LML (Come join my movement!)

I admit that when I first saw the term "FML" popping up online - mostly in Facebook status updates - I had to look it up. I was hoping that it didn't mean what I was guessing it meant, but it does. (For those of you that  aren't familiar with it, the "ML" stands for "my life" and the "F" stands for something that I would never say in mixed company. Let's just leave it at that.)

I have to say I was a bit bothered by the term. Not just because it was crude - I could get over that, I suppose. But mostly I was bothered by how it was being used. "The vending machine was out of Diet Coke. FML." Or "There's nothing on TV tonight. FML." All I could say was... REALLY?! Those are the kinds of things in your life that are so catastrophic?! Please.

Granted, we all get frustrated from time to time. Life sometimes piles on the headaches, and there are days that the entire universe seems to be conspiring against us. I get it. Perhaps we all, in a moment of exasperation, have uttered some form of "I hate my freaking life" sentiment. It's easy to toss something like that out - one of those things that we just say to blow off some steam, but don't really even think about what we're actually saying.

The other day I caught myself doing just that. I was cranky, and feeling sorry for myself, and started to do a little bit of "woe is me" muttering. But then I actually stopped and realized what I was saying, and how incredibly wrong it was. No, my life doesn't suck, and no, I don't hate it. Quite the contrary. I love my life. A lot.

And that's when I started thinking. Although I've seen the term "FML" come up in people's posts - way more often than I'd like - I couldn't recall ever having seen anyone use "LML." I wondered if it was even a thing. (So I looked it up too. It is a thing - I'm not the first to come up with it. But it seems that it's not used nearly as often as its more negative counterpart.) It's as if we have reached a point that we are more willing to get melodramatic about the little negatives in our lives than we are to focus on the positives. And I would really like to see that change.

So I've decided to start a movement, and I invite you all to join me. Every now and then, stop and think about how much you love your life. Count your blessings, find your reasons to smile, and realize that the good really does outweigh the bad. And whenever you find something that reminds you how much you love your life... share it. Let others feel your joy, and share your smiles.

And as often as possible, end your Facebook status update with "LML!"