I prefer eating the manure, it gives me a particular type of grin that has folks wondering.
Here's to 2020... May the New Year be better.
- Thread starter Echo40
- Start date
I prefer eating the manure, it gives me a particular type of grin that has folks wondering.
Only thing required is a bathrobe, although depending upon your particular jurisdiction, a sash may also be mandatory . . .
There is as big of a difference between optimism and naivete as there is between ignorance and stupidity.
Optimism is an attitude - something you have to choose. Naivete is a form of ignorance - not a choice.
I am not naive - at 58 I am old enough and experienced enough to know how the world works. I still CHOOSE to be optimistic.
There are plenty of studies and tons of medical data to show that optimists outlive pessimists.
Since attitudes are often self-fulfilling prophesies, may we all get just what we expect this next year.
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vigil617
US Veteran
Well,the bad news was a stroke and the discovery of a heart problem that will get me sooner than I’d like
The good news is I can walk and I’m not dead yet [emoji16]
The good news is I can walk and I’m not dead yet [emoji16]
cmort666
Member
Going into 2021 it's a distinction without a difference.
Yeah, when you don't have any choice about being horribly, hopelessly negative, I can see where that would be true.
On the other hand you DO have a choice, of course. You're just choosing to be negative. Given that choice it will most likely work out that way for you. Hope you enjoy being right about what kind of miserable year you'll have.
I know I will enjoy the silver linings, blessings, and other good things in my life that I choose to focus on.
So I guess we'll both be right and we'll both get what we choose.
Merry Christmas!
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cmort666
Member
Reality doesn't care if it makes you feel bad. It just is.
I find it telling that people keep demanding that others be positive without citing a SINGLE thing about which to BE "positive".
I'm interested in reality, not happy talk.
I'm choosing to look at the world the way it really is. I can choose not to. That's called self-deception and delusion. How'd that work out for the Japanese after Midway?
If there are two anti-aircraft gunners in Hiroshima and one looks up and sees a lone B-29 and the other sees Santa and his reindeer, in what way does "optimism" change the eventual outcome?
See what I mean about the wet blanket guys?
As I've tried to explain, it isn't about not seeing reality. The reality is that life is hard, and bad things will happen. The difference is our perspective. It is about seeing the good in people and situations instead of focusing on the bad. Try reading a few of Faulkner's stories. A positive attitude may not change the eventual outcome, but it will change the individual's experience, and even lengthen one's life.
As I've said, feel free to enjoy your misery for as long as it lasts. Maybe when you die prematurely, bitter, angry, and hating your perceived "reality" you'll see what I'm talking about. Maybe not. FWIW, I work with a guy who sounds just like you. His attitude is so negative no one can stand being around him. His wife even left him after 30 years because she had all of his bile she could take. He's alone & miserable, he hates everyone and as a result everyone dislikes and avoids him at all costs. He almost lost his job earlier this year because outside vendors were complaining about him and his negativity. His attitude is what has created his reality. A very sad case. I pray you don't end up in the same boat.
I'll choose a more positive outlook and the longer, happier life that it brings thanks.
Merry Christmas!
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sigp220.45
US Veteran
“My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened.” - Michel de Montaigne.
A large study had people record all their worries about the future. 85 percent never happened. Of the 15 percent that did, 79 percent said they could handle the difficulty better than they thought and that they learned something valuable from it.
I used to worry about stuff all the time. Now I mostly don’t. Its better this way.
A large study had people record all their worries about the future. 85 percent never happened. Of the 15 percent that did, 79 percent said they could handle the difficulty better than they thought and that they learned something valuable from it.
I used to worry about stuff all the time. Now I mostly don’t. Its better this way.
Yup, I realized a long time ago that I couldn't change the outcome of ANYTHING by worrying about it. All I could/can do is plan for the worst and hope for the best.
It is the hoping for the best part that I see as being much, much better for me. A lot of times it doesn't change the outcome, but it does change ME, and it is a change for the better. I can be bitter and angry and pessimistic and unpleasant, or thankful and serene and optimistic and easygoing. My choice.
The latter choice makes me a much happier person, and as I said before, it costs me nothing, but studies show that it will give me a longer and more satisfying life. That is what I'm choosing.
yep, the only thing we can control in life is how we react to it.
Raised my kids with the credo that as long as we're still breathing, there will always be the next thing to deal with.
cmort666
Member
Not liking reality doesn't change reality.
Self-deception has wreaked more destruction than all of the armies in history.
It never is.
Hey, Sakamoto-san, keep telling yourself that it's Santa and his sleigh and not Col. Tibbetts and the Enola Gay...
2020 has been a pretty good year for us, all things considered.
Like many or most of us, I miss being able to see the kids and grandkids. The two older kids are in Japan and China, respectively, and my youngest is in San Francisco. We saw him briefly in August, exerting care with masks and social distancing. He and his Gf stayed in nearby hotel. His GF plans on going home to DFW for Christmas with her family, and he plans to drive up to spend the holiday with us. They've been repeatedly testing themselves and self quarantining for the last couple of weeks.
We'd planned to spend half the year in Japan and half here, as usual, but when the pandemic spun up this spring decided to hunker down here. Got tired of living in a small condo and with all the bums/homeless in our city neighborhood so bought a car and started scouting around. Found a lot of swell places to walk. Absolutely beautiful well maintained nature preserves all over the area. Bought a house in the suburbs, and have decided to make it our main residence and keep the Japan house primarily for the Thanksgiving - Christmas - New Year's holiday season as a place for the family to gather.
Our health has been good. We're enjoying our lives and feel very fortunate to be situated as we are, in retirement, financially secure, with the kids all doing well. We are truly blessed.
Personally, COVID has been more of an inconvenience for us than a cause of stress, and we've realized that it has acted as a catalyst in encouraging us make some decisions that needed to be made regarding positioning for our future as we grow older.
I'm optimistic about 2021.
Like many or most of us, I miss being able to see the kids and grandkids. The two older kids are in Japan and China, respectively, and my youngest is in San Francisco. We saw him briefly in August, exerting care with masks and social distancing. He and his Gf stayed in nearby hotel. His GF plans on going home to DFW for Christmas with her family, and he plans to drive up to spend the holiday with us. They've been repeatedly testing themselves and self quarantining for the last couple of weeks.
We'd planned to spend half the year in Japan and half here, as usual, but when the pandemic spun up this spring decided to hunker down here. Got tired of living in a small condo and with all the bums/homeless in our city neighborhood so bought a car and started scouting around. Found a lot of swell places to walk. Absolutely beautiful well maintained nature preserves all over the area. Bought a house in the suburbs, and have decided to make it our main residence and keep the Japan house primarily for the Thanksgiving - Christmas - New Year's holiday season as a place for the family to gather.
Our health has been good. We're enjoying our lives and feel very fortunate to be situated as we are, in retirement, financially secure, with the kids all doing well. We are truly blessed.
Personally, COVID has been more of an inconvenience for us than a cause of stress, and we've realized that it has acted as a catalyst in encouraging us make some decisions that needed to be made regarding positioning for our future as we grow older.
I'm optimistic about 2021.
LOL, I won't be any more or less dead if I do, but at least I'll die happy instead of miserable.
Keep expecting the Enola Gay and Santa will likely pass you by!
Here's wishing you a 2021 that is better than you expect.
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