It's been a bit of time here in my little suburban hamlet. But, I'm weathering it all with the same smile and optimism that gets me through most things. Some folks may say (and they do!) that I live in a state of denial. Whether that's 100% true or not...I plead the fifth. But, in those circumstances that it is true--I'm here to tell you that my state of denial is deliberate. Especially when it comes to things I cannot control. What I do know is this--when there's a choice of being negative or positive--I choose the latter. So, call it what you will--denial or optimism--I refuse, I absolutely refuse--to believe that all things--no matter what-- are doomed.
Carmen tends to look for trouble and problems in every corner. I call him Mr. Doom and Gloom. He doesn't like it when I tell him "it will be okay". He references all kinds of statistics to prove that maybe it won't be. Take for instance the latest episode with our furnace. The other day in the midst of a totally unrelated worrisome situation, I walked into a hot, hot house. I checked the temperature and found it was at 91 degrees. We had just turned the furnace on the day before and set it at a very low heat. When we did that, we noticed that our high tech computerized temperature control panel was on low battery. Thinking that we would go out and get new batteries over the weekend, we didn't think a thing of it. As it turns out, a low battery on a computerized heat control panel is a big thing. It can't regulate the heat. So, that furnace kept going and going---thus a 91 degrees house! Now, my take on the whole thing was--turn the furnace off, wait for the house to cool down, put in some new batteries and see if that's the problem. I turned the furnace off, called Carmen and made him aware of the situation and waited for the house to cool down. I opened windows and doors and went about my business. When Carmen arrived on the scene--he saw things quite differently. "Call the furnace guy now!" he panicked. Instead, on my way to phone, I somehow managed to find a package of new batteries in the junk drawer. This didn't sit too well with him---in that short period of time, he had already convinced himself that we needed an entirely new furnace. I used my "why do you always assume the worse" mentality on him (that he hates) and convinced him to try the new batteries. He scowled and stomped his feet and set out to prove me wrong. He put in the new batteries. Everything is now fine....
It reminded me of the time many years ago when my spirited friend Kate and I spent a lovely hot July afternoon drinking wine on my deck while the kids ran through the sprinkler. All of a sudden, the electricity went out. Kate--being the wife of an electrician--and I--the wife of an engineer in the power industry--didn't consider a power outage in the entire neighborhood. We assumed it was a problem in my fuse box. So, we marched down to the garage--with our wine--to check out the situation. We fussed with the fuses--pulling them in and out. As we did that, a neighbor came by to tell us the power was out in the neighborhood. With that, we went back to our perches on the deck and continued to drink our wine and enjoy the rest of the day. The electricity finally came back on and all was well. That following weekend, I was hosting a large party--with lots of people coming and lots of cooking that needed done. So, when I noticed that my stove was not working (I had an electric stove at the time) the day after our afternoon of wine drinking, I was a bit concerned. Carmen was this close to a meltdown. He had us within steps of heading out the door to buy a new stove. "Before we do that, let's see if we can get someone to fix it," I suggested. No, Carmen was sure the stove was a gonner and we had to buy a new one. He huffed and puffed while I tried to convince him that things could not be that bad. After a few go-arounds, he agreed to let me call someone to come look at the stove. Unfortunately, I could not get anyone to come to the house in time for the party. Feeling a bit stressed but not ready to throw in the towel, I called Kate to share my latest dilemna. That's when she reminded me of our escapade at the fuse box. Kate, being a like-minded soul--that things could not be that bad--suggested I check to see if we put all the fuses back into their spots properly. Upon mentioning Kate's theory to Carmen--he scoffed at the notion, still convinced we needed to run out right then and there and get a new stove or else call our entire guest list and tell them the party was off. Fortunately, I heeded Kate's advice on my own and spent the next few minutes screwing in the fuse for the stove and saving the party and several hundred dollars.
And, those are only a few examples of the way things go. I've got many more "it ain't that bad" stories in my arsenal. And, not all of them deal with heating elements and electricity. Some of them are much more intense. I've come to the conclusion that not only do I live optimistically and sometimes in denial, I also live hopefully. And I find that a much better way of living.
And, so, today, when many folks have lost hope, I have not.
I'm still absolutely positively--without a doubt--sure that things just aren't that bad.
And, to prove it....I'm off to Starbucks with the hope they have at least one energy shot left.
And, I know they will.
2 comments:
I love your attitude! It must be part of the reason for your success with the band. And the afternoon on the porch drinking wine sounds just about right to me!
BTW, I went to Bryn Mawr College, then after law school lived in Philly for 7 years - downtown and in Mount Airy. Where are you?
Oh Judi -
I work at a power company with MANY of those engineers!!! They are all like that!! It drives me nuts! Hang in there woman!!
Jody
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