These days demand optimistic outlook

Alittle humor goes a long way. As Mary Ann Kizer, an extension service agent, said in a piece she wrote this week on keeping a good attitude: “A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.”

She was quoting a German painter and printer from 100 years ago. In her piece, she delved into happiness: Money doesn’t get you there, and being young doesn’t do it either.

In the end, only about 10-15% of us self-identify as being happy. But that can be adjusted, Kizer said, with a bit of directed thought.

For one, she said, think and do more for others than for yourself. Yes, that would get your mind off your own problems.

Another is to focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses.

As the first first lady, Martha Washington, put it, our happiness is more dependent on our dispositions than our circumstances.

It seemed to be that kind of week, when we were all encouraged to, as a Monty Python song says: “Always look on the bright side of life.”

Or as Bobby McFerrin wrote in his song:

“In every life we have some trouble

But when you worry you make it double

Don’t worry, be happy”

On Thursday, it was the Optimists’ turn to focus on thinking positive thoughts. Local members of the civic organization said that forevermore, Feb. 4 would be known as Optimist Day.

One of the spokespeople for the local club was Mary Liddell, who seems to get more done standing still than many people do sprinting.

Her philosophy on the day was more of something your mother might have said to you, along the lines of get up and get busy.

“Even with covid, we need to keep a positive attitude,” she said. “There are still things that need to be done. Even with the virus going on, we have work to do.”

As in, if you’re working toward something bigger than yourself, you really won’t have time to feel sorry for yourself.

In the scheme of things, these are lighthearted ways to thwart the pall that the pandemic has thrown across almost every facet of life.

Certainly, there are deeper erosions into our psyches that have been compounded by the current sad state of affairs, and those conditions should probably be attended to by mental health professionals.

But in the ways of being able to put negative thoughts in the back seat and see the cheerier parts of life, the advice from Kizer and encouragement from the Optimists was appreciated.

As Kizer pointed out, quoting a philosopher from 100 years ago: “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.”

Well, perhaps people have known that about themselves for longer than a century. The trick, though, is putting all that positiveness into action. Let it be so!