I AM AN OPTIMIST, BUT NOT A BRIGHTSIDER,
WHICH MEANS . . . MY GLASS IS ALWAYS
HALF FULL, BUT I AM OPEN TO THE POSSIBILITY
THAT IT IS HALF FULL OF POISONOUS BEES.
(Joshilyn Jackson)
I feel such a sense of relief when I read those words.
I believe I am pessimistic by nature and so I struggle with being positive. It is a struggle I choose to engage in - I could just give up and be a grumpy downer the rest of my life - but it is also one where I'm constantly throwing my hands in the air and rolling my eyes at my inability to see the bright side of things.
Now I realize, if I can catch a glimpse of that bright side, if I can see a glimmer, a spark, a shine, that's good enough. I am too suspicious to be an all out Pollyanna. I am too drawn to the shadows to live totally in the light. I like to poke at the dark corners - something the bright side of the street doesn't have - with a stick (a very long one, but still.) If I can stay out of the pit of gloom and doom, even if I'm teetering on the edge, then I'm good with that.
How about you all? Where do you fall in the optimist - pessimist spectrum?
I lean towards Joshilyn's description. Maybe instead of bees it's just sand though.
ReplyDeleteAnd I tend to see things more positive for others than for myself.
I love the quote at the beginning and I think I probably could've written this post. Don't think I could've described where I fall on the spectrum any better.
ReplyDeleteAlex - yeah, I'm not so crazy about the bees part myself. And isn't it funny that we can be more positive for other people and not so much for ourselves?
ReplyDeleteMJ - it's always nice to know we' re not alone in our craziness, isn't it? :)
What a great quote. I couldn't help myself from chuckling.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm a realist, so I guess that puts me in the middle of the o/p spectrum.
Donna
Oh, this quote is amazing. So true!
ReplyDeleteI'm too suspicious to be a Pollyanna, too. I don't trust people like that either!
Donna - glad you got a chuckle out of it. :)
ReplyDeleteEmily - it's funny, because I want to study those Pollyanna-like people and figure out how they got that way, if it's inborn, if they work at it or a combination of some sort. :)
What a perfect quote! I'm way to skeptical to be a Pollyanna. Though I do try to play the glad game sometimes. :) I'd say I'm a skeptical optimist who's not blind to the realities of life. How's that? LOL
ReplyDeletePam - ha ha ha! I love that - "skeptical optimist." :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a lot like you and Joshilyn, though with an edge of bitterness that can't help clenching its teeth when I hear folks spouting their tired "think happy thoughts!" platitudes...some folks are so relentlessly cheerful they put me in mind of hopped up Smurfs. :-)
ReplyDeleteSome Dark Romantic
Mina - ha ha! "Hopped up Smurfs." I think it's all about balance, finding the positive but not necessarily dismissing the negative, recognize it all but then lean toward the light.
ReplyDeleteThis is so hilarious!!! I'm one of those annoying optimists. It takes a lot to get me down. If I got stung my poisonous bees I would be convinced it was "meant to be" :)
ReplyDeleteAngela - instead of lemonade out of lemons it'd be honey out of bees. :)
ReplyDeletei am a realist, i doubt there'd be bees in the glass, but a clear liquid could be water, vodka or an odorless colorless potion...hmmm =)
ReplyDeleteon the whole i feel negative in my realism, as i constantly correct & punish my kids hoping they will grow into productive adults! expect the worst & hope for the best is my motto!
Tara - vodka, huh? I would think that would make you happier, if not more positive. :)
ReplyDeleteI kinda vaccilate. But I strive to be the optimist.
ReplyDeleteYou've expressed the way I am pretty well. I like to trend toward the optimistic side but I can always find negative arguments to counter whatever I've feeling. I feel like I'm in an eternal internal struggle.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, I want to believe in the best and that good things are gonna happen.
Lee
Wrote By Rote
Simon - I think it's good to aim for the positive, even if we don't always achieve it.
ReplyDeleteLee - seeing the positive and negative, seeing all the sides of an issue can go either way. I find it works well in my writing but it sometimes hinders my ability to make a decision.