Life Goal No. 14

It's a life goal of mine to see the Olympics. I'm not picky. Any Olympic event will do. Any place in the world will do. Every few years I revisit this goal when the games come on TV.

The Olympics are some of the coolest events in the world because originally they were created to honor the Greek gods, all sorts of amazing athletes show up and it's one of the few times the world comes together to celebrate something positive.

My best girlfriend from Norway will watch her friends compete in downhill skiing events in Vancouver today. How insanely awesome is that?!? She asked me to go, but I told her I just couldn't swing it.

What she doesn't know is that her friend is picking me up at the airport on their way out of Seattle (she thinks her friend is picking up some clients) before they drive to Vancouver. Today. At 3pm.

Oh. My. God. I can't tell you how impossible of a secret this was to keep. Fulfilling a life goal, traveling to a new city AND surprising my best friend I haven't seen in three months? AHHHH!!! I am so excited and I just want to share it with everyone! Life is good!

Movie Clip Monday!

There are times when I wonder what people are thinking. I question authority. I don't buy everything I read (and I haven't even read everything I've bought).

Then I remember that it could be worse. I'm a woman in a time where I'm just viewed as "a little crazy." I could have been born when this Monty Python sketch wouldn't have been far from reality. Bless this decade!

We interrupt this week's optimist message for a minor crisis of philosophy

A few weeks ago the big boss at work said I was too happy. And a few minutes later someone used the adjective "bubbly" to describe me. Between the two I was mildly disturbed, but I let it go.

Since then I had been wondering (especially in my quest for balance): Is too much optimism a bad thing? Can it be used as a defense mechanism? Is it synonymous with delusional? In other words, is denial more than just a river in Egypt?

I know it's "normal" to be sad sometimes. But I never said I was normal. I've just been wondering if maybe, in my journey toward the less extreme, I should consider being less optimistic.

As if to answer my question, a coworker put a quote from Mahatma Gandhi in front of me yesterday:

Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words.
Keep your words positive, because your words become your behavior.
Keep your behavior positive, because your behavior become your habits.
Keep your habits positive, because your habits become your values.
Keep your values positive, because your values become your destiny.

I still have the question in my head, but it made me feel better. Thanks Gandhi!