Let’s be Positive

Patrick is a pessimist, and has been his whole life. He can’t believe that some people walk outside and say “What a beautiful day in this beautiful city”, when all he sees is a cloudy day and litter on the sidewalk. Patrick has always wanted to live as an optimist, at least to see what it feels like.

When he mentions this to his super-positive friend, Jo, he says “I bet you $50 that you can’t go a day being an optimist. I’ll give you $50 if you wake up in the morning, write down ten things you’re grateful for, enjoy your walk to work and have genuine conversations with your co-workers.” It sounds unrealistic to Patrick, but he figures he can manage it for one day. 

Patrick’s alarm goes off at 6 in the morning. He groans and turns it off. Right then, he remembers that today is the day he is going to make $50. He gets up, finds a piece of paper and a pen and numbers it 1-10. He stares at the paper and can’t come up with anything he is grateful for. “Ah! 1. Sleep 2. My bed 3. Food 4. Breakfast “ before he knows it, he has all ten gratitudes written. He then decides to listen to his favorite songs on his walk to work, instead of listening to the news. He walks and sings along in his head.

By the time he gets to work, he is ready to have a genuine conversation with his co-workers. “Did you have a good morning, Sasha? Did you see how nice the weather is?” Jo had been overhearing this and picked out a 50 dollar bill from his wallet. “Here you go, Pat. I’m proud of you.”