Pollyanna or Eeyore

Pollyanna or Eeyore, it is my choice. But I will have to be aware to choose the thoughts that will bring life or the thoughts that will bring death.

June 13

.My nephew Jack got Mono last year. He had to quit all of His extracurricular activities. No Jiu-jitsu, no extra school activities, no staying up late. Just school and lots of sleep. Mono changed Jack. He seems to need more sleep now. He still gets tired more easily and falls asleep watching movies with his family. The doctor says that the Mono is gone even though the symptoms have remained. Mono lasts for so long that your body thinks all this sleeping is the new normal. The only way to get back to your old self is to push through. Start behaving like you used to and ignore all the weariness. Eventually, your body will reset, but it takes work and if you don’t push through you will never fully recover from Mono. It will have changed your life forever. God has shown me that the same thing can happen through trials and trauma. I had spent most of my life trying to be like Pollyanna. This is someone who is scanning the environment looking for things to be grateful for and saying thank you. In every difficult situation looking for the thing to be glad about, thankful for. I would not let difficult situations define me. But because of so much hurt and disappointment, I started to behave like a Chicken Little or Eeyore. There were so many painful things, too many to overlook. When I did try to acknowledge the positive it was not received well so I slowly stopped trying. This lasted so long it became my new normal. It kinda slipped in. It all happened without me really even noticing it. Oh, I saw the illness, that was obvious. At first, the behavior was just a response to the illness. But the illness lasted so long the behavior became the new normal. Months ago God told me I would have to practice being like Pollyanna again. It used to be my default, but that had changed. Now if I want it back, I am going to have to push through. Just like Jack will have to push through to get back to where he used to be. Today God showed me that I did it. But he also reminded me that if I am not aware, I could easily slip back into Chicken Little and Eeyore and I certainly don’t want that! I love the power and hope my positive thoughts bring. We can all see there is no power, hope, or joy in the life of Chicken Little or Eeyore.