The Most Fortunate People On Earth

I was invited to dinner at a friend's house this past weekend and I had the pleasure of seeing his parents who I hadn't seen in quite a while. My friend's parents had just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last week.

I was having a pleasant conversation with my friend's mother about why so many people today get divorced and as she was giving me her opinion, I asked her; "Why do people fall in love?" She answered, "We fall in love with the person who sees in us that which we see in ourselves."

It makes you think, doesn't it? I'm sure she didn't mean that as an absolute rule for being attracted to the opposite sex. Men often fall desperately in love with women so self-centered that they can't see beyond their vanity mirrors, and vice versa. I'm sure some people marry a father or a mother figure as well.

I think it's fairly safe to say that generally we fall in love with the person who mirrors back to us a reflection of ourselves that shows us in our best light.

People who love us very much have a way of overlooking our faults in the same way we do. So, I suppose people who don't love us as much as we would like have a way of locating our faults and fixing upon often with a lot of criticism.

Humanity and relationships are like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. Most of the pieces don't go together, but when one piece fits perfectly with one of the other pieces, then you have a good marriage or friendship.

Most people can change their personality to get along with a variety of people, but occasionally you will run across the kind of a person who is so flexible that he or she can get along with just about anyone.

On the other hand I'm sure you've come across people that have no flexibility at all. They insist that others conform to them, and if they don't, they are written off as inferior or stupid. These types of people often have a history of divorce as well as a string of lost jobs. These people always believe that the fault lies with others and never themselves.

Learning how to get along well with people is the most satisfying and rewarding thing you can do in life. Those people who are flexible have the best jobs and happiest relationships. Simply put people who get along well with others are the most fortunate people on earth.