Apr 22 2009
Good Things Are Happening (No Matter What the Grumps Say)
There are people in this world who are offended if you wish them a good morning. Too many. My posting, It’s Spring and Good Things Are Happening! brought one of them out of the woodwork. He complained long and loud, accusing me of partisan BS (a term used throughout his comment).
What is wrong with looking for signs of hope? What is wrong with looking at the good things in our lives? True, a few out-of-state license plates does not impact the global economy, but in our town it could create some jobs, even if they are part-time at a convenience store. It’s also true that larger phone orders will not mean the recession is at an end, but it’s a start and it means jobs.
Our state has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, and yet, several times a week I speak with someone who has a new job. It may not be a full time job or a great job, but it is a job and they are happy to have it.
A good attitude goes a long way towards making things better, and it does not matter what those things are. Be glad you saved three bucks with coupons or that your cat didn’t have kittens. Good things are there if you look for them. Maybe you’ll have to dig a little or even a lot, but the pay off is worth it. You’ll feel better and so will those around you.
Going around in a black funk 24/7 will benefit no one. That is not a partisan statement, it’s the truth. The worse you feel, the worse you will feel. Republican or Democrat, anyone can benefit by looking for the good in each day.
I was accused of trying to make the president look better. He didn’t create this mess and he and everyone working with him are trying to get our economy moving again. Some people do not agree with how they are going about it and complain about higher taxes when in fact income tax rates are at their lowest point in decades. Few give any positive input and fewer still take the time to find the truth.
I know many people spend their days tuned into talk radio. Saying anything positive is not part of their script. The talking heads make their ratings by scaring people. Listening to that for very long can make you want to jam pencils in your eyes and jump off the roof!
Politics aside, how we face each day determines how our day will go. If we have hope and a positive attitude, things will go better, maybe not every day, but overall. You can see the glass as half empty and be miserable and negative. Or you can choose to see it as half full and look for the opportunities that you might otherwise miss. As Henry Ford said, “Think you can, or think you can’t, either way you will be right.”
I do my best to avoid negative people. They are down and they want to keep others down with them. The old saying, “Misery loves company,” has been around for so long because it’s true. Some people really get off on bad news. They are the first to tell it and frequently embellish it to the worst case scenario. A tragedy makes them practically orgasmic. And to the crabby dude who didn’t like my post, smile! Even after this recession ends, you’ll find something else to bitch about, people like you always do.
