Being Optimistic

It really is a wonderful time to be alive.  Sometimes we let our cares and responsibilities get in the way of appreciating that.  But here we are with the wonders of technology, a peaceful society (well, mostly peaceful), and indoor plumbing!  We live better now than kings did a few hundred years ago.  Pretty amazing.

A wise man once said, "We cannot control the things that happen to us, but we can control our attitude."  I don't know why I put that in quotes because it's probably not even close to what the actual quote is, but the gist is the same.  I can't stop work from being busy, or the bills from coming in, or the kids from being - well, kids.  But I can stop work from being stressful, or the bills from being depressing, or the kids from being frustrating.  That's where attitude comes in.

A negative attitude makes bad things worse.  A positive attitude can make bad things better (or at least not so bad) and helps to focus on the good things.

I choose to be optimistic.  It doesn't make my problems go away but it allows me to be happy anyway.