"Most generally there is something about everything that you can be glad about if you keep hunting long enough to find it. You see, when you're hunting for glad things, you sort of forget the other kind." --Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna
Life can be pretty depressing and discouraging. It's easy to get caught up in all the negativity. There are days when I struggle to find anything to even be grateful for, which is not a happy way to live. So this year I've decided to work on having a more positive mindset. Instead of dwelling on all the negative stuff, and on everything that's going wrong, I'm going to look for the good instead, and try to be more grateful for all the small blessings in my life. So, with a nod to Pollyanna's favorite game, here are a few things I found to be glad about today.
- I'm glad that in my job I only ever have to work M-F because that means I always have the weekends off.
- I'm glad that Miss Scarlet and the Duke returns to PBS tonight, because it's one of my favorite shows.
- And I'm trying to be glad about all the snow we've gotten in the past few days because it does clean out the air, and we need a good snowpack this winter to fill up all our reservoirs. And even though I don't love winter weather, I do get to pull out my favorite sweaters when it's cold, so I'm glad about that, too.
Wishing all of you lots of joy & gladness in your own lives!
Great thoughts! I'm trying to do that too, appreciate the little things and not take things for granted. As I get older I realize not everything has to be major!
ReplyDeleteSometimes all you need is a light change in perspective to make everything seem better...and that's what I'm going to try and work on this year.
DeleteHi Lark, I agree life can be depressing and there is always something to worry about and so searching for the gladness in 2024 is a great idea. Interesting that you quoted from Pollyanna because over the holidays I finally read Anne of Green Gables and I loved the book and so well written. And Anne despite her childhood in an orphanage was the epitome of always searching for things to be glad about.
ReplyDeleteAnne does have a talent for finding good things all around her. I've only ever watched the Megan Follows mini series of those books...I should actually sit down and read Anne of Green Gables one of these days. :D
DeleteSuch a lovely thing to do and I will try to do likewise. I try to tell myself too that whatever unpleasant thing is going on there is always somebody, somewhere worse off.
ReplyDeleteThat is so true! Though that doesn't always make me feel any better.
DeleteI love this, Lark! I tend to dwell on all the negative things and everything that could and did go wrong, but I'm gonna try to follow your lead and practice gladness this year. :D
ReplyDeleteWe can do it together! I have a feeling it's not always going to be easy for me to find things to feel glad about...but I'm going to keep practicing until I'm better at it. Because otherwise I'm never going to be truly happy.
DeleteLove this. And Miss Scarlet and the Duke is one of my favourites as well!
ReplyDeleteHi, Ginette! How are you? I hope life is treating you well. :D
DeleteGood job...and a great reminder to all of us that we need to do more of this. It's just way too easy to get caught up in all the negativity and problems that the media shove down our throats every. single. day. Thanks for this.
ReplyDeleteI get caught up in the negativity of my own thoughts, too. So I'm really going to try and break that habit this year, and practice being more grateful and glad for all the good things in my life. :D
DeleteI like warmer weather but I am a big fan of sweaters. It is always a good idea to focus on the positive but it can be hard to do. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteIt's sure been hard for me to not focus on the negative lately, so this will be a good challenge for me this year.
DeleteIt is easy to dwell on the negative so it's wonderful to consciously make an effort to look at the positives! We had snow, but not a ton and while it's sort of a hassle I do love sweaters too. Plus, perfect excuse to read by a warm fire! And we need that water, like you said. I need to be more positive about my work as well. Hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday, Lark! :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your week, Rachel! I hope work goes better for you. And reading by a warm fire sounds really nice right now. :D
DeleteYes, being glad and grateful is definitely a better mindset to be in.
ReplyDeleteSophia Rose
And a mindset I'd like to try and cultivate in myself this year. Wish me luck. :D
DeleteI love the idea of focusing on gladness. I need to adopt this habit too.
ReplyDeleteGlad I'm not the only one. (See what I did there?) ;D
DeleteYes.
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
:D
DeleteIt can be hard to quiet the noise of negativity at times, but we all have a lot to be grateful for. Wishing you the peace that can come with positivity!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ethan! I appreciate that. :D
DeleteI love this! Pollyanna sometimes gets a bad rap, but she's on to something when it comes to gratitude and gladness. It definitely lifts the spirits to focus on the positive. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love Pollyanna...the Haley Mills movie version of it was a favorite of mine growing up. :D
DeleteWhat a good post. I try to have a positive mindset but sometimes get caught up in the day-to-day things and just have to keep reminding myself that there is always something good to be happy about. Love the three things you shared that are bringing you joy! Stay warm this week and enjoy wearing your favorite sweaters!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :D
DeleteI really enjoyed this. I think it's so important to appreciate even the smallest things that make us happy. It definitely helps to offset all of the negatives.
ReplyDeleteI want to get into the habit of looking for the small blessings in my life this year in the hopes it'll help me have more joy.
DeleteI try to do this, too. It's hard! I like your point about working M-F and having weekends off.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard! Some days I can't think of anything to be glad or grateful for, even though I know there must be something.
DeleteWhat a great idea! I've found frequently that when I'm in a bad mood or just feeling grumpy it's because I'm focusing on the negative.
ReplyDeleteThat's been me the past few years and it's not conducive to happiness, so I'm going to try and change my mindset this year.
DeleteYeah trying to see the positive is good. I like to think all the snow will help the drought and fill the reservoirs too. We had so many fires up here -- so bring on the winter!
ReplyDeleteWe so need the snow! I just don't love driving in it. I am glad we have lots of snowplow drivers though. :D
DeleteI love that Pollyanna quote. The book and the character are so often misinterpreted as being too sunshiny and unrealistic, but if you've read the book, you know that's not true at all. Pollyanna works hard to find the bright side, and she's had plenty of reasons to despair in her young life.
ReplyDeleteMind you, I wouldn't want people to conflate depression (the clinical kind) with "not trying hard enough" to find the good in things. Depression is real, and people dealing with it need support. But for the rest of us, I think looking for things to be glad about (or grateful for) is a very helpful practice.
So on those lines, YES! to finding things in your life this week that made you glad. And to finding a way to be glad for the snow.
Here are a few of mine: I'm glad I got to see my fellow fiber guild members at our meeting on Saturday. I'm glad we're getting a little dusting of snow to beautify the trees and lawn. And I'm grateful to my husband for blowing the leaves off the lawn this weekend.
You're right about Pollyanna...she goes through some hard things. And depression is certainly not easily fixed; I've struggled with that, too. But finding things in life to be grateful for and looking for positives instead of letting all the negative thoughts take control has always helped me lift up my head and find a bit of joy in my own life.
DeleteAnd thanks for sharing your glad things this week! I loved it. :D
Well said. I try to focus on the positives too :)
ReplyDeleteIt's so important, and I don't do it enough. But I'm going to try and change that this year.
DeleteI love this post, Lark! Life can be depressing at times and I think it's important that we focus on positiveness and all the happy moments that keep us going! Hope you've a great week ahead! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I keep trying to find joy in the small things, though some days it's harder to do than others.
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