clevermanka (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
clevermanka) wrote2008-02-06 08:07 am
clevermanka) wrote2008-02-06 08:07 am
Entry tags:
Positively charged
I've been thinking about being a positive person. I recently saw someone describe himself as a pessimist (or, at least surprised that people would think of him as other than negative), and I've been having conversations with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mckitterick, bestill, and others about allowing the negativity of others to overwhelm one's person.
My parents are oppositely charged. My father is an optimist. He focuses on the good in life and people (except when it comes to Dick Cheney, whom we agree is pretty much 100% evil). It's my belief that Daddy's success and random good luck are directly related to his attitude. While it's not guaranteed that everything will always be sunshine and roses, believing that good things will happen certainly does increase the chances. My mother is a pessimist (and readily admits to it). She rarely sees the cup half-full. In fact, she often doesn't even bother to look for a glass.
Here's a perfect example. When I visited them last year, they had recently rented the Disney movie Eight Below. Mommy was furious at Daddy for "making" her watch it. Here's the gist of the conversation I got to hear on the way home from the airport:
Mommy: So your father made me watch the movie Eight Below. Have you seen it?
Me: No. Was it so bad?
Daddy: It wasn't bad. Your mom just didn't like the way it ended.
Mommy: Of course I didn't like the way it ended! Half the dogs died!
Daddy: Five of the dogs lived, though.
Mommy: Who cares! I sat through the whole movie, and half the dogs died.
There you have it. Pretty typical of my parents and their ways of thinking.
When I was a teenager, I was closer to my mom, because we share a tendency towards sarcasm, and as a teen, it's easier to be morose and bitchy than to make the effort to look on the bright side. But as an adult, I've become much closer to my father with his open, hopeful heart.
As I look at my life and my personality, I ask myself: Do I want to become my mother? Do I want her mental and spiritual burdens (burdens that I believe have manifested in various health problems)? Do I want to be known for being negative? Or do I want to start modeling myself after my father, who despite weight problems, knee surgeries, and a hectic lifestyle, always has a smile and a humorous story?
To me, the answer is obvious.
I'm not saying I'll give up my occasional snark or sarcastic jibe. I certainly don't expect that just because I'm making this change, my whole life is going to be happy-happy flower time. I understand that shitty things happen, and I can't prevent those things from happening. But I can change how I react to them, and how I allow them to affect me.
Looking over my past few months of LJ entries, there is more whining and bitching than I would like to see here (about things like weather, and my hair for godssake). I'm going to stop that. Internal changes. I am going to surround myself with people who are positive. People who are happy. External changes.
Sometimes, change is good.
mckitterick, bestill, and others about allowing the negativity of others to overwhelm one's person. My parents are oppositely charged. My father is an optimist. He focuses on the good in life and people (except when it comes to Dick Cheney, whom we agree is pretty much 100% evil). It's my belief that Daddy's success and random good luck are directly related to his attitude. While it's not guaranteed that everything will always be sunshine and roses, believing that good things will happen certainly does increase the chances. My mother is a pessimist (and readily admits to it). She rarely sees the cup half-full. In fact, she often doesn't even bother to look for a glass.
Here's a perfect example. When I visited them last year, they had recently rented the Disney movie Eight Below. Mommy was furious at Daddy for "making" her watch it. Here's the gist of the conversation I got to hear on the way home from the airport:
Mommy: So your father made me watch the movie Eight Below. Have you seen it?
Me: No. Was it so bad?
Daddy: It wasn't bad. Your mom just didn't like the way it ended.
Mommy: Of course I didn't like the way it ended! Half the dogs died!
Daddy: Five of the dogs lived, though.
Mommy: Who cares! I sat through the whole movie, and half the dogs died.
There you have it. Pretty typical of my parents and their ways of thinking.
When I was a teenager, I was closer to my mom, because we share a tendency towards sarcasm, and as a teen, it's easier to be morose and bitchy than to make the effort to look on the bright side. But as an adult, I've become much closer to my father with his open, hopeful heart.
As I look at my life and my personality, I ask myself: Do I want to become my mother? Do I want her mental and spiritual burdens (burdens that I believe have manifested in various health problems)? Do I want to be known for being negative? Or do I want to start modeling myself after my father, who despite weight problems, knee surgeries, and a hectic lifestyle, always has a smile and a humorous story?
To me, the answer is obvious.
I'm not saying I'll give up my occasional snark or sarcastic jibe. I certainly don't expect that just because I'm making this change, my whole life is going to be happy-happy flower time. I understand that shitty things happen, and I can't prevent those things from happening. But I can change how I react to them, and how I allow them to affect me.
Looking over my past few months of LJ entries, there is more whining and bitching than I would like to see here (about things like weather, and my hair for godssake). I'm going to stop that. Internal changes. I am going to surround myself with people who are positive. People who are happy. External changes.
Sometimes, change is good.