Full or Empty?

So . . . what is it? Hmmmm? What do YOU see?

Well, in my opinion it is . . . BOTH.

I suppose I fancy myself a "realist".

I feel as though I see things as they really are.

Obviously, the glass is both half-full AND half-empty!

This is not to say that I don't wish that I were something else entirely, like, perhaps . . . an optimist, with a half-full glass. But, for some reason that is not my "natural" inclination. For me I see both the beauty of the rose and the sharpness of it's thorns. I see the beneficial bee and it's pain-inflicting stinger. I see the glorious, glowing sun and the sun-blocking clouds.

I see the whole picture -- what is really there. The beauty and the danger.

Good and bad.

Reality.

It is not a BAD thing, to be "realistic". But it lends itself to equal amounts of joy and worry, pleasure and pain, faith and fear. (I cannot have both faith and fear at the same time, by the way.) Therefore, I sometimes feel like a "lukewarm" person . . . having experiences somewhere between floating on the top of the water and hovering at the bottom of the empty space -- in the water-glass of life.

Does that make me a happy-sad person, or a sad-happy person? Am I a positive-negative person, or a negative-positive person?

Or somewhere exactly in the middle?

Am I a line dweller?

This thought came to my attention the other day when I was running, alone -- during my ten mile run. It was cold. It was hailing. It was miserable. I even felt sad and discouraged. My thoughts were far from positive and everything around me was wearing me down, mentally, which turned into physically.

Voices in my head told me I could not do it. I should stop. I should quit. I should not try. The voices were loud. Shouting at me. I cried. Whose voice was I hearing? Mine? A voice from the past? Who? (I know who.) I wondered where my positive attitude was? Where were my, "I can do it!" thoughts when I needed them?

And then I wondered: What is in my head?

Do I have a positive attitude . . . ? I mean, really? What are the voices in my head telling me? Am I allowing myself to BELIEVE, or just to SEE REALITY?

Is being a realist my greatest stumbling block?

During the course of a day I probably have an equal amount of negative and positive thoughts. (Though I dare say, somedays there are WAY more negative!) Seriously, I have the little angel-devil battle on my shoulder -- sometimes relentlessly!

It can really drive me NUTS!

Mind-battling can be painful!

What do I do?

So, the other day I watched this show about a marathon champion and I found her attitude was amazing. She was SO positive. Even when she was injured, she pushed through it, stayed positive, and as a result she healed and won the marathon. Amazing. She had incredible power over her mind! Smiling, happy, regardless of what happened to her. She BELIEVED in herself. She was fantastic! A real winner.

What about me? What about my "realist" thoughts? Is being realistic going to help me finish my goals? Is being realistic going to help me have a beautiful life? Is being realistic going to help me enjoy to the end? To believe . . .

My final conclusion . . .

NO!

The only way to have a beautiful life, full of accomplishment, and enjoying to the end is to:

BE POSITIVE!

Somehow I have to find a way to change my mind! I have to teach myself to have positive thoughts. (Positive thinking blog coming soon!)

I have to see the rose -- know that the thorns are there -- but throughly

enjoy the beauty of it, anyway!

I have to push away the "clouds" (such as; the headline news, the economic climate, the distractions of life) and turn my thoughts to the "sun" -- even the very Son of God, my Savior.

I need to TRUST Him more completely.

I need to put myself in His hands.

I need to allow Him to fill my "empty space" (not the depressing news of the world!) so that my glass will be . . .

COMPLETELY FULL.

I know it is possible. It is not easy to do . . . (fighting the natural man) but so very worth it!

I am doing my best to change (at least subdue!) my natural inclination to be a realist. I do not want to die and have people say at my funeral,

"She was such a realistic person."

No, that will not do!

It is up to me to change my mind and change my life as a result. Attitude is everything.

POSITIVE ATTITUDE is EVERYTHING!

So, I am off to change my "channel" and tune myself out of "the world" and into

the Spirit of God.

In the Heavens there is only LIGHT (not darkness). "Realism" has no place there . . .

only optimism!

Let there be LIGHT!

Here is to a FULL glass! Cheers! :-)