Positive Thinking

It's Saturday, the sun is shining, I have homemade tomato sauce simmering on the stove and it smells delicious!

It has been a really good week....very few pain issues....lots of good stuff going on.  I've met a new friend and heard from an old friend and enjoyed my friends at school! It just feels good to be alive and I feel remarkably blessed.

Because I work at an elementary school my coworkers are male and female and all different ages and personalities.  Though we don't have much free time at work we do have moments before and after school to converse.  There is one particular teacher with whom I always enjoy discussing movies, books, TV shows, etc.  I tease him and tell him if I were twenty years younger I'd want to date him! He's going to make some woman an amazing husband....anyone out there interested in an intro, let me know! Anyway, he paid me the nicest compliment this week and it really touched my heart.  He told me that I was a rare woman in that I could see beyond what was right in front of me and am able to discuss things "outside the box" so to speak....he thinks I'm smart! Do you know what an ego boost that was to someone with my self-esteem issues?!  Gave me a warm glow for several hours...

That conversation made me realize that I should take more opportunities to tell the people I know that I notice and appreciate their strengths, their good qualities, the often unnoticed nice things they do. We are more apt to be critical of the people around us which does nothing to improve the relationships we share.  Like our wonderful guidance counselor is trying to teach our students, use "I" messages with your friends to resolve conflicts instead of being accusatory.....and I think if we use "I" messages to convey praise and appreciation it can only improve our relationships!

So my goal for the week is to really pay attention to the people around me and to take the time to point out the good I see.....focusing on the positive so to speak....and to praise those positives.  Who knows what kind of effect that praise may have?  Maybe a chain reaction of positive reinforcement....and a world full of people who encourage rather than destroy others.  I'm willing to give it a shot.