Gleee, take two
I have trouble looking at the bright side of things. I tend to expect, at any time, the other shoe to drop. I am not even remotely Pollyanna. I am always surprised when someone is more pessimistic than I am.
I also have a deap-seated resentment toward "count your blessings" types of things. All too often that phrase is used really to mean, "you have no right to be unhappy," or "you are ungrateful if you express a negative view," or "you just don't know how good you've got it!" or "how dare you even think like that?"
Joy and sorrow can exist side-by-side, simultaneously. I can express a dislike for something, a sadness at something, without it meaning that I do not recognize and appreciate the things that are good at the same time. Acknowleding that there IS good does not mean that the bad has dissolved and doesn't exist. It doesn't erase sadness. It doesn't erase anger. It doesn't dissipate fear.
This list does not mean that I am happy-hunky-dory-hooray. I usually do these only grudgingly because I'm afraid that admitting good will strip me of my right to have and acknowledge the bad. I am ranting here to state that I do not give up that right, that reality, by acknowledging the gleee.
That said, I think the Gleee Sadhana is good for me. I think too much wallowing is unhealthy, and reminders of the good are healthy. I hope it will help balance me. I hope it will not become a chore of "one more damned thing I have to do." If so, it will be negating its own purpose. I may not do it every day, but I know that doing it at all is good for me and will make mylittleredgirl happy...and that will make me happy. So...on to the
5 good things about today:
1. My husband let me sleep in until after 10 this morning. I got to wake up slowly, at my own pace, and it was glorious.
2. My daughter played Candyland with me.
3. The weather has been lovely. Cool and breezy. Not cold. A little too sunny for my tastes, but the sun is going down and it's just lovely.
4. I got to show Halloween photos of my kids to people, who ooohed and ahhhed over the cuteness. (I'll share here as well once I get an FTP protocol that I can get to work without the hassle of the AOL interface.)
5. My husband did last night's dishes before I even got up.
3 things I did well today:
1. I got my overdue homework for my class done.
2. My niece, bored while over here to do laundry, wanted something to do, so I offered her the chance to bathe Dog, who is now less stinky while niece was, for a bit, less bored.
3. Because I kept busy, I did not eat solidly the entire day long.
Gleee!
I also have a deap-seated resentment toward "count your blessings" types of things. All too often that phrase is used really to mean, "you have no right to be unhappy," or "you are ungrateful if you express a negative view," or "you just don't know how good you've got it!" or "how dare you even think like that?"
Joy and sorrow can exist side-by-side, simultaneously. I can express a dislike for something, a sadness at something, without it meaning that I do not recognize and appreciate the things that are good at the same time. Acknowleding that there IS good does not mean that the bad has dissolved and doesn't exist. It doesn't erase sadness. It doesn't erase anger. It doesn't dissipate fear.
This list does not mean that I am happy-hunky-dory-hooray. I usually do these only grudgingly because I'm afraid that admitting good will strip me of my right to have and acknowledge the bad. I am ranting here to state that I do not give up that right, that reality, by acknowledging the gleee.
That said, I think the Gleee Sadhana is good for me. I think too much wallowing is unhealthy, and reminders of the good are healthy. I hope it will help balance me. I hope it will not become a chore of "one more damned thing I have to do." If so, it will be negating its own purpose. I may not do it every day, but I know that doing it at all is good for me and will make mylittleredgirl happy...and that will make me happy. So...on to the
5 good things about today:
1. My husband let me sleep in until after 10 this morning. I got to wake up slowly, at my own pace, and it was glorious.
2. My daughter played Candyland with me.
3. The weather has been lovely. Cool and breezy. Not cold. A little too sunny for my tastes, but the sun is going down and it's just lovely.
4. I got to show Halloween photos of my kids to people, who ooohed and ahhhed over the cuteness. (I'll share here as well once I get an FTP protocol that I can get to work without the hassle of the AOL interface.)
5. My husband did last night's dishes before I even got up.
3 things I did well today:
1. I got my overdue homework for my class done.
2. My niece, bored while over here to do laundry, wanted something to do, so I offered her the chance to bathe Dog, who is now less stinky while niece was, for a bit, less bored.
3. Because I kept busy, I did not eat solidly the entire day long.
Gleee!