I was recently rebuffed by someone when I tried to be uplifting in conversation with someone who is very ill. The person who rebuffed me was adamant about a particularly negative ramification of illness and refused to entertain the notion that there could be anything positive coming from it at all.

Well, of course, with such refusal, there would not and probably never could be!

But as impossible as some situations are, if we have to live with them, I’ve always thought we do need to try to find another way to approach them so we’re not weighed down in the mire by negativity. Sometimes we can approach them through an open window – and obvious positive (such as the fact that, because I have no hair and have to wear wigs – the negative – I never do have a bad hair day – the positive). But sometimes, we have to go through a back door – because of illness/medication/other, nothing tastes good, we can look to other sensations to give us pleasure (temperature, texture, sense-memory).

What’s the point of this attitude-gymnastics? The point is that, the more we live in total negativity, the more negative our lives will be. Not a good approach, especially when all else is very dire in our lives.

Faith gives me hope, which in turn gives me a resilient ability to find something positive about negative situations. Those who have no faith might have a more difficult time of it, but it still makes logical sense that, if we do want to “get well” in any way – body, mind, spirit – we have to believe that “get well” is possible. Otherwise, we’ll spin our wheels, pounding on the front door with increasingly painful (proverbial) fists.

I apply my desire to find a positive in the negative to other things, too. Tis the season for ants to try to find their way into homes, and they seem to think they’ve found a “front door” in one of my kitchen cupboards. Not a fun thing, to be sure, and one that takes time to manage and monitor. But, I’ve found a positive even here! Yes, I’ve managed to better arrange my cupboard, refreshing it even as the ants come and go, with the change of season.

Joys!

Maureen