01/16/2023

Welcome to day sixteen of Just Jot It January for 2023. Today’s word is optimism.

“What day is it?” asked Pooh.
“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
“My favorite day,” said Pooh.”

― A.A. Milne

I love this quote. This is the level of optimism I hope to have in my life.

The pandemic turned our world upside down, not only increasing our fears about the virus, sickness, and loss of life but also fears about our world in general. Mistrust reigned throughout the press and social media. Political shenanigans became the norm. Violence became much more prevalent. I think it was partially because of fear. As a result, I turned inward a little further with every passing month. It was difficult.

Regaining my optimism did not happen overnight.

I remember seeing how quickly nature changed when people locked themselves away. Do you remember seeing the photos of the animals coming into city streets to regain their world? It made me hopeful we could find a way to recover from the damage we had done to our planet. I suppose this is one of the reasons I am so tolerant of the animals here in these mountains. This is their home and I am optimistic we will learn to preserve it not only for them but for ourselves as well.

Living smaller helped. It became easier to recognize what was important. We learned how happy we could be with less. We found new ways to stay connected to those we love. It was not the life we wanted to lead, but we made it work. We helped each other.

Even now it may be hard to find optimism, but each day is easier than the last.

Here’s my optimistic TO DO list:

Spend time with friends and family now that you can do so safely
Smile at friends and people on the street – remember when masks hid our faces?
Enjoy the outlook of children. They have amazing positivity filters.
Spend time with animals, too. They lower your blood pressure.
Express the love you feel. Say I love you. Call a friend. Write an email or send a card.
Filter your exposure to negative news and negative social media. Amplify the light.
Move your body.
Laugh when you can and cry when you feel the need. Emote!
When you cannot find the words, write anyway.
Be like Pooh and Piglet. Make the choice for every day to be your favorite.

If all else fails, lighten your heart and watch feel-good videos like this oldie. It still makes me so stinkin’ happy.