Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Optimism In Your Life

Depression. Suicide. Death. Cancer. Addiction. Violence. Racism. Abuse. Neglect. Hunger.

The world is faced with millions of things that we might consider being terrible. Chances are is that you know someone or you are someone who has been affected by one of the words above. Life can get you down, and sometimes you wonder why God would put you in such a situation that you don't feel like you can handle. As you read this you might even be in one of those moods where you think things couldn't possibly get any worse. When I have times like that, the best thing to do is pray. I will be the first to say that I am not someone who pushes religion down your throat because I hate when people do that to me. But if you do believe in the Lord, praying is one of the best things that you can do to make yourself feel better. Another thing that you can do is look outside on a day like today. Currently 82 degrees and Sunny as I sit on the Broadway Patio and write this to all of you. What a great day to be alive, to be able to do what we want. Maybe you are inside working, maybe you are doing schoolwork, maybe you are outside enjoying this wonderful weather, but no matter how bad life gets you have to always look at the positives in life. I learned at a young age that you can't look at things with the glass half empty. How terrible I think it is that people have to be pessimistic. Corrie Thurman, my general manager at Broadway told me the other day that I was probably the most positive person that she knows. That was one of the best compliments because I try very hard to see the optimism in everything that I do. Sure there are days where everything goes wrong in my life, but you can't list the negatives, you have to continue to push through and see the positives. I guess living in the Rogers community has really helped me to continue this mindset because there have been so many examples of times when our whole community has mourned the loss of a member of the community. Too many times have most of us been at funerals for teenagers that never should have occurred. No matter how cliche I sound when I say this, God does have a plan for everyone. The end of February brought up the question of why? Why did this happen? Why did it have to be them? Why Rogers again? The answer is that we will never know. What I know is that no matter what, things happen for a reason and if you have a positive outlook on life you will live a much better life. Drake started the whole YOLO phrase, which is hilarious because most people use it as an excuse to be an idiot, but the truth is that you truly do only live once. You will never be the same age as you were yesterday, and you aren't getting any younger so why not live for the moments in life that make you most happy. Surround yourself with people that make you smile instead of ones that make you cry. Tell the people in your life that you love them, because as most of us know, you never know when our time is to go. We have learned this at a young age in the Rogers community with the passing of many of the students at too young of an age, but it is with those same tragedies that we can learn that not matter the situation, you gotta keep your head up, push through the storm, and know that the sun is going to shine brighter on you someday. We all have people in our lives that look at life with the glass half empty. Today tell those people how much you care about them. Tell them how lucky they are to be alive. Don't tell them goodbye but tell them as I always tell you, see you soon.

-J-