Positive View
As I was stepping out on a particularly cold morning a few days ago, so was my neighbor. I commented that that cold weather was far from over, however he had a more positive view. He pointed out that the days were already getting longer and that we would see the January thaw any day. And then, after a short February, March with its warming rays would appear. Interesting view given that we are all aware that time simply flies by after we reach a certain age.
I thought that was a motivating way of looking at the two months of cold winter weather still in the offing in our part of the world. Rather than complaining about the less-than-welcome temperature, my neighbor is concentrating on the better days to come. And the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Don’t let the bad of today get you down because the good of tomorrow is not far behind. It puts the This-Too-Shall-Pass adage into concrete action.
Can this positive view be used in other aspects of our lives, I wondered. A gentleman who manages a small store in my neighborhood certainly thinks so. He broke his right arm when he fell on an icy patch a week of so ago. When I commented that he must feel frustrated at having to rely on others to do things he can’t manage with his arm in a sling, he replied that it had its benefits. He said that it gives him a chance to sit down more often, and that when he uses the computer he has to input with his left hand. “A little awkward at first, and slower, but I’m getting used to it. Besides, doing things using your non-dominant hand from time to time is good for the brain. So it’s not all bad.”
He is right. Research is showing that making an effort to do some things with your left hand (if you are right handed – or vice versa) is proving to be helpful in the prevention of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It is something I try to do often.
So that man is right. A positive view on whatever happens in life has its benefits. We only need to look for them.
