Proverbs 17:22
A cheerful disposition is good for your health but being gloomy is like a disease.
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"Four kids? You must be tired!"
"Sounds like your job is a nightmare right now"
"...if it would ever stop raining."
I'm not a pessimist by nature and tend to find the best in circumstances...but, I don't know if its habit or culture, I find these negative responses sometimes pop out of my mouth before I think. Especially when I'm talking with a stranger or making small talk. Maybe I feel more sympathetic commiserating?
I'm always so grateful when the person I'm talking to doesn't give the expected reply..."yeah, right?" And instead spins my inquiry towards the light.
"Actually, I really love being surrounded by all the life these kids exude."
"Oh, I love my job and I love staying busy."
"My garden is loving all this water so I don't mind the rain at all."
Words are powerful and attitudes do affect our health. Hearing a positive response or cheerful point of view (especially when the situation itself looks bleak) has changed my week before. Not that life is always rainbows and starfish but automatically defaulting to the negative in a neutral situation doesn't help anyone, really.
I was thankful when I caught myself last time a thoughtless reply was the quickest to come to mind and gave myself a second to develop a more honest and more positive response.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who occasionally blurts out gloom. Anyone else working on developing responses that are both sympathetic AND positive?
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