I once lived with a lovely lady along the coast of California in a small town called Carpenteria. She was a progressive, social Aquarius who stayed out later than me (at 86…). I was 28 and always impressed with her energy, style, and “perpetually optimistic” attitude towards life. To say that she lived her life to the fullest would be an understatement. She was a friend and a mentor who crossed my path by chance and made an impact I’ll never forget.
One day we were discussing what it meant to be happy, and she turned to me and said, “There are three things you must have: something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to.” I have never forgotten these three things. And in the seven years that have passed since she bestowed her wisdom on me, I am most frequently reminded of the third thing: to have something to look forward to. For there will be times when we have nothing to do, and there will be times when it seems we have no one to love, but there will never be a time that we can’t plan something fun. The simple anticipation of an event is often times enough to keep us going when we feel like giving up.