Optimism in a Cruel World

Sometimes in life we wish for things and hang on to them so dearly it hurts. At first it's the grasp of hope and what the possible future may hold.  A bright-eyed, optimistic, dream-like hope of what may be. I think many optimists and dreamers sometimes get caught up in this mode and as some would say, the higher you go, the further the fall. I too am one of those hopeful, optimistic creatures after many years of feeling hopeless, worthless and downright sad. I found that the hopeful, optimistic side of life, even with the risk of failure and fall, is so much better than the former. It took me a while to get there. I dabbled a little in optimism like a recreational artist and dipped my toe in the pool of hope like a toddler's first swim. And like many, once it didn't go may way, I backed up and was reluctant to put myself at emotional risk of being hurt.   When I was brave enough to dabble and dip again, I stayed a bit longer. Not like a rubber band that snaps back, I got zapped a few more times. But at the same time, the rubber band effect gained more elasticity and the zaps less stinging so I stayed dabbling and dipping longer each time. And while the fail was a little bigger and fall a little further, the time spent feeling the hope and optimism stayed twice as long. So being a bit of an analyst at times, the math supported my actions and the scientific side of me said: keep hoping, keep being optimistic and keep dreaming. While a failure or fall may hurt, give it time and then learn from it. So now I am no longer a dabbler but a daredevil in optimism -- dreaming up the craziest things, absorbing nature's beauty like a sponge, and seeing great things in people -- even people I don't particularly like -- with the optimism some day others may see what I see. And I no longer dip my toe in hope but drown myself in hope -- seeing hopeful things everywhere -- in a person's smile, in somebody's tears, in a the sounds of laughter and in the tears of my hurts. Now I let myself feel those things and label myself a risk taker.

I am willing now to risk a failure or fall for the exhilaration of optimism and hope and all it can bring. Even in the midst of a failing relationship, I am blessed for the time I had with this person, for the lessons I learned when things were not going well and for the happy times and laughter. A fall yes, but I won't dwell there long. I will be optimistic good things lay ahead for me and the other. I will hold on to hope for a bright, happy future for each of us. And the amazing thing of all of this is I see the change in my children -- they are seeing the example I am setting - resilience and optimism in a cruel world.  I am seeing this hope in the people around me, sharing my positive energy and shielding myself from negative energy. So it there is anything to take away -- optimism and hope are possible, even in a cruel world. It does take practice so don't expect overnight results. It takes fails and falls to appreciate the optimism and hope. It takes risks of being hurt or vulnerable relationships but the math will show the optimism and hope has a power twice as good as the negative of hurt. Keep your head up, get back on your feet, and march forward. And if you're blessed to have achieved this, lend a hand, lift another and be an shoulder to lean on for another to march forward. Keep smiling, keep hoping and keep that optimism flowing forward.   ~ChaCha

#Optimism #Hope #Hurt #Failure