I took a week off and as usual, it clears my head, I read and spent time with family. I was supposed to be in the UK for about 10 days but alas, Covid-19 hit and I would have spent all my time in quarantine IF I could have gotten a flight. Delta took care of that in cancelling my flight. Oh well, I think there is always next year.
During my reading, I came across the term “toxic positivity.” Mr. Google defines the term as “the culture of portraying yourself as being happy no matter what. You're basically switched off to anything that might be viewed as negative. It's also the idea of encouraging people to always see the bright side, and not open up about anything bad.”
This caught my eye as it related to my friend, Herman Cain. He always saw the bright side in life and I’ve been told I’m the same way. I have jokingly said the reason why my husband and I are so perfect for each other even after 30 years is I am always a glass half full and he is always a glass half empty and together we make a full glass.
My dad may not have been “guilty” of toxic positivity, but he did send us back up to our rooms if we came down to breakfast without a smile on our faces. His message was be thankful for every day and there is always someone who has it worse than you did. It was kind of “don’t worry, be happy” for the 60s and 70s. I think being a product of the Great Depression and being a POW in WWII showed him how bad things could get.
We might be in another one of those cycles. Things are so bad that we are the people that will be telling stories to our kids and grandkids about how bad it was in 2020 and they should be happy about were they are. Let’s cook a turkey and put up the tree and get to the end of this year!
So, I will continue to be positive and look at the bright side because you never challenge worse, you should always look for the best in people, the best in situations and move forward in a positive way. Sure, things are bad and you have to accept where you are but there are good things even in the bad. I also saw a double rainbow—twice—while I was off.
And, I heard an uplifting sermon yesterday, I got a hug from my grandkids, we laughed and I had that warm feeling watching my husband work on the tree house—even though I was spotting him to be sure he didn’t fall off the scaffolding. Just because I am guilty of toxic positivity doesn’t mean I’m not realistic.
This, too, will pass and we will have good days without Covid-19 being the first thing we think about. Take care of yourself, it will be worth it.
