2014 Week 9: Confessions from a Former Realist

I heard a statement this past week that caught my attention.  “Realism is just a socially acceptable form of pessimism.”  I’ll be honest, up until this past year I’ve proudly considered myself a realist.  I’ve never wanted to be a pessimist, looking over my shoulder and waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Neither did I want to be that optimistic pie-in-the-sky dreamer because….wait, what was that good reason again?

Perhaps I thought realism was safer, a form of self-preservation if you will.  Those who set their expectations too high are more likely to get hurt, right?   . . . Wait, lets see if I have thought that through.  If we lower our dreams and desires and believe that life is the perfectly balanced form of average—then it will be less painful?

Will it really?

As you can probably tell, my thoughts on this subject have shifted over this past year.  See, I want to be a dreamer.  I want to believe that life is amazing. I want to trust that we have each been given incredible talents, gifts, and opportunities to transform this planet.   I want to engage with thoughts that inspire, and encourage others to do the same.  I want to see the beauty that life has to offer—both in the simple, and complex.  I want to be overwhelmed by gratitude for the smallest of things.

I recognize that life is not easy and challenges will rise.  I’m not suggesting a Pollyanna-type attitude that ignores reality and refuses to look at pain.  Instead, at the core of my being I want to hold on to the truths that out of pain comes beauty, that challenge leads to growth, that struggle makes us strong.

And so I will.  My name is Lynn Morrow, and I declare myself an optimist. 

Two months of this beautiful year are behind us—only 10 left.  Let’s make it amazing!