I’m An Optimist–I Just Have to Work At It

In case you haven’t noticed, I try to remain fundamentally cheerful and optimistic on this blog. I figure that the world is full of enough overwrought, rant-filled, spiteful fare, so I aim to provide a little counterweight. Plus, it’s an exercise in self-discipline, for I am by nature fundamentally pessimistic and sometimes downright morose.

So, this morning, I pause to take in a lungful of crisp, autumn-tinged air and give thanks for the following:

  • My wife, who rather than committing me to the local mental hospital, playfully joined in my craziness last night and helped me track down and destroy that nasty wood roach (the mere sight of which caused me to go apopleptic) which managed to slip inside when I opened the door to the garage
  • Number One, who, despite being involved in two, count’em, TWO car wrecks (plus a close encounter as a pedestrian with another car which he has not seen fit to tell me about yet–I have my sources) since arriving in Tuscaloosa, is nonetheless in good health. I think.
  • Number Two, who, despite engaging in various envelope-pushing activities such as climbing and caving without proper gear and instruction and apparently wearing a bacteria-laden shin guard in last weekend’s soccer tournament in Memphis, merely has an infection in his right leg which can be treated with antibiotics at home rather than requiring hospitalization. We hope.
  • Number Three, who, because it his nature to go all out under even the most trivial circumstances, made a goal-saving slide tackle in the box in a match that didn’t matter one wit last night and came away with only a deep muscle bruise rather than another broken leg. Or at least that’s the way it looked when he went to bed last night.

And if that little exercise doesn’t do it, all I have to do is scan the morning headlines to realize how full my life is.

When you get right down to it, I’m an optimist–I just have to work at it.

9 Comments

  1. Terri

    I never really wanted children but I always thought if I did… I’d like three boys. It’s so much easier just to read about it!

  2. Mike the Eyeguy

    Never a dull moment.

  3. Hal

    Sarcastic optimism is a new genre for me. I think I like it.

  4. Mike the Eyeguy

    You’re witnessing an evolution; small baby steps taking me from my habitual doom & gloom, to sarcastic optimism, to one day, full-bore pollyannaism.

  5. Donna

    I have been parked in the sarcastic optimism for quite some time….I don’t see pollyannaism on the horizon for me. But then again I don’t find it all that attractive anyway….is that because I am sarcastic?

  6. Mike the Eyeguy

    The day that I become full-bore pollyanna is the day that Terrible Tommy gets his own statue on the Walk of Fame.

  7. Hal

    We have numerous wood roaches in the basement of the building I work in. Unfortunately my locker room is in the basement. Oftentimes I pull my running shoes out of my locker and a huge roach jumps out at me. One day I finished my run and noticed a gigantic, flat roach pasted to the bottom of my running sock. Thankfully I wear thick Thorlo running socks so I never knew that I was crushing a roach with every step of my run that day.

    I suppose if I switched from Asics to your brand of running shoe the roaches would leave my shoes alone. You may add that to the list of advantages for Nike. So, when they call you to be their spokesman you can whip out that little marketing nugget.

  8. Mike the Eyeguy

    I don’t know about that, Hal. We have several pairs of old Nikes out in the garage for lawn mowing and such, and those wood roaches seem to be making themselves quite at home in those too.

  9. mmlace

    Indeed, we have lots of blessings to be thankful for!

    As for remaining cheerful here on your blog, I believe you’re doing a pretty good job, keep up the good work!

    So good, in fact, that you’ve almost become a part of my weekday morning routine. As surely as my alarm goes off at about 5:45 and I roll outta bed some time shortly after 6:00, I know that most days, by the time I get outta the shower, there’ll be a new post from Dr. Eyeguy. I can count on there being something to make me think, or something humorous to brighten my morning…

    …Well……there was this past Monday morning….

    …but I guess I’ll let that one slide!

    Indeed, Dr. Eyeguy, keep up the good work! Much love!

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