Simple Things

"All the great things are simple, 

and many can be expressed in a single word:  

freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope."  

Winston Churchill

What are we without the simply great things in life?  Without all those single word great things.  Not only the few listed, but things like trust, compassion, forgiveness, tenacity, strength and love.  Without all those things what are we?  Isn't it amazing that our existence can be described with a few simple words?  That all our hopes and dreams come down to the simplicity of one word answers?
But isn't it also true that the bad things can also be described in one word.  Things like: evil, grouchy, mean, dangerous, disrespectful, discourteous, ugly, spiteful, and uncaring.  I can thing of so many more.  The point is that we get to choose the words that describe us.  We choose every day to the truly simple things that we do.  We choose when we are helping our neighbor, listening to a friend, hugging a child, or fixing a meal for our family.  We choose to be that person that they will remember.  We choose the words that we become.
For me, the most simple thing about this is that our past doesn't necessarily determine our future.  It is up to us to decide to change.  Yes, change is hard, just like going to physical therapy and working out my arm is hard right now.  Learning to bend my elbow and stretch it is hard right now.  Sometimes change hurts.  But we get to decide whether we want to stay the same, or grow.
As for me, I am choosing to work at it.  One simple word at a time.