November 28, 2005
Attitude will determine your altitude
Written by Shirley Karr in Jaunty PostI’m usually uplifted by the things I hear at church, and often given things to ponder in a new light. Today was no exception. After an opening hymn about Thanksgiving, one of the speakers carried that theme over to gratitude and gratefulness.
Think about someone you know who always seems happy. I’ll bet you she has an attitude of gratitude – grateful for the blessings in her life, and is able to recognize and acknowledge those blessings. She’s thankful for the glimpse of blue sky when there’s a break in the rain clouds, rather than bemoaning the fact that we’re only two months into the rainy season, and have six more to go.
On Thanksgiving, I was grateful to have my mom and her husband in our home, and hear her laugh as we watched Shrek 2 after dinner. (Antonio Banderas was hysterical as Puss in Boots.) In February, Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. I am grateful that it was caught early, and that all the cancer cells were removed with surgery. She still had to go through chemo and radiation, which was unpleasant, to say the least. Rather than bemoan the loss of her hair, Mom chose to have fun collecting hats and wigs. One of her favorites, just for the shock value, was a platinum blonde number that had been dyed electric pink by the previous owner. Washing it removed most of the dye, so instead of a little blue-haired old lady, she was a pink-haired old lady. (Well, she’s not really that old…)
When Shrek finished, Mom wanted to know my birthday and Christmas wish list (they’re four days apart). I was hard pressed to come up with stuff, because I already have everything I really want.
Seriously, most of my dreams came true this year: After more than a decade of getting rejection letters, my first novel was published in January, received great reviews, sold well, and feedback from readers has put me on cloud nine. Avon contracted me for two more books so far, so I won’t be a one-book-wonder. My husband of 19 years started thinking about Really Big Picture things, and joined the church – he was baptized on his birthday. We’re planning to be married in the temple in the spring, one year after his baptism. Not only do I love him, but I like him enough to want to spend eternity with him.
After careful consideration while the turkey dinner digested, I did manage to come up with a few things I wouldn’t mind finding under the tree. Somehow there are still one or two Johnny Depp DVDs I don’t have yet. I’ve found a way to make my obsession be useful: by listening to DVD commentary tracks, I’ve gotten insight into the thoughts of actors, writers and directors — why they included certain elements, why some scenes were cut, how and why they developed the character a certain way. There are a lot of parallels between making a movie and writing a book. We’re all telling a story.
But I digress. I guess the point of this rambling dissertation is stating my intent to maintain an attitude of gratitude, through the holiday season and beyond. I have been richly blessed, in so many ways.
Oh, and to remind you – if you haven’t had a check-up in the last year, get one!
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Haven Rich Says:
Ops sorry I forgot to post last night.
I’ve always been a cup-half-full person. It’s gotten stronger when I found out I was sick. I dont want others feeling sorry for me..but I do like to inform others about the many things they might not have known before.
There are times when finding the brightside of something is hard but I can always do it. This has helped me a ton with my own attitude but I’ve also been told that my light-hearted, brightsided ways have also helped others keep in a better mood.
I still havent found the key to making my mother-in-law happy but one day…hehe
Kimberly Logan Says:
Sounds like a great attitude to have, Shirley. It seems like I have to remind myself to remember what Christmas means almost every year. It’s too easy to get caught up in all the hype.