Practicing optimism

"Look for the positive, count your blessings, forgive, savor good times and simple pleasures, and practice kindness."  Mayo Clinic Health Letter

Another way to develop resiliency so that we are better able to handle adversity is by being optimistic.  It is really true.  It seems in my observation that when people dwell on negative, more negative occurs; and conversely; when people dwell on the positive, more positive occurs.  This does not mean we can stop bad things from happening, but even such a simple example as how you wake up in the morning.  Have you ever noticed that if you wake up cheerful, the day often goes better?  While if you wake up irritable, things seem to go downhill from there.                                                                     

What are some things we can savor?  Right now for me:  the abundance of fall produce, the exquisite colors of the deciduous trees, the lovely days and cool nights.  And, in practicing kindness, let us put ourselves at the top of the list.  Let us practice being kind to ourselves, and then kindness to others more naturally happens.