Interacting with others is frequently challenging. Not everyone I meet is equally appealing to me. Some rub me the wrong way. Some are so gifted jealousy arises within me. The list goes on. When I notice a negativity of thinking and feeling, I try to discern where it is coming from and I’ve noticed that if I find something to admire or praise in another, my entire world changes.

Even in nature there are things that bug me…mosquitoes for example. But I love watching the swallows swooping and soaring to catch them. Without mosquitoes swallows would be scarce. And blackberries! Sometimes when I am mowing around the edge of our property, they reach out to grab me and scratch me mercilessly. I’m tempted to curse them, but I do admire their tenacity and strong desire to live. I’ve seen them pop up from the tiniest crack in pavement after traveling twenty yards underground. How’s that for overcoming adversity? I could learn something from the blackberries. So, for today, and as often as I can remember, I plan to look for and praise the positive goodness I see. I’ll feel better, I know, and the world will indeed be a better place. I am still challenged to find something positive about slugs, though. Ideas, anyone?