pass it forward...

I've always been an optimist.

I've been told that I must have been born with rose colored glasses.

It's just the way I am.

Sure, there are times when life doesn't necessarily go quite my way, or at least the way I thought they should go. But I find I have the innate ability to look at whatever obstacle in my path from a uniquely different perspective. It entirely changes the view. And sometimes, just sometimes that view is actually better than the one I would have initially chosen for myself.

So when things happen to me, good or bad, I take it in stride.

I don't wig out too much. At least I try not to. Because I know that at any moment the tide may change. As will the panorama in front of me. So I wait.

If it's good, well, that's pretty easy. I continue on my way expressing gratitude and spreading good cheer. If it's something bad, that's different. The way that I deal is by withdrawing. I lick my wounds, tweak my perception and then reemerge a 'whole' being once more. There have been some events in my life that have set me back and made me ask the big questions. The 'where am I and what am I doing here' big question. The 'why me' big question. Or the biggie, 'what the f*ck' question.

I think most of us have faced that same dilemma at one time or another.

Thankfully, I can count the really horrendous happenings on one hand. I consider myself quite fortunate.

But there have also been times when I felt that my darling rose colored glasses had impeded my view. That they failed me by not allowing me clear vision. That my view was so altered and skewed that I failed to see the real truth. Thus preventing my brain the information needed to make the correct decision.

There have been instances when my rose colored glasses have been so trodden on and cracked that I thought they couldn't be placed on my face again. That perhaps I might not view my world as a rosy, warm fuzzy bubble again. I was Humpty Dumpty.

But then my optimism kicks in.

And I look around.

Miraculously, I am able to wipe those trampled bad boys off and find they fit as good as new.

I've been told by a spiritualist in the past that my soul is in its 'dharma'. The last phase of karma. They asked me, "Do good things happen to you?"

"Why yes, all the time."

I had a woman approach me in a store and told me I had a beautiful aura. That it was, "orange. With a hint of yellow." I had no idea what she was talking about, but I thanked her...and proceeded to walk away. Quickly. It wasn't until I got home and did an Internet search about auras and their meanings that she was giving me quite a compliment. Who knew?

I don't know how or why these things happen to me, but I'm not going to question it. I'm actually afraid to question it. I'm frightened that if I do, it may change. Drastically. When I start to stress, somehow relief is just within sight. It's crazy. But it's true.

Like I said, I'm quite fortunate.

Oh, my patience gets repeatedly tried. But in the big picture of things, it's not a huge deal. For instance, the lines that I found myself in time and time again the other day. In retrospect it was wonderfully hysterical. There was a purpose for the lines beyond my comprehension. I believe I was stuck there so I could witness and make mental notes of the bizarre dance we do in cues. Had I not had the experience, I wouldn't have the fodder to make my last blog post. Do you realize that posting had the most comments of any I've written thus far? Do you know why?

Because we've all been there...

We have all had the frustration of experiencing idiocy no matter where we live. It happens everywhere. It's like we share a collective memory.

It's possible I might have flipped out in that situation, because it hindered my immediate future. It was out of my control. It wasn't what I had planned. And yet, if you step away for a moment, it was just a few minutes of my time. And it was pretty damn funny. Surreal almost. So it's all in how you choose to look at it. It's all in our perception.

One of the comments read, "Wow. You must have bad karma."

In that moment, I did. But having the ability to twist it into your favor, that, I would say, is good karma.

I have a 'pass it forward' mentality. A 'do unto others as you'd have them do unto you' way about me. It's about plugging into the positive energy of the universe. About faith and believing in the good that surrounds us.

Have you ever noticed that if you feel confident, good things happen? That your positive energy actually begets positive energy. I like to smile at people I pass. Sometimes they just pass without noticing, sometimes they smile back, sometimes they are so pissed off at the universe they practically growl at me. But I still do it.

It's fun.

And who knows. It may ultimately create enough of a ripple effect to change the world. I like to think perhaps they might then smile at someone else during the day. And so on, and so on, and so on. Soon everyone will be smiling. We would all benefit from the excess positive energy to draw from.

Yesterday I traveled two hours to my dads house. You might know that my mother passed away just two months ago. There is paperwork that needs to be signed, articles to be riffled through, sorted and packed away or discarded.

It's hard to do.

I don't like to do it. So I procrastinate.

I should go see my dad more often. But I feel a burden of responsibility when I do, and it weighs heavy on my shoulders. My brother called and said, "Dad said there's some important papers you need to sign. It's holding things up. Dad says it's urgent."

I didn't think it was 'urgent' and I had a full day planned. I had things that I needed to do and accomplish. I didn't have the time to run over and neglect my own work. But I went anyway. Turns out it really wasn't urgent after all. But guess what...?

We had a great day.

My initial outlook was altered. What was given me was grand.

Little things like this change my attitude and perspective. It's a minor tweak, but it's a good one. One I should practice daily. It's a good lesson.

So today as the sun is starting to rise, I wonder what my day my hold in store for me. I know what I'd like, but it may not turn out that way. But it's how I will approach the then obstacle that may turn out to be quite cool.

You just never know. Whatever happens to me today, you'll probably read about here tomorrow.

Life is funny like that...

:-)