Ode to a Grecian Urn, the Universe and my possibility posse

“If your mind isn’t cluttered with unnecessary things, this could be the best day of your life.”—The Zing AKA Ethan Hughes

I’m officially screwed.

According to Wharton prof Adam Grant, people who criticize are typically rated 14 percent more intelligent than people who gush in gratitude like I do.

But you know what? I’ll bet they’re not nearly as happy.

Singing praises about my life, whether it be odes to Grecian urns or compliments to my loved ones, is an art I refuse to disavow, even if I appear foolish, ridiculous and well, 14 percent less intelligent.

Today’s sonnet of joy goes out to my possibility posse. I’ve been known to drool just thinking about all the cool things revealed there each week.

Like yesterday, Rhonda told a story about a fender bender. Tempers have a tendency to flare during such events. But Rhonda, rather than get all discombobulated, jumped out of the car and made friends with her “perpetrator.” They even laughed and gave shout-outs because, well, nobody’s hurt and as my friend Annola used to say, “the baby’s still breathing.”

When you choose to join rather than separate, to love rather than fear, the universe takes care of the material world. As Rhonda and her new friend were chatting, they heard a pop. The dent that could potentially have created an enemy literally popped back into perfection.

Another posse member shared a story about being crammed into the New York subway at rush hour. Stuffed like ricotta inside a pasta shell, nobody could move. One beautiful human got pissed, started yelling at the person next to him. My friend thought, “Uh oh, this is not good.”

But the person being yelled at, rather than react, simply acted in love, simply asked with sincere compassion, “What can I do to make this better?” The pissed-off person kept yelling and the other person kept loving him, kept offering a miracle. My friend said that what could have easily turned into a riot turned into an inspiring lesson.

The conditioned mind would say, “They’re doing a bad thing. They must be a bad person.” But instead of “fighting,” instead of creating an “enemy” they simply asked “What’s it like to be you?”

Okay, my friends, that’s my sonnet, my ode, my gush for the day. Would love to hear in the comments section below, what you’re choosing to fall in love with today. I promise not to think you’re 14 percent less intelligent.

Pam Grout is the author of 18 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and the recently released, Thank and Grow Rich: a 30-day Experiment in Shameless Gratitude and Unabashed Joy.