We are in the first week of a new year so I will start out on a positive note.
I am sure we can all make a long list of negatives. The not so positive list could include: our government can't seem to agree on much of anything; statements for our Christmas spending are already arriving; car payments come more than once a month; the weather is not suitable; people are not nice; our team didn't win; my washing machine went out; I gained too much weight over the holidays; and I have to go back to work. The negative list can go on and on.
As we go into the New Year, let's do our best to focus on positive things and ignore the negativity all around.
Have you ever noticed negativity is contagious? We can start the day out in a good mood and have a short "negative" conversation with someone, and all of a sudden the mood has changed and we can't seem to get back the positive.
I am offering a challenge to all of us to try to keep a positive attitude and see if it can relieve some of the negativity around us. It will make 2019 a better year.
Several years ago I wrote a column similar to this one and I got a response from a reader who advised me to 'get my head out of the sand and live in the real world.'
I really do think for the most part we can live in the real world where we have real problems and still maintain a positive outlook on life. It may not be easy and it may take effort, but it could be worth a try.
Charity and love have seemed to abound through the recent holidays. People were paying off layaways for strangers, food baskets and toys were distributed to the less fortuate.
I had a local person tell of someone (whom she did not know) pay for her groceries in the check-out line as they wished her a Merry Christmas.
Every morning when we wake up and are able to get out of bed, we should look forward to the day and meet the challenges head on. We have all heard the old saying about the man who felt sorry for himself because he had no shoes until he met the man who had no feet. There is a lot to be learned about life from that one little sentence. Instead of dreading going to work, let's try to be thankful we have a job.
We should be excited about every New Year we are privileged to experience. We might make new friends. Maybe we can travel to a place we have never been before and see new and interesting things. We can take time to visit with our old friends. We can take time to read a book. Most families will have new babies born, and who can deny the miracle of a new baby.
There are things around us we cannot change but there are things we do have the power to change such as our own attitudes and our own outlook on life.
A friend once did me a favor and would take nothing in return. I thanked her and tried to pay her. Her answer has stayed with me through the years. She said, 'The only thing we will take with us when we leave this world is what we have given away.'
We all have our ups and downs but even when we seem to be in the valley, let's look up as we are walking out. Remember, positive is always better than negative.