First Prize in the Life Contest

And the first place prize is, a week in Rosendale! The second prize? Two weeks in Rosendale! That’s where I first heard that joke about the prizes.

I love Rosendale, New York, though. Joppenberg Mountain rises up at one end. Rondout Creek runs through on it’s way to the Hudson River. An old cement mining town, at one time a canal town, later a hippie town; it’s the only place I ever knew with a sense of humor about itself. Someone once said Rosedale had the highest percentage of well read, well traveled poor people in the country. It may even be true.

I learned a lot about the contest of life in Rosendale, sometimes the hard way. In the contest of life, the first prize is happiness – in all of its wondrous forms from peace to bliss, contentment to ecstasy, curiosity to triumph.

The second prize is stuff. Second prizes can be fabulous: cars, jobs, awards, relationships, money, houses, fame – you name it. I love second prizes. They often lead to fleeting moments of first prize.

The great news is that we can claim first prize anytime. Unless we get caught in those webs of beliefs that tell us we are not good enough, don’t have enough, have not achieved enough to be happy yet. Then we rule out any chance for the gold and severely diminish chances for bringing home the silver.

If you get stuck in envy, resentment, regret or guilt you get the booby prize.

We live in a societal trance of prize reversal. Breaking out and staying out represents a worthy challenge. My life’s work is helping people to claim first prize then go for the second with gusto.

I still need reminders about the real order of life prizes though. Without an occasional wake-up call I can struggle along, impatiently striving for second prize while I ignore the primo prize within my grasp, a lifetime of happiness.

There is progress! I haven't settled for the booby prize in a long, long time.

This reminder goes out to you (and me) with good wishes for happy days in the first place winner’s circle and lots of adventures with second prizes too.

Love,
Mandy

More reminders? Visit my website for books, links to free videos, articles and belief quizzes http://www.mandyevans.com/