Thursday, March 06, 2014

Optimism!

The Kitties always dress in costume when they visit famous sites.
 Mary England of Uncustomary has set this month's theme as Optimism.

Perfect! If you ask any one that knows me they'll tell you that I'm an optimist, though I went through a period where I wasn't but that was temporary and unusual. Why am I optimistic? I have no idea, I wish I could tell you why. If I could I'd write a book and cure the world of pessimism. oh well.

 My parents were optimists, maybe that helps, being around people like that growing up. Or maybe it's in the DNA? I'm sure there are already books on this subject, probably lots of them, I haven't checked.

There's plenty to get down about, just read the news, watch TV, listen to the radio, all bad stuff that most of us can't do a thing about.

 I'm lucky! I can make stuff and that takes me away from the bad news into the state of bliss that fills me up with optimism.

And I can hang out with children in a fun way, like yesterday spending time with my friends' 6 year old. Wow, what fun that was to just have a conversation with him. Or spending lots of time looking at a photo album of baby photos with my grand, who just loves doing that. Lucky me.
 And then there's the cat, who helps us laugh and forget the bad stuff in the world. Lucky us. A moment to laugh!

Why is this bag so intriguing? He loves getting into it.

I got Mail Art the other day from someone in South Africa. On the outside it said "full," on the inside was a card that said "empty."  I guess optimism is the one that puts the focus on "full."

And here's a quote from Wendell Berry that says "optimism" to me:
"Be joyful /
though you have considered all the facts."

My wish for you - have a full day, full of things that will give you joy and a sense of optimism.

4 comments:

Margie said...

What a lovely post Mim!

Carly said...

I'm glad you're so inherently optimistic! My pets never cease to make me laugh at least twice a day. I'm so lucky to have kitties and pet rats and dogs all full of personality. :)

uncustomary said...

Thank you so much for participating again, Mim! I love this post a lot, and I think the whole genetic aspect to optimism is a really interesting topic. There definitely are studies on it if you were ever interested in finding out more. Either way, growing up surrounded by optimistic people is going to make it a lot easier to find your own positive attitude.

Mail Adventures said...

I enjoyed your post a lot. I also think I'm very lucky.

How did I get into this?

I was asked when I started doing Mailart. Good question. Like many artists, I was making and mailing art without even knowing it had a name ...