From the very
beginning of my entrance into the world of the Internet whenever a profile or
biography was asked for I would put in that I am very optimistic, a Mr.
Pollyanna and very positive. It took therapy nearly 40 years ago and a lot of
hard work to get into that frame of mind. I have used some 'tools' to help me
and, though people may scoff at them, they work! As an example, every morning,
before I do anything else, I look into the mirror and say, out loud,. "Martin
you are okay!" and I never fail to get a smile on my face which is a good way to
start the day. As I go through the day whenever I meet someone and they ask how
I feel I always answer that I am fantastic and the more I say it the more I
believe it. I learned that what good was it to get angry, raise your blood
pressure, yell and scream when you have a car accident? It happened and all the
yelling, screaming won't change that or make it better. Of course the other
driver gets really angry when you don't! LOL

I lost a lot of
friends and acquaintances during the 80s when AIDS came on the scene so that was
definitely a challenge to be optimistic. Now that I am old I am losing friends
to natural causes of death so it is a fight every day to be upbeat. Also just
aging takes it toll on your mental state along with health issues. I had
congestive heart failure and a aorta valve replacement operation in the past few
years not to forget having eye problems, peripheral arterial disease which has
affected my walking, C. O. P. D. affecting my breathing and now some sort of
skin infection. I'm a mess but a positive mess!!! :O) As long as I wake up every
morning I feel I have it made which immediately puts me in a good mood.

I have had many low
points in the past 40 years ranging from having to declare bankruptcy to losing
the love of my life to homelessness to periods of ill health plus more but in
each instance I have been able to TALK/THINK myself back to being positive and
getting on with my life.

It is a constant
effort to keep a smile on the face and in the heart with the mess the world is
in today and the lack of manners to and concern NOT shown for each other. I have
found in the world of blogging sort of a microcosm of the outside world. I don't
know how many people I have meet, even if just fleetingly, through posts and
comments but it seems like thousands. Out of that number 3 have been snide to,
and about, me regarding my being optimistic. Two women and one man, all
conservatives, though the man came to be one when Obama became president, but I
really don't think it was a racist thing. Another thing they all had in common
was many, many negative posts. And one, something I have very seldom come
across, was a homophobic gay.

All had made the
remark, at one time or another, that someone couldn't be upbeat, happy, positive
and optimist 24/7. DUH!!! They said that as if I was lying about being an
optimist, a Mr. Pollyanna and therefore since I couldn't be that way 24/7 I
never was. Folks, I have news for you, it takes damn hard work to be positive
just your waking moments let alone when you sleep--those dreams can get you--and
I am satisfied when I have gotten through the day bringing more smiles than
frowns to people's faces and to mine.

I am 74 years old and
don't have time to be negative. When people call me a senile old man, a liar, a
woman hater, and  a few other things, or they attack me, as some have, I really
want to say thank you to them for giving me a laugh because I do find it funny
just as I find so many of the rants funny. Most of all I really enjoy the other
positive people on all the sites I blog who ignore the nay sayers or remove
themselves from the disagreements and offer pictures from their lives or jokes
or the discoveries they make along the way. I, especially, find joy when someone
I know, or even don't know, take/make a positive step in their life or when I
read a positive blog so keep those blogs coming.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO
ALL