Live, Laugh, Love.

I was never a big fan of motivational posters at work. You know the ones with gorgeous photos, a large headline followed by an inspirational saying like "Carpe Diem" or "Don't Stop Until You're Proud" or "Hang In There". Yes, I tend to agree with such sentiments but maybe with a shrug and a touch of complacency. Someone with a downright negative sentiment (like, say, the Grinch that stole Christmas) might be tempted to draw devil horns and a mustache on that cute kitty face in the poster.

I confess to having stifled a laugh or two when those anti-motivational posters first appeared. One had the headline "Attitude", a picture of a cute porcupine over the saying "If you can't handle me at my worst, you deserve to know it's also my best". Another with a picture of an ostrich in a sunset-lit field, the caption "The sky is the limit" followed by "Too bad you can't fly". In the workplaces where I saw them no one ever seemed to know who posted them and they usually disappeared before too long because some were too close to the truth and, after all, does the world really need more snarkiness?

Then certain sentimental phrases and sayings started to appear on household decorative items touting family and warmth and togetherness and other goody-two shoes, fortune cookie sentiments. If it takes a laminated plaque to remind residents that home is where the heart is, I'd say that home has issues. An ubiquitous saying that has now gone to throw pillows, clothing, and even jewelry is "Live, Laugh, Love".?There is nothing offensive about this alliterative trifecta but that did not restrain me from grousing about it with a few friends after we observed it on a bartender’s tee shirt.?(In my defense we were all tired, frustrated, and grumpy by the chores and frustrations of post-hurricane recovery).?It may be that I've discovered proof of a genial albeit corrective God because it has happened more than once that when I've successfully managed to put my foot in my mouth I'm often in the company of a retired teacher - in this case an English teacher.?

Leo explained that my education was notably feeble in the poetry department as I was obviously unaware that the phrase "Live, laugh, love" is a paraphrase of the 1904 poem "Success" by Bessie Anderson Stanley which is a post-mortem evaluation of a life well-lived.?Oops - me being "Dr. Create A Meaningful LifeSpace", I should have known this or at least have come across it before.?I looked it up and read “He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much."?It is now one of the many things I refer to as "Sure wish I wrote that one."

Paths Forward

In this month of Valentine's Day, it is well worth remembering that love and laughter are two of the strongest structures supporting a life lived well.?There are some books you'll never get read. There are some chores you'll never get done. There are some mistakes you'll never fix. There are some dreams that will never be realized.?But living with enough love and laughter you will be absolved of all and honored for what you shared with all.

LifeMap: Happy Valentine’s Day

Dr. Paul Powers ? [email protected]