News

            Recently I decided to take a look at the newspaper, so I went to the newspaper.  Well, actually I saved a $1.50 and looked at the Columbus Dispatch online and with no surprise the first head line was a political one.  The next story had to do with college construction, then a murder story, a very short article about the losing Blue Jackets (hockey team), and so on and so on.  As I “clicked” through the pages I discovered more and more negative type stories through out the paper.  So I moved on to another, the Chicago tribune, and it continued with more negative stories over positive.  So I was intrigued to see if this negative news trend was the same in other papers, so to the LA Times, then the Oregonian, Atlanta Journal, and a few others that I could look at without having to subscribe.   It was all pretty much the same pattern more negative then positive.  I can say I wasn’t that surprised.  But then I started thinking, “is it just the news or are people truly negative more so than positive?”  For the most part, yes.  I work in a medical field where I am in contact with anywhere from 5 to 40 different people a day, and amidst the polite small chatter there is usually a negative spurt of words that are said.  Most recently it has been about the weather too cold, too wet, or just not perfect for someone to be out in.  Now I'm not one to say anything because I complain about the weather myself, but some people just go off about it.  Really I have no reason to complain, I live in the north, its February, and its 45 degrees out, at least I’m not piled up to my knees in snow with temps at negative 10.  Another obvious is gas prices, I hear that quite a bit.  Since I work at a major medical center we see patients from all over the state of Ohio and some from out of state, but it’s the people that live within a 5 mile radius that complain the most.  Come on people if you are that upset buy a car that gets 30 miles to the gallon or buy a bike, Denmark is one of the happiest places on earth and almost everyone rides a bike and their economy isn’t crap, I see a pattern (love them Danish).  The list goes on about what people have to complain or be negative about and I feel that just brings me down to a negative slump sop by the time I get off work I’m grouchy and tired of hearing it. Then amber has to deal with me being crabby and that’s no fun for her or me. 

            So I have decided to fight back, that’s right I’m going on an anti-negativity campaign.  For every negative thing someone says to me whether it is a complaint about the weather or whatever, I will spout back a positive. This will be more of an experiment then a challenge and the judge is my wife since she gets to deal with me everyday.  “Experts” say that when you feel positive you tend to be healthier so I plan on seeing if it helps.  I will give my self a month to see if things change for the better.  I will take a weekly set of vitals weight, blood pressure, pulse rate, and a few others then after a month see if things change.  Maybe even get amber to chime in on my attitude to see if she says there is an improvement.  

            So until next time, have a nice day (positive).

 “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”

                                                                                    -Dalai Lama