The general population often hates the optimist.  “Go away Auntie with her nephew and my new grandson and let me sleep” pictured above.  As an optimist myself even I don’t appreciate someone smiling and perky when I just want to be left alone.  I didn’t always understand this and probably have many people who have thought Planet Carol please take your sunshine somewhere else I’m not interested!

George Bailey yells at his son “Isn’t our car good enough?” when the son tells him about the neighbor’s new car.  It wasn’t characteristic of his normal reactions.  It was interpreting all information from the distress he was trying to process in his own life at the moment.  He is even sorry, but just can’t help himself.  There is no human on earth that has not had that exact reaction and feeling due to some pressure in life.

In my journey this past year I have discovered paths out of my depression and problems, but they have not been inspired by an optimist or fixer.  We know who we are.  We have big hearts, love hard, and deeply care for those around us.  Innocently we give lots of advice most often not solicited by the hearer who wants to get away from us!  Whatever situation each of us finds challenging today there are two choices we have:

1.  Let it bring us down and destroy a part of us.

2.  Seek an answer.

 If I choose number two I will not look for an optimist or generally perky person to help. I will not seek someone who has fancy words and deep theology. At all cost I will avoid the person who thinks they are better than I and have all the answers!  I will be looking for someone I respect and admire.  Someone genuine!

Genuine: not counterfeit or artificial; real; true; sincere.

“Lord pour out your grace over me today that I might be real, true, sincere…………”