Today it was raining – and sleeting, cold – and there was hail too! But it was extraordinarily beautiful – and much needed by nature – by the ravens, the juncos, the pinyon jays, the deer, and the one Steller’s Jay who just showed up a couple of weeks ago. And by the juniper trees who spent so many years being thirsty.

Sometimes it occurs to me that we often have more of a choice than we think we do about our general state of being and our mood.

There are many worlds – or many levels – depending on how we want to look at it – and we can even exist in several of these at the same time – or sometimes alternately in one world, then another.

We can easily be drawn into a TV world (often not very elevated) or a world of gossip – or dismissal of others – or blame.

We can also allow the light of heaven to shine through the clouds and sometimes walk in the presence of angels in a world of peace and beauty.

We can be aware of sadness in the world and harm that is being done, and yet, sometimes still be able to focus on the light, rather than on the darkness.

For some of us this may be easier than for others. For some, it’s a bit like catching a train – we can catch the train to a pleasant seashore – or we can catch a different train to a crowded downtown traffic jam.

We’re not always aware that we have a choice. And some of us actually do have less of a choice – depending on the make-up of our personality and the history of our lives. It’s not a question of being good or bad; some people are just more adaptable than others. It’s a pattern.

But when we can, and if we can, sometimes it helps a lot if we don’t always have to jump on the train that is going to a dismal, unhappy train station – but instead, if we can exercise some measure of control of the emotional content of our lives, that can give us more of a choice – and often, if we choose to be more in a world of pleasant spirits and less in a world of doom and gloom, then we can – not only be happier ourselves (which is much pleasanter) – but also it makes it easier for us to have a positive, uplifting effect on those around us – which is a good thing.

This isn’t a question of good or bad, right or wrong (though certainly there are questions of good and bad, right and wrong) but in this case – it’s really just a question of giving ourselves greater possibilities in life – when and if we can – to see a glimpse of light rather than to be drowning in darkness – to choose a road that goes up towards the sky rather than down into the dumps. Or even just to be kind to others, rather than grumpy.

Not always, but often, we have more of a choice than we might think – and pausing for a moment, looking around, and allowing the door to open to a brighter world gives us a greater ability to do some measure of good in life. (It’s also more fun and less miserable.) Sometimes we call it counting our blessings.

We’re not always a victim, we can be free agents with a choice. And being open to the possibility of seeing the door that leads to the light is a good start.