“You
are going to mow in this heat,” my next-door neighbor asked me as I was getting
ready to start the mower. “It’s way too hot to mow.”
It
was late last Friday afternoon when the oppressive heatwave of 2019 was
descending upon us. I was preparing to do my regular Saturday chores since my
husband and I were going to spend the weekend in Rockland with friends and
wouldn’t be around for the weekend for a more appropriate, less heat intensive
time to work on the lawn.
I
explained this to my neighbor who offered her condolences at my Friday
afternoon ‘luck’. “Well, sometimes life sucks,” I said, laughing. “That’s not
what you say and write about in the paper,” she joked back. Dang! She caught me…….
She
is correct and it is true. I often write about the upsides to life, seeing things
from an Anne of Green Gable, Pollyanna, it’s all good and positive perspective.
And, for the most part, that is true. But – as I have stated many times before,
for every truth that exists the opposite is also true. And that includes me and
the way I maneuver around in the world. If you don’t mind, I’m going to share
that other side with you because – after all – I don’t want to get “caught”
again.
Although
I do care about appearances – the way I present myself, the way I speak, the
way I write – all have an impact on me and does have some power over me. But in
the end, authenticity takes over and sometimes ruins all appearances I put
forth in my glass half full lifestyle. Although, at times, I know this can have
detrimental effects, I also am aware that you can’t fool people. Intelligent
people can see through a façade anyway – so why not be who you are at any given
moment, right?
I
think I come by optimism innately, but the darn thing is – I am human who vents
too much, spits venom when I am angry, stresses unnecessarily on publication
day and won’t back down when I argue with my husband (because, you know – I’m
always right.)
Being
human definitely has its downsides – and if I’m not careful, I’ll let the “appearances”
part take over, letting the feelings of failure slowly creep in my mind and
make itself way too comfortable when I’m not up on my game.
When
this happens, I remember the following quote by Stephen Dimmick:
“Being
optimistic doesn’t mean I don’t get angry. Being optimistic doesn’t mean I
don’t get sad. Being optimistic doesn’t mean I don’t speak my mind – sometimes
peacefully and sometimes with burning fire. Being optimistic doesn’t mean I
won’t argue with you or even walk away from you. Being optimistic simply means
I know the glass as full and overflowing with goodness despite living in my human
condition.”
So,
there you go! The truth is out.
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