Hopelessly hopeful
I’m a positive thinker. Almost to a fault, some would say. I’ve been known to express positive thoughts in some hopeless situations, to the chagrin of some who prefer to wallow in the misery of the moment. My waking thought each morning is: How will I make this a fantastic day? (Another time I’ll talk about how this relates to the waking thought of my husband….a story unto itself….).
Over decades of self-discipline, I’ve learned not to sweat the small stuff and focus instead on finding even the tiniest piece of good in most things. I find solace in HOPE.
And hope is what we need as we face this next period of unease, awaiting the hopefully quick disappearance of the “third wave”. Experts say this may not be the final wave. Others believe it’s a hump, albeit a large one, beyond which lies a life that is once again happy and safe. I prefer the latter prediction!
Lately, many have been thinking negatively, and I realized I’d been doing some of that myself. This was troubling, because it’s very un-me. I had to discover the source and end it!
I blamed the pandemic, its uncertainties and shifting restrictions. But blame is not the answer, is it? That’s just being more negative! I resolved to take my own advice and, rather than gripe at all the challenges facing the world, I would change how I reacted to them. Finding hope in everything.
Things are going great, but inevitably there’s a falling-off-the-tracks episode, like today.
“I’ve been on hold for ages – no-one’s picking up. Why don’t they hire more staff?” or “It looks like rain today, I won’t go grocery shopping although we need stuff”, or “This knife couldn’t cut through butter, how come nobody thinks of sharpening it?”
Unsettled, I coerced my son to go out with me for a therapeutic walk, bribing him with the promise of his favourite boba (with the side advantage of imbibing one myself). Off we went.
“That tree really should be cut down, it died long ago”, I commented.
“Goodness, why do people walk right by you when we’re all supposed to keep six feet apart? Why is always me who makes the first move?”
“Phones should be banned while walking. That lady almost tripped on the curb.”
Aargh! Negative thoughts! What’s happening to me? I had to STOP this and hope for a self-imposed solution.
So I launched into something I love - cooking. I began preparing ingredients for homemade sushi. The fridge wouldn’t cooperate, since I only found one sushi-worthy vegetable, two cracked slices of nori and no sushi rice.
Determined not to sweat the small stuff, I concluded that, in the world of “stuff”, this was definitely small. I decided to fix the problem and hoped the local sushi place was still in business.
It was! I ordered a huge tray of assorted sushi. And improved the sushi guy’s day. Happiness!
Each day is a journey, and we have choices to make, good or bad.
And we have hope that, no matter what, things will get better…….
It is, after all, a season of hope and new beginnings. Wishing all those who celebrate, a Happy Easter and Happy Spring!
If you need help discovering hope, email me: bernadette@gogettercoaching.com !