the universe

I just hung up the phone with my friend and I was telling her that I was a little bummed because things weren't going as well as I thought things would and she was telling me that she thought everything was going well. Then she told me about my friends, one who relapsed and died and one who's husband relapsed and is now after her and she now lives in a shelter afraid for her life. I tell you, if that is not the universe responding to me, I don't know what is. How can I feel bad when my friends have it worse than me. You know, I really believe in the universe, this is not the first time it has spoken to me, it is just the first time I heard it. We need to listen to our life, it always gives us answers when we are seeking them. The trouble is people are either to busy or afraid to listen. Sometimes the universe tells us what we want to hear, sometimes what we need to hear and sometimes it tells us what we don't want to hear. We need to slow down and smell the roses. We need to listen more and talk less. This time I listened, I guess cause I have learned the hard way--that is, didn't listen or ignored what it was telling me in the past. So when you do listen and hear, then what. You have to be in a position to do something about it. Are you ready to change. Sometimes life forces you too, and sometimes you need too. People, myself included, sometimes don't handle change well. Its the fear of the unknown, how will things be different, will it be worse or better. I think that any time the universe answers and you listen, it has to be better than where you are. So it got me to think about what I could change and gave me incentive to get moving on something, probably because I feel guilty when I should feel blessed and grateful about my life. I am right where I am suppose to be.