You can run in circles.  But it’ll make you dizzy.

You can turn into a couch potato.  But it’ll make you dull.

You can tackle a big job alone.  But it’ll make you wish you had someone by your side.

You can spend all day thinking about unfortunate things you can’t change.  But it’ll make you despair.

You can beat yourself up and analyze all your faults.  But it’ll make you a cripple.

You can be halted in your tracks by people who slap you in the face and make you cower in your chair.  But it’ll make you doubt.

You can cut out red and green letters that spell “Merry Christmas.”  It’ll make you smile.

You can watch some cool kids act out a skit and wrap up some presents.  It’ll make you happy.

You can joke around with your coworkers and exchange good-sprited jibes.  It’ll make you laugh.

You can watch snowflakes float to the ground and smell the clean winter air.  It’ll make you know that there’s a God.

You can let someone take you by the hand and show you the way.  It’ll make you know that life’s worth living.

You can appreciate the small things:  the person who smiles at you as you pass them by in the grocery aisle, the smell of cookies baking in the oven, the face of the moon shining down from a clear winter sky, the cows in the pasture amongst the mountains, a table surrounded by people singing “Happy Birthday”.  It’ll make you grateful.

Life comes with the good and the bad, the light and the dark.  Which are you going to mull over?

I’m changing my ways.  It might take awhile.  But that’s okay.

Elizabeth L. is a long-term volunteer at one of CAP's Child and Family Development centers. She lives in the McCreary Volunteer Community.