My son Dustin helped me out today and picked up his nine-year old sister from school. I know that she prefers me to get her.  When my cell phone rang and I saw it read “Home” I fully expected a hundred-question conversation. But as she often does, my daughter surprised me. The conversation went something like this:

Very cheerfully, “Hi Mom!”

“Hi Sweetie…” I replied a little guarded.

“Guess what?”

“What?”

“I have some good news, some bad news and some news that could be good or bad, depending on how you look at it. What do you want first?”

“I’ll take the bad,” I said.

“My tooth chipped…”

“Oh no!” I interupted.

“But it’s the tooth that was about to fall out!”

“That’s not bad news. That’s perfectly fine news! What’s the good/bad news?”

“I forgot to tell you that I have a bake sale tomorrow. Can you make muffins?”

“That’s not bad news either! I’m happy to make muffins.” Now I was really excited for the good news.

“And the good news is that I’m feeling better!”

It took me a moment, but I remembered that she had complained of a sore tummy the night before.

“That’s wonderful news sweetheart. I’m so happy.”

All in all it was a good day. Three bits of good news. Who could ask for more?

How many possibilities are there to think? To behave? To see? To imagine?

Most of us would have trouble putting a number to this question. How gallant we are when we don’t need to be! How we answer this question when we are content is unimportant.

When life throws us challenges, when doors close or slam in our face, when discouragement threatens to overcome our ability to go forward, then how we answer this question becomes all-important. Bravery is only measured by the amount of fear we feel.

When the possibilities that we can count don’t happen for us and we feel disappointed, we often close our eyes to the infinite other possibilities that could be in the very next moment. If we close our eyes we will not see them. The one thing we all know with absolute certainty is that nothing remains the same. Change is reality. It’s non-sensical to know this about the past and yet not believe it about the future. Believing bravely that our futures hold infinite and positive possibilities is the most powerful ignitor of our very essence.

Living bravely, regardless of what we know for certain about our future, is far better than the alternative where possibilities are rendered useless because we choose to ignore them.