I must start this by stating that I do not know the nine billion names of God. And I also do not know the WHOLE secret of life. Maybe a better name for this would have been "The Secret of Happiness," though I'm not so sure I know all about that either.

Anyway, the secret of life (or a least one secret) is not so much having what I want, but rather to want what I have.

My list of 'wants' is endless, and grows larger with each passing day. I want, I want, I want!! I sometimes have to ask myself, "how does it feel to wnat, Mr. Ed? Well," I reply to myself, "it doesn't feel too good. If I could have just one thing that I want, I would be happy." Yeah, right! I'd just add something else to my want list, and start the whole process over again.

So the real secret for me is to want what I have. What do I have today? Let's see...
Food, shelter, clothing all my basic needs are met. But what about beyond the basics? Well...
I do have my sobriety. That should be worth something. Actually, quite a bit in my book. Right behind, follows a relationship with my higher power, whom I call "HP" for short. The love of my family and friends. The respect of my colleges, and others, whom I have no right to demand their respect. Let's not forget, peace of mind, happinesss, serenity. Oh yeah, my health, such as it is. Granted, I'm not 20 years old anymore, but I get around pretty good for a grey-haired 41 year old.

OK, that's all fine and good; but what about TOYS? Well, I have a television set, satelite dish, stereo (complete with a huge record & CD collection), 5 guitars (& I have all I can do to play one at a time), my canoe plus all my camping gear, a small library of good books, webtv, computer, and a house crammed with all kinds of goodies which I consider "my toys."

Oops, I just about forgot my dog! He's certainly not a toy, although he is quite playful; but what a wonderful companion. He always jumps up & down & wags his tail whenever I come home, wether I've been away two minutes or two weeks! He truely shows his unconditional love.

So, all-in-all I guess I do have quite a bit to be grateful for. I've just scratched the surface of all I have while typing this. And today (just for today) I do want what I have. And that, my friends, is the secret of life! I sincerely hope that you too, want what you have.