Thursday's Thought for the Day....

"Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get.  But if you work really hard and are kind, amazing things will happen.  I'm telling you.  Amazing things will happen.
                                ~  Conan O'Brien, 1/22/10, Tonight Show Farewell  


Conan is spot on with this one.  I have found it to be true.  In many ways, life did not turn out the way I expected.  Some things far exceeded my dreams, while others pushed me to draw on strengths I barely knew I had.  But the advice about working really hard and being kind.  That does pay off.  And amazing things do happen.  Just amazing.

Today I drove up to Connecticut to have lunch with an old college friend.  Yes, we are old. It has been thirty two years since we last saw each other at her wedding.  Oh we've sent the Christmas and birthday cards back and forth, sometimes filled with two and three page letters.  But it's not the same as sitting across from each other.

Ever hear of those "three hour lunches" business executives are said to have?  We had one of those today, but without the cocktails.  We opted for chocolate desserts instead.  We talked and talked and talked.  I don't think we even ordered for the first half hour.  We shared our tales of raising kids, dealing with ailing parents, her bouts with cancer and how we are grateful for our long term marriages.  It was wonderful.

Sharing the ups and downs of extended families, those who succeeded and those who fell apart, it seemed to me that there started to be a common thread.  Those who succeeded had taken Conan's advice and worked really hard.  They were, and are still, kind to everyone they meet.  Those who looked for the easy way out or for someone to do it for them didn't quite make it.  They have yet to find their happiness.

And while working hard and being kind don't always add up to an incredibly healthy bank account, they do add up to a life well lived.  Something I was grateful to share with an old friend over lunch today.