My ex-boyfriend’s mother posted a passage on Facebook this morning. I have no idea who said it or where it came from, but I liked it. Don’t ask why I’m Facebook friends with my ex-boyfriend’s mom… that’s a long story.

“Let’s pretend, just for today, all day long, throughout our every thought and decision, that life is easy, that everyone means well, and that time is on our side. Ok? And let’s pretend that we are loved beyond belief, that magic conspires on our behalf, and that nothing can ever hurt us without our consent. All right? And if we like this game, we’ll play again tomorrow as well, and the next day, and the next, and pretty soon, it won’t be a game at all, because life, for us, will become those things. Just as it’s become what it is, today. Thoughts become realities, too.”

Anyways, the point is that this passage is great. It reminds me of the famous line by the Buddha. A line first introduced to me during a theology course in college, that has stuck with me ever since.

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”

It was actually this Buddha quote that prompted me to begin my blog, exactly two years ago. Let me get something off my chest. At the time I was crazy. A few years out of college with a decent job and cute apartment, my life was fun and my relationship… well, intense. Passionate, loving, but intense. I was living a seemingly normal existence for a 23 year old but my mind was running wild. My emotions were all over the place, off the charts, and my soul was aching for something more. Instead of running, throwing everything away and trying to start over, I decided to listen to the teeny, tiny rational part of my head.

I stayed put in Boston, kept the same job (for awhile at least) and continued to move forward in my relationship, falling even more in love with the boyf. But I told myself it was time to take control of my life. Of my thoughts and emotions. So I recalled the quote from the Buddha and said to myself, something along the lines of: Jesus Christ, just be happy. Just try. Think about it. Act like you are. Enjoy life, find happiness in the little things, and start convincing yourself that your life ain’t too shabby! You’re blessed beyond belief with a family that loves you unconditionally, a boyfriend who adores you, friends that will never, ever turn their back and a steady job in the middle of an economic crisis. Life is good. Life is good. Life is good.

After all, in the words of good ole’ Buddha, “With our thoughts, we make the world.”

So where am I going with all of this? I told you how I spent New Year’s Eve with Heather and baby Clara, but I should also share with you some of my goals and resolutions for the new year. But since I haven’t thought those through yet, I thought I’d share a little passage that I saw on Facebook today. A passage that reminded me of a favorite quote. One that took me back to where I was two years ago, and one that will hopefully lead me into the new year with a hope-filled heart and a smile on my face.

Happy new year, friends.