<b>By Susan Stone</b>

Do you have a happy life? Do you look forward to the mystery of what each day will hold? If so, there is nothing you need to change. Keep up the good work!

If not, what is the point? When do you plan to begin your extraordinary life?

Being over 50 has come with so many gifts. Many of life’s struggles are behind me now. But, in looking around, age doesn’t seem to be a happiness indicator. For many people, the older they get, the more things they find to complain about.

You are getting from life <i>exactly</i> what you are giving to it. It is the law — Universal Law. I don’t remember hearing about this in school. In fact, I did not know about universal laws until I was almost 40. What a relief to know why my life was not working.

Even though God has a sense of humor, the universe does not. Its laws are cold and treat each one of us exactly the same. The universal laws level out the playing field, so to speak.

I used to think that life was unfair. It appeared that some people were just luckier than I was. It seemed very unjust that anyone was hungry, homeless or sick. It felt terrible to experience the untimely death of a young person. Until, I was introduced to the laws.

It doesn’t appear to matter whether we believe in them or not, we are bound to them. Like physical laws, they do not require our understanding. You do not have to understand the mechanics or the dynamics of gravity to be bound to it. When you drop a hammer, be sure your toes are somewhere else.

We heard a lot about the Law of Attraction when the book and movie “The Secret” became popular. For some, it was the first time they had ever heard of universal law. And so, I thank all of the authors for introducing the concept of “creating your own reality.” But today I would like to introduce you to one of the lesser known laws: The Law of Reciprocity. Without it, we may find creating our own reality a little challenging.

The Law of Reciprocity is all about giving and receiving. It sounds rather elementary, but many of us are not even able to receive a compliment without dodging it; we look down or away. We diminish it with “Oh, this old thing?”

Energetically, reciprocity is all about control, or the lack thereof. If you are giving, you are in control of who you give to, what you give, when you give and how much you give. When you are on the receiving end, you control nothing except your response. You cannot control the amount given, the time it is given, the who or the why. You are vulnerable at this point and, generally, humility is the last thing we think of as a tool. Why does a humble “thank you” not seem enough? We want to run out and do something for that person, or buy something to pay them back.

When you receive a kindness from anyone, remember that you are getting from this world exactly what you have put in to it. It is simply your kindness coming back around. Isn’t that cool?

Recently, Martha O’Regan wrote, “Pre-sent from the past and in to the future,” introducing the idea that the present moment was <b>pre-sent</b> by you. So, enjoy the rewards of being a kind person. Receive gladly the generosity you have shown others. When something seems unfair, go back and look where you sent that from. The answers will amaze you!
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