People who don’t know us find it hard to believe that our days are filled with laughter, hugs and smiles. Not quite what you would expect perhaps when you learn that Schuyler, my youngest daughter, was literally critically injured by a boulder merely a year ago. Can she stand on her own? No. Can she walk? No. Can she talk like she used to? Not yet. So why the heck is this family so happy?

Today, I stumbled across the story of a recently “terminated” reporter named Wendy Bell. Wendy has launched a vibrant subscription series for those of us who are craving good news. Yes, perhaps the secret is out. Perhaps all of the impossible-to-achieve conditions don’t have to be perfectly in place for you to feel happy. What if it’s possible to feel loved and uplifted when you can’t yet stand? What if the message isn’t really about what you have lost or what you are missing– but instead about all that you have gained?

Perspective is the secret of living life to its fullest– and if we need a few examples of this to help us really understand this underlying nugget then I hope that there are even more Wendy Bells out there. Schuy and I take one precious moment at a time. We understand that we do have a choice. We can take these cards that we have been dealt and invest fully in them. We can trust that this crazy process is all part of the dream.

So where does your power lie? In detailing the flaws or in embracing the adventures? It’s not about all the places that you could have/ should have been. It’s about all the amazing places that until now you didn’t even know existed….

The world is intent on sending us joy! Here is to all of the Wendy Bells who would play whack a mole with our distorted version of reality. Joyfulness does not begin to require a feathered nest. Far from it. The most joyous heart might possibly have achieved its joy thanks to all of the heartaches that it has overcome.

To Your Next Beautiful Horizon

— Meridith Hankenson Alexander

To read more about Wendy Bell, click here: http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2017/02/17/Are-people-craving-good-news-Former-WTAE-Pittsburgh-anchor-Wendy-Bell-is-positive-the-answer-is-yes/stories/201702190037