We have all gone through our share of sorrow and disappointments. They seem to come in waves and then the tide will turn and you will have calm and stability for a while. Sometimes it is hard to not get all negative and bitter when you are experiencing the hard waves and they keep slapping you down.
However, I like to think of Pollyanna (by Eleanor H. Porter) and the glad game she played continuously. No matter what happened, she would find something about that situation to be glad about. Polyanna proclaimed that the harder it is to find something to be glad about, the more fun it is. Here is what she said:
"Only-only sometimes it's almost too hard-like when your father goes
to Heaven, and there isn't anybody but a Ladies' Aid left.'
Yes, or when you're put in a snippy little room way at the top of the house with nothin' in it,' growled Nancy. Pollyanna sighed. (There were no pictures, not even a mirror.)
That was a hard one, at first,' she admitted, specially when I was so kind of lonesome. I just didn't feel like playing the game, anyway, and I HAD been wanting pretty things, so! Then I happened to think how I hated to see my freckles in the looking-glass, and I saw that lovely picture out the window, too; so then I knew I'd found the things to be glad about. You see, when you're hunting for the glad things, you sort of forget the other kind-like the doll you wanted, you know.
Economic times are bad. Soldiers are being killed every day. Crime is up, the environment is in jeopardy and yet, there are always people who are thankful for whatever they have. Sometimes tragedy causes us to be more grateful. Even after 9/11, many people reported increased feelings of gratitude, says Chris Peterson, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan.
Wow! It seems like it's a win, win situation. I think I am going to follow Oprah's example and begin a gratitude journal. Sarah Ban Breathnach explains the purpose behind the gratitude journal: As you focus on the abundance rather than on the lack in your life, you will be designing a wonderful new blueprint for the future. This sense of fulfillment is gratitude at work, transforming your dreams into reality.
I am thankful for all of you my Searchwarp Friends. Happy Thanksgiving.
She is currently writing for The Pasco Shopper (Fl.) and The Highlands at Scotland Yards. Also writes poetry and short stories.She has a new personal web site:http://thedragonflylady.com/
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