Lessons From An Eternal Optimist



I don't write a lot about my kids....not anything too personal at least. That is a conscious choice I have made. My children all have special needs and I've always felt that their personal stories would be theirs to tell, not mine, when they are ready.

 

But a couple weeks ago, my son told me a story that stopped me in my tracks. I decided to share it because I think it's something we can all learn from.

 

Celebrating his birthday a couple years ago.

 

It actually all started when my daughter was telling us about a game that she played at a party for her cross country team. The game is called "Never Have I Ever" and the idea is that you share something you have never done and you try to stump your friends and knock them out of the game because they have done it before. (As an aside, it seems a little negative to me and that you should get to stay in the game because you HAVE done lots of things before. But I digress....)

 

Anyways, my son piped up right away that he had played that game before too in one of his classes at school. And then he got very excited and said, "and I WON!!"

 

I was curious and as his Mom, it was my duty to investigate further.

 

Me: What? You won the game? What did you say that you hadn't done before?

 

[Son laughs uncontrollably. So much so that he almost can't speak.]

 

Son: "WALK! I've never walked before!" [still giggling]

 

[Mom tries not to sob uncontrollably]

 

To him it was all about winning the game.

 

 



With his girlfriend Tink. We tease him about this mercilessly.

 

 

I guess it may seem like I'm bragging on my son (well, maybe a little.) But Hubster and I can't take too much credit for this boy's attitude. Although we try to foster healthy attitudes in all of our kids, he arrived in our family at age four, full of positivity and not looking back.

 

He hasn't ever walked. He uses a power wheel chair full time. But in his mind, he gets to drive an electric blue convertible everywhere he goes.

 

In P.E. class, he often gets to be the score-keeper. In his mind, that is a position of power and responsibility. Plus he loves numbers....BONUS!

 

I remember one time he told me how he got to play kickball in P.E. I asked him if one of his friends kicks for him. He said, "Yea. And then I run really fast Mom!"

 

He doesn't even think about what he can't do. In his mind, he is just like everybody else.

 

He's an eternal optimist.

 



Playing and arcade game with Dad

 

I don't know about you, but I'm a "wallower."

 

I don't think of myself as a negative person, yet I've realized that I tend to wallow in my problems, worries, and what I can't (or think I can't) do. But it's really all in my perspective and I can choose to think about the positive and the things that I CAN do.

 

What about you? Are you a wallower too? Or maybe you're somebody who compares yourself to everyone else....their talents, their possessions, their accomplishments....instead of thinking how unique and special God made YOU! I've been THERE too.



At his 8th grade graduation, he won the Citizenship Award for hard work,
 positive attitude, friendliness, and school involvement.



Our lives....and our world....would be a better place if we stopped wallowing in negativity and chose to see all that is positive in our lives and all around us. Some people are eternal optimists. They see the positive in everything. But I would say there are probably more of us who need to make a conscious choice every day to think more positively.  I know I do. Will you take that challenge with me?