For me, this comes back to honesty–with yourself and others. Let the joy and sorrow be what they are, and respond to them accordingly.

Among other things, I can be respectful to everyone–whether they’re known or unknown, and whether they deserve it or not.

I grew up in small-town Mississippi….and now I live in Los Angeles. (I moved here to be with girlfriend, who’s now my wife.) Quite a change from childhood–but I have to say I absolutely love L.A. Such diversity! There’s so much to see and do! Living in a city like this (and being able to afford it!) is an incredible blessing.

My wife, without a doubt. She has such genuine motives for helping people! Even after knowing her for years now, she still amazes me with her depth and breadth of generosity.

Without a doubt, it’d be the day I got married. And not because I want to change anything–on the contrary! It was the happiest day of my life, and I’d love to experience all that joy again.

For myself, I desire the ability to support my family on my own. For the world? I desire the absence of all hatred and ignorance.

OPPORTUNITY–of several different (but related) kinds: peace, honesty, serenity, and most of all this moment is offering the opportunity for gratitude.

One thing I try to do is to not get caught up in other folks’ drama. I try to be honest, straightforward, and live with humility, so that I don’t feel the need to engage in any conflict.

Wow, that list would be quite long…..but one thing that would be at or near the top: I’d miss the sound of laughter (both other people’s and my own).

I think I’d be more honest about some things–especially with my wife. While I’m much more honest now than I used to be, I still hold some things back out of fear of hurting others (especially her).

Oh, without a doubt it’s Southern cooking. I grew up in Mississippi, and my stepdad was Cajun, so we ate a lot of Southern and Cajun food when I was a kid. Now I live in L.A., and my wife is from here; I do all the cooking in our house, and I often make a lot of the same food I had growing up. And my wife loves it!

One, of course, is my wife. Her sense of morals and humility simply make me a better human being. And the other is not a person, per se: it’s my AA group. And every time I’m around them, those people remind me not only of the man I’ve become, but of the man I once was.

Oh, that’s easy: I no longer need to numb myself with drugs/alcohol. Through my recovery I’ve confronted my demons, made amends with people I’ve wronged…..I feel comfortable with who I am as a person now. I don’t need to numb myself to block the pain of my past, because there IS no more pain. And that’s an unbelievable blessing.

For me, it’s the splendor of marriage. There was a time when I thought I wasn’t worthy of a lifetime of love from anyone, let alone someone as beautiful and graceful as my wife. So I want to appreciate the union I now have–it’s definitely a miracle to me!

I think making personal connections with unknown people is a great thing. And I already try to do it as much as possible, like having short convos with bus drivers or grocery cashiers. I think a little kindness goes a long way, and I hope to be that way more often.

I heard someone once say: “Would you rather be right, or would you rather be happy?” That’s a brilliant sentiment, because it again comes back to humility. In other words, the “right” thing is more important than my own sense of superiority. And that’s made me realize that, once again, I’m not the center of the universe.

*The ability to eat the foods I do
*Being able to make my own choices in life
*My power to use words

To me it comes back to humility. I once heard humility defined as not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. And therein lies the true spirit of giving. If I can give to others (whether it be money, time, or emotional support) without them knowing it was me, so that my only takeaway is that *I* know I was generous, then that means the most.