To the Glass Half Fulls

I have this disease. At least I think much of the world sees it as a disease.

What do I mean by that?

I am an optimist. And, I have the worst case of it. Not only am I a glass half full, but it's overflowing and spilling out all over and landing on whomever is before me.

It isn't really welcome in the world we live in. A social leprosy, of sorts.

My husband will tell you - it's annoying and endearing and annoying and endearing and annoying and....he's the one that loves me. Sometimes I bring him up along with me. Other times - it drives him STRAIGHT BATTY.

Oh, look. We ran out of gas. COOL - let's make out!
We're way over budget this month. WOO HOO - I found two quarters under the bed.
The kids drew on the walls. Oh, I've been wanting to paint.

I was born with an optimistic spirit. And, let me clarify here: I'm not talking about joy. That is a different post for a different day. I'm talking about optimism - a way of seeing little annoyances and interruptions as having positive potential.

Surely you know people like me. Or - you're one of them. From the moment you were born, you've had it. Maybe you have kids or a husband or best friends like this. They're just generally optimistic people. They have birthed a hundred sayings and song lyrics:

"Looking on the bright side of things."
"The sun'll come out, Tomorrow...tomorrow...I love ya'..."
"Don't worry about a thing..."

I believe optimism is most often hard-wired.

And, I believe that the world will do everything it can to snuff it out of you. I've seen people look at something shining so bright and literally STARE down the bright so hard that it becomes dark.

We live in a world where we give our best standing ovations to the person who stands up and says, "LIFE SUCKS and here's why." Find the bright side? You're Pollyanna playing The Glad Game and living in a bubble.

I've seen how my optimism grates on people. I see it on their faces and I hear it in their voices and I feel it in the air when we're talking.

"...and so we made out for like 15 minutes while we waited for AAA."
"Yeah, but, running out of gas on date night really sucks."

"...and Snickers were fifty cents at the checkout counter that day."
"Oh, are y'all having financial problems?"

"...and this light shade of gray is PERFECT for their room."
"UGH. But, painting!"

It's really just a matter of perspective, isn't it?

While I believe that optimism is generally hard-wired, I believe that it can be installed. All of us can choose to see little annoyances and our batch of "first world problems" as reasons to be a Debbie Downer (to each other, on social media, on anything in our path) or we can choose to find some shred of light in them.

It might be easier for some of us, harder for others. Just like most things in life.

But, it's still a choice.

There is SO much to be apathetic and grumbly about:

The economy.
Ungrateful kids.
Traffic.
Moral decline.
Long lines.
Naggy bosses.
Clutter.

And, there are a whole lot of people taking the microphone to grumble about them. It takes ZERO effort to find the "pain in the ass" in just about every situation.

But, to the glass half fulls -

Fight for it.
Don't let the world snuff it out of you.
Keep finding the good in the bad.
Let them stare.
Let them grumble.

Instead:

Make out.
Snicker.
Paint.

The world needs our perspective, too.