It was the 2nd day of this brand new year 2011, and I was driving back from having an incredibly fun time away with some good friends up the north coast. As we all do I suppose I was thinking about the year just past, and the one still to come, hoping to God above it was going to be a better year than last ha.
Realising that I had been unintentionally listening to really shit country and western for who knows how long, I flicked the search button on the radio, and a man voice was speaking it about how 5 writers had been asked to sit down and list the top 5 things that would be of most importance in 2011 for humanity in general. It sparked my interest somewhat. So despite his semi-egotistical tone of voice I listened.
A lot of them were what I thought they would be, committing to carbon neutrality, water revolution…..Then one of the writers starting speaking about how he felt 2011 should be called the year of pessimism. I thought “wow that’s a feel good message hey, and wasn’t that what 2010 was ha”
He went on to talk about how our attitudes are too optimistic, and don’t allow us to embrace and accept tragedy and failure when it comes. It made me think. I felt 2010 was like watching a gorgeous sunrise out the window of a train wreck. Moments of beauty and joy wrapped in loss, sadness and pain.
It was like what this guy was saying was the very opposite of what I should do this year. Why ? because I had already had my time of pessimism, I knew how it felt, it was too close a companion, I kind of knew how to accept it, and in part I felt I knew how to learn from it and come out hopefully a better person. Still not the best person I can be, but better than I was.
So as this booky was expelling his theory on how we should all be pessimistic this year, I was saying to myself “It’s time for you to now believe in some optimism” There seems to be something in all of us, that allows us to get up again, to believe, trust and embrace all that life has for us again.
So as I was driving that day I decided to set out and find that ‘something’ this year, I decided to embrace an optimistic position. Embrace it fully, not like one of those half hugs you give a distance relo at christmas, or one of those awkward semi hugs you give someone who is not really into physical touch ha.
A full arms wide open, laying it all out there, completely vulnerable embrace of optimism.
