September 2024 Poem of the Month’s subject is near and dear to my heart, and something the world, and all it’s peoples, have not experienced to any degree over the past few weeks, months, years!!!

And that subject is OPTIMISM!

Was it Covid that put a damper on our good old “Can Do” attitude? Was that the final thing that tried to show us that no matter what we did, we weren’t going to win? Was Covid the undoing of the proverbial camel whose back was broken? Was it Covid that put a pall of pessimism on the peoples of the world?

So, what are we going to DO about it? Are we going to lie down and be sad and accept that the world has gone to hell in a hand basket?

Changing our attitude from pessimistic to optimistic is the first step to changing not only the way we see the world, but the world itself. Andre Henry, award winning musician, writer and activist, shares this wisdom: “History and data have convinced me that change, from the bottom up, is possible. I’m hopeful because history is a story we’re writing together, not something happening to us — which means we all get a say in how the story ends.”

The 14th Dalai Lama tells us, “Optimism doesn’t mean that you are blind to the reality of the situation. It means that you remain motivated to seek a solution to whatever problems arrive.”

He also said, “Choose to be optimistic. It feels better.”

I hope you enjoy the poem.

And, remember: Whatever the question, love is always the answer.

OPTIMISM

It’s said that optimists are the architects of progress;
They navigate adversity with hope and determination.
Optimism deals with prospects… with what can be;
It’s a catalyst for good results in every situation.

Optimism is not a belief that things will automatically improve,
But a conviction that we can improve on the way things are.
You do not need to wait for conditions to be just right.
Just jump right in and do the work, and start from where you are.

Optimism is a strategy for making a better future
For yourself, your community, your country. Although,
Unless you believe that the future can be better,
You’re not likely to expend any effort for making it so.

The best way to not feel helpless is to get up and do something.
Pessimism leads to weakness, while optimism leads to power.
Don’t wait for good things to magically happen to you.
Colin Powell says, ”Perpetual optimism is a force amplifier.”

And finally, we hear from our old friend, Willie Nelson.
It’s aimed at children, and also at adults:
“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones,
You can’t help yourself from having positive results.”