My talent: The ability to be happy.

I never had a mid-life crisis. Or so I think. I was always reasonably happy with my marriage. And reasonably happy with my life. Maybe I had a crisis of sort when Jeanne died. Or when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Or somewhere along the Alzheimer's sojourn. But I don't think I ever considered it a bona fide crisis. I knew I had to cope. And I had to help Jeanne cope. Because things like that happen in life. One has to weather the storm. And wait for the sunshine to come out again. And it certainly has. I know of people that have been in crisis. Usually, it seems, because they are in search of happiness. And they feel they are running out of time. So they panic. When really, happiness is right there. In front of them. Because happiness is a state of mind. Rather than a state of being. One can be happy under almost any circumstance. If one truly learns to savor now. The moment. And it's there. To be embraced. To be appreciated. On a daily basis. Day after day. Maybe I'll have a crisis when I'm dying. But I don't worry about it. Because I've learned to live one day at a time. Today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. And I always seem to find a way to be happy. Maybe that's my one talent. The ability to be happy. --Jim Broede