Perspective

I've been accused of always being happy. Not totally true. The people who say this haven't been around at the times when I'm down.

People look at me when I say much of my cancer was fun. I certainly wasn't talking about the weakness after chemo, but the wonderful nursing staff that made each session like a ladies tea party or how it cemented my new husband's and my relationship. (Still would have preferred to miss it, but then again, I wouldn't have met some wonderful people and confirmed that I married the right guy.)

I usually can make the best of any situation, even if rising to the occasion does get tiring. With a new problem there's the "Oh Shit Factor" of knowing what has to be dealt with than searching for anything from "This is Okay Factor" to "If This Hadn't Happened, I Would Have Missed Out On (fill in the blank) Factor.

One of my thrilling experiences was interviewing Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland,  former head of High Commission for Refugees and a personal heroine of mine. When I asked her how she could still be optimistic after walking thru bodies in Rwanda, she put her hand on mine, looked me in the eye and in her wonderful Irish brogue said, "My dear, I find the glass always a quarter full."

And then there was the day that my writing wasn't going well and several small annoyances marched across my screen. My housemate at the time heard me muttering.

"Stand up," she ordered. "Turn around and keep your eyes shut."

I obeyed. I kept my back to the computer for several minutes.

"Now turn around."

I did. What I saw was not my computer, but the window above it. The sky was bright blue and contrasted to the spring green of the tree outside. Beautiful!

I managed to keep my calm for the rest of the day. She and I took a break at a nearby restaurant and at night we had popcorn and a DVD, the annoyances a thing of the past.

A friend on Facebook published the photo at the top and said she thought of me. It is a perfect example of how point of view makes such a difference. There is a lesson besides the words themselves. Sometimes we need look from a different direction to see what is good.