Something to think about...

	Here's something to think about. For the next day or two pay attention to the length of the different conversations you have . Make a mental note of how long each conversation lasts and whether it was about something negative or positive. When I did this, I discovered that I had about three times as many conversations about good things as bad things, but the conversations about the bad stuff were at least five times longer! If your family is like many of the families I know, you'll notice that you spend much more time discussing problems than you do discussing the positive experiences in your day. I'm not suggesting that we ignore our problems, but there's no reason that we can't have long conversations about the good stuff, too. In fact, research shows that the more people share the good events of their lives, the closer they feel. By rushing through our conversations about the highs of life, we are inadvertently teaching ourself that the lows of life are more important, more interesting, and more deserving of our attention! So the next time someone shares some good news, slow down! Make it your goal to stretch the conversation out by asking questions that help you savor the experience.