Glass Is Half Full

***This post has been edited for clarification, after reader feedback. Please see edit at the bottom of this post.***

"Why hello there! Fine day isn't it?"

"How are you today?"

"How may I help you?"

"C'mon, turn that frown upside down!"
"Do you want fries with that?"

Do you ever feel irritated when you wake up on the wrong side of bed & just aren't ready to greet the day, & you come across someone who is just SO PERKY  & FULL OF ENERGY? Uggh!! Often times, these people will be wearing a smile on their face that looks like it was painted on because they have no facial lines that go in the opposite direction. They may say hello, give the customary "how are you", & then if you say you're tired or that you wish it was Friday already, they chastise you & say "cheer up....it's a beautiful day...the day has just begun....your day will be what you make it!". They may be wondering who poured vinegar in your corn flakes, all while you may be thinking of ways to shove those corn flakes up their nose! Perky people can be so annoying, right?

"Well things will look brighter for you tomorrow."

"Now, now...you can't expect things to get better with an attitude like that!"

"Don't worry, everything will all work out."

And my personal favorite.......

"I'll be praying for you."

I'm a Christian, & I have told people I'll be praying for them also. I mean it sincerely when I say I will pray for someone, & I DO pray for them. I believe in the power of prayer, so to me, I'm showing I care when I say that I'm praying for someone. But it can be off-putting to hear prayer being offered as merely a platitude, without sincerity, if the person doing the praying happens to actually be in a position to help in a TANGIBLE way, yet doesn't do so. If one really wants to practice Christian love toward someone, by all means, pray....but do something tangible too, if you're able. I'm just saying....

To the person saying that things will look brighter for you tomorrow, how do THEY know that? Are THEY the ones with the electricity about to be shut off or the spouse having an affair? Do THEY know about some secret money cache that is going to magically put gas in the car & milk in the fridge till payday next week? Platitudes that people give to others can be downright annoying, right? Especially when the person has NO CLUE!!

Or how about the person who scolds you for your attitude, & tells you things will be better for you if you just had a more positive outlook on life? "Life is what you make it, they may say". It makes you want to forget about inserting the corn flakes into the person's nose. You want to fling that bowl of cereal right across the room! I think we've all been there.

Well  here's a thought............

WHAT IF...

the person being perky,

wasn't really feeling perky after all?

WHAT IF...

it's all just a mask

to cover up their own problems?

OR.........

WHAT IF THEY'VE TRIED BEING

a "glass is half empty" 

type of person, & discovered....

THAT LIFE WORKS BETTER WHEN ONE HAS.....

A POSITIVE ATTITUDE!!!!!

Now THERE'S a concept!

Well, just as an annoyingly perky person can get on one's nerves because they haven't walked in the shoes of the person they're being perky to, it's worth considering that they might be on to something....

Perhaps they've had their own share of drama & stress, trial & heartache, & they have found that they're going to have the same problems either way, but that being positive at least helps make the problems more bearable....

I mean, haven't we all told a crying child at one time or another, that if they keep screaming & crying, their owie is just going to hurt even more? Maybe we have BEEN that crying child & we have discovered that when an adult said this to us, it turns out, they were right. Well, maybe that's all that the perky people are trying to do. Maybe they're trying to take our focus off of our pain & put it onto something else. You never know....

"I'm having a terrible day."

"Well, it looks like there's going to be trouble again."

"I have something I have to tell you. It's real important."

"I just don't know how I'm going to deal with this."

Everybody has problems, but there are those who skate right over them, seemingly without a worry in the world about how they are going to solve those problems, & then there are those who find problems in every single aspect of their day, & choose to dwell on those problems. Those are the ones with the EEYORE mentality. Most of us can remember Winnie the Pooh's "Eeyore", whose outlook on life went something like this: 

Tigger (he's the perky, annoying one): "Nice day today. Perfect day for bouncing."

Eeyore (the glass is half-empty one): "I don't see what's so good about it. Seems like an ordinary day to me."

Have you ever known someone whom you dreaded talking to? You know, that person whose name on your phone's caller ID lets you know that their call can go to voicemail? Have you ever ducked out the back door to avoid running into the Drama Queen? Or how about the guy who traps you in endless conversation in the lunch room, about every detail of his absolutely miserable life? I'd venture to guess we've all known someone like that, or maybe we have even been that person.

Here's what I want to say to people sometimes, but I refrain....

"Would you like some cheese with that whine?"

"C'mon...turn that frown upside down!"

"Now, now...you can't expect things to get better with an attitude like that!"

"Don't worry, everything will all work out."

And my personal favorite.......

"I'll be praying for you."

You see, I have been that perky person & have said those annoying things. People have likely wanted to take those corn flakes, add vinegar to them, & shove them up my nose. I may have deserved it too, for trying to add a little sugar to their sour flakes.

But I have had my own share of bad days, my own pain, my own struggles...

I have suffered loss. I've been through an ugly divorce. My child was snatched from me in a kidnapping fashion & returned a year later. My father died on my birthday. I had debilitating morning sickness that landed me in a hospital 3 times, & I almost died....

I've had a miscarriage. I've been in an emotionally & verbally abusive & controlling relationship in the past, that spanned for many years. My parents & brother all died within an 8-month period. I've experienced family tension & loss of family relationships with certain people....

I've experienced financial stress. I've watched my children go through tremendous stress & pain in their own lives, & that has been difficult. My son went off to war, & I worried night & day that I'd get that dreaded knock on the door that some of my military friends have received, telling me that my son had been killed (which thankfully never came). I have health issues, that get in the way of the things I want to do sometimes....

BUT!!!!!!!!

I have learned, that the difference between

having boarded onto the Crazy Train....

& maintaining sanity & peace of mind.....

IS THE WAY I HANDLE THE THINGS THAT COME MY WAY.

Life isn't always peachy. Sometimes, it's downright HARD!!!

BUT I KNOW THIS:

"You reap what you sow."

"Life IS what you make it."

"Things really CAN be better tomorrow."

I know people who live in the drama. Sure, life has its ups & downs, & right now, the season of their life is one of drought & heartache. Sometimes, that's just the way things are. I mean, sometimes, a person can do the best they can, give their all, & STILL, life will hand them lemons, & trials will come their way. 

I have a theory about that. My life isn't easy. I've had my share of trials. Heck, my family STILL has stressful situations that crop up, sometimes quite often! But....as a Christian, I believe that when we dwell on the negative of a situation, we open ourselves up to negative situations.

It all boils down to the "reaping what you sow" concept. If you sow negativity in how you approach the situations that come along in your life, then you are going to NOTICE more negative things going on around you. You are going to place your focus on those negative things, when there could be lots of positive things ALSO going on around you. 

I know someone who is a very special person, just for the person they are, & for the integrity & goodness they possess. This person has a heart of gold & has always helped others, often putting their own needs last. BUT.... 

If there were 20 stacks of $100 bills, spread out on a table in front of this person, I promise you, this person would think the money was nice, but would complain that the table is wobbly. 

SO HERE'S MY CHALLENGE:

FOR EVERY ICKY THING ONE IS DEALING WITH TODAY,

FIND 2 THINGS THAT ARE POSITIVE, GOING ON AROUND YOU.

THINK IT CAN'T BE DONE?

THINK AGAIN.

Life IS what you make it. When given lemons, make lemonade, as they say. When you run out of gas & have to walk home in the blazing heat (I've been there, done that), look around you, & enjoy the wildflowers in the fields you pass by, & listen to the birds singing....

Whether one believes in God & in what the Bible says, there's no denying the wisdom of Matthew 6, verses 25-34:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

SO!

ARE WE GOING TO BE A "GLASS IS HALF FULL" TYPE OF PERSON,

OR....

ARE WE GOING TO BE AN  "EEYORE...THANKS FOR NOTICING ME....GLASS IS HALF EMPTY" TYPE OF DUDE OR DUDETTE? (NOTE THE COLOR OF THIS TYPING...NOT VERY ATTRACTIVE, IS IT? NEITHER IS THE ATTITUDE)

THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THAT LIFE WILL BE SMOOTH SAILING FOR US IF WE HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE...

BUT I CAN PROMISE YOU THIS:

IT WILL BE A HECK OF A LOT EASIER TO COPE WITH THE BAD STUFF AS WELL AS BEING ABLE TO ENJOY THE GOOD, WHEN OUR FOCUS IS ON WHAT'S RIGHT IN OUR LIVES, RATHER THAN ON WHAT'S WRONG IN THEM.

WHO'S WITH ME???

Let me know what you think, by clicking on one of the "Reactions" boxes at the end of this post...

Or if you prefer to leave other feedback, feel free to use my feedback form next to my "ABOUT ME" section near my profile pic on this blog. Let's see if we can 

"SPREAD A LITTLE SUNSHINE"

"PUT A LITTLE SPRING IN ONE'S STEP"....

(and all those other perky, annoying, but oh so wonderful platitudes)!!

***EDIT: After receiving reader feedback, I realize that I needed to clarify my use of the Bible's words concerning "pagans", in the Biblical Scripture verses referenced above. When the book of Matthew was written, the Jews &  Christians of that time period considered "pagans" to be those who were neither Jewish nor Christian. It did not have the same meaning in Biblical times as it has today. The term "pagans" in the Bible, referred to those who did not worship the God of Abraham, who is the God of both Jews & Christians alike. The Bible reference to "pagans" in this scripture, was not intended to insult such individuals. The writer of the book of Matthew, was making the point that if those who worship & place their trust in Jehovah God are worried & are not trusting God, then they are no different than those who do not worship or put their trust in Jehovah God (Gentiles, or Pagans as they were called in those days). Please feel free to message me using the "feedback form" or comment on this post, with any feedback. I am happy to clarify further.***