This has been on my mind for a few days, but a close friend really drove the point home this morning. She wondered what point there is to ‘good’ when everything seems so damned negative… For the last few days, I’ve been reflecting on how much I can focus on the negative, and what I don’t like or am unhappy about; I so often forget to share the positive. (It’s kind of like the evening news; who cares if it’s a good story, show us the blood and gore!)
Maybe if we all spent even just a few minutes out of every day reflecting on the positive in our lives, the negatives would seem less negative – it’s certainly a nice idea. Better yet, we should spend that time vocalizing it to the people we are about. And, at the moment, it’s an idea I’d like to try. After all, I have a few years to catch up on…
Friday was a beautiful morning. I woke on my own, without an alarm clock. It was a rather luxurious 11am when I woke up, and I took my time showering. The day was beautiful; clear, crisp weather. Blue skies, no clouds, birds chirping, and squirrels chattering. The air had a fresh snap to it, full of promise. I wandered in to work at 12:30 in the afternoon, had a good lunch, and my afternoon meeting went well. I had absolutely no need to self medicate with free alcohol after the meeting; I drank just to have a few beers with friends. Later in the afternoon, Karen – a charming girl I work with – was offered a full time position at Microsoft. And in the evening I went out with Jen and Diana; drinking, dinner, and girl talk.
How more perfect a day could you ask?
Saturday dawned with the same beauty and promise, and the day was all I could have hoped for. I spent it in the company of six people who are intelligent, funny, scatterbrained; who have gone out of their way to make me feel included in their social group.
But really, my positives, my blessings, extend so much further than waking up to a warm day. I have wonderful friends…
Russell, who can follow the most esoteric conversations, who I can talk to about anything, who always had a wise word or comfortable shoulder to lean against. Deb, who keeps me grounded, and is my window, my connection to being a woman. Willie, who touches my soul with his smiles, who never lets me take myself too seriously. Fredrik and Adam, who are constantly showing up my expectations, and who are teaching me how to make friends again. Diana, Dave, Karen, Jen, Ryan, Athena, Jeff… all taking the time from their busy lives to include me in their social lives and friendships, all teaching me that new people see me as interesting and compelling.
Most mornings I wake with a smile, most evenings one of my friends is the last thought across my mind before I sleep. I don’t take as much time as I should to thank these people, to tell them what an impact they have on me, how wonderful I think they are. I imagine we’re all like that – we forget to share our positive impressions, but we never drop the negative ones. Perhaps it’s something we could all try, just a little, to change. Perhaps we can always wake to blue skies.