Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Positivity VS The World At Large

Picture by Shish Kebabness

After a lovely two weeks of holidays and being in a “Holiday Spirit Coma” I finally had to come back to reality yesterday and head back to work; and boy was that hard hit!
During the holidays you don’t really realize how generally positive and hopeful the world seems, until you all head back to work after that long vacation turn on the news when you get home or pick up the paper and BOOM “12 people killed in Gaza, 3 shootings on the east side of town, someone stole an old mans wheelchair and all of his money, A child suffocated while being restrained in a mental care facility……” Ect. Ect. (these we real news stories from yesterday) ….and there goes your cloud of positivity, just like that. Poof up in smoke….

I it’s a damn shame when the only good news on the evening news is ONE story about how two 7 years olds in Germany tried to catch a plane to Africa so that they could “elope” a heartwarming cute story yes, but at the same time, tremendously sparse compared to the stories we heard during Christmas…”Good Samaritan brings toys to family after they were robbed”…ect.

Maybe its just that we are in such a good mood (most of us) during the holidays that we do not HEAR the bad news, or maybe it is a media plot to get everyone jolly, then let them down a few weeks later with stories of crime and recession.

So starting today, I aim to be positive, to try to keep the sunny out look that I came close to losing last night. No CNN no MSNBC, BBC, NPR or any other news outlets for that matter, for at least a week, it’s all too depressing, I even set up a positive list on my iPod this morning of uplifting music, or music that doesn’t make me cry, No Three Doors Down, Sad Counting Crows, Staind or Linkin Park, who recently have gotten extremely depressive with “The Sun Will Set for You” don’t get me wrong I do like these bands, but the other day I found myself listening to a Stained song without realizing it right away, and I said out loud, “good god shut up already you whiney….”Expletive”

I don’t want to think about suicide, death, destruction and turmoil. Don’t get me wrong I am certainly one to blast Kittie or NIN at the top of my speakers on the way home from a bad day at work, but I don’t generally want to hear it on a cold ass cloudy day (which in Cleveland is the norm) when I am on my way to a job that I some times feels is going nowhere.

Phew!!
So in closing, here is what I propose to do to make life a bit more positive:

Quit being a news junkie
Compliment one person at least a day.
Say hello to someone in the hall at work that I have never said hi to before, or to someone who doesn’t seem too friendly.
Spend more time wrestling around with my loving puppy dog, or my husband for that matter WOOOO!!!
Try to find the good, even if it is miniscule in a crappy day.

And that’s all I have.

Well I am off to try to make this the most positive day that I can…..it will be a challenge!

1 comment:

Mary Elizabeth said...

Heather, I loved this blog! It reminds me..there is this homeless man here in Panama City who literally carries a wagon full of stuffed animals, wearing a cowboy hat and holds a huge sign that reads, "Be Positive". He is known throughout our community. People laugh at him and it pisses me off. I always honk and smile. It's like he is devoting his life to make others smile. Anywhoo, I know what you mean about the news and music sucking you in for sure. You are so awesome. Pretty soon you will be singing a beautiful song to your sweet baby.