you go outside and shoot some goals?” “Oh, no!” said the boy. “I’m afraid the ball will go into the street and a car might roll over it.” “Well, go outside and ride your bike,” his father suggested. “Daddy,” the boys replied, “It’s so pretty. I might fall and scratch it.” “Then go in the back yard and shoot your gun,” his father said. “If I do that, a pellet might ricochet and break a neighbor’s window,” the boy said. By that time, the positive boy came running down the stairs and looked for his presents. All his dad gave him was a big, brown sack of horse manure. Without a word, he started running, frantically, around the house. “Why are you doing this?” his father asked. “I’m looking for the horse!” the boy replied. The moral of the story is to stay focused on the positive. Negative people make up the 98 percent of the population who just exists. Positive people are in the 2 percent minority. There’s an old saying which goes like this: If the world gives you a lemon, make lemonade. HAROLD KELLER writes this column as part of his affiliation with the Get High on Life religious motivational group.