NO. 918 A POSITIVE NOTE ON BEING THANKFUL!
No. 918
Jim Davidson -- NEWSPAPER COLUMN
A POSITIVE NOTE ON BEING THANKFUL!
Every so often I have some person ask me this question: “Is your glass half empty or half full?” This is just another way of asking if you are basically a positive person or a negative person.
I always answer half full, because in the vast majority of cases I try to see the positive or the good in people, or the various circumstances where I have to make choices. These thoughts came to mind when I read a very thought-provoking article a reader sent me a while back. This article clearly demonstrated the positive attitude and choices “half full” people make on a regular basis. I might add, it’s a great way to live. Please allow me to share these with you, and as we move along try to place yourself in the picture. Some won’t apply but many will.
Each set of circumstances begins with the words, “I AM THANKFUL.” The article begins, “I am thankful for the wife who says it will be hot dogs tonight because she is at home with me and not out with someone else.” This really hit home with me because I lost my wife of 35 years several weeks ago, and what I would not give to have a hot dog with her tonight.
To continue, and remember each circumstance begins with: “I AM THANKFUL … for the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato because he is home with me and not out at the bar. For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes because it means she is at home and not on the streets. For the taxes I pay because it means I am employed.
“For the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends. For the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat. For my shadow that watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine. For the lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home. For all the complaining I hear about the government because it means we have freedom of speech. For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking and I have been blessed with transportation.
“For my huge heating bill because it means I am warm. For the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means I can hear. For the pile of laundry and ironing because it means I have clothes to wear. For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been capable of working hard. For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means I am alive. And finally, for too many e-mails (you know who you are) because it means I have friends who are thinking of me. And here is one that is very important that I just carried out. Share this with someone you care about. I just did.”
That was the end of the article and, if I may, I would like to add one more that is very important to me. Each year our Conway Lions Club has an annual golf tournament to raise money to help the blind and visually impaired. We have had 15 in all, and I have played in every one of them. However, for the past few years I have not had the opportunity to play much at all, in fact the last time was during our tournament last year.
This year you can bet I was very rusty. Going to the driving range a few times before the tournament helped a little, and the main reason I went was to keep from being embarrassed. Soon after we started our round I hit one of those shots that barely got off the tee box. It was not pretty. Here is the point of my sharing this with you. With God’s help I have learned to control my tongue. I am thankful that all during the round, I did not use profanity or say anything that would indicate that I am anything less than one whose glass is half full. I am thankful for a multitude of things.
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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Davidson is a public speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034. To begin a bookcase literacy project visit www.bookcaseforeverychild.com. You won’t go wrong helping a needy child.)
