What’s the Opposite of Cynical?

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Definition of cynical from Merriam Webster:

1: captious , peevish2: having or showing the attitude or temper of a cynic: as a: contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives
b: based on or reflecting a belief that human conduct is motivated primarily by self-interest

I know it’s very popular to be cynical right now.  It has been for a number of years and I really don’t understand why.  Why would you want to be distrustful of human nature?  I understand that some people just are. They have experienced more than their psyche can handle to be anything but a cynic, but to actively pursue cynicism?  Call me superstitious, or new-agey, or whatever, but I truly believe that we call to us the things in our life and if all I do is think about how much everything sucks?  Well then, everything is going to suck.

I’ve always been a silver lining kind of girl and can usually find some good either in the situation, or the thing(s) that come out of it. There are certainly times when I feel like it’s a losing battle, that I’m never going to get to the other side, but they don’t last very long.  The last couple of weeks have been a battle like that for me.  I had a couple of things that really through me for a loop and I decided to wallow in it a little bit.  It’s easy to wallow, it’s even comfortable… for a bit.  But then I just get too sick of myself, too sick of the wallowing, the sadness and the gloom and I’m out there looking for that silver lining again.  Yesterday was that kind of a day for me.  It was my son’s 14th birthday and I wouldn’t let my wallowing ruin it for him.  I pulled myself out of the gloom and did the “act as if” dance all day and you know what?  Today I feel much better.

I think the lesson here is that sometimes you need to wallow for a little  bit, re-charge your batteries, indulge the darkness for a short bit.  Then, after the appropriate amount of time for you (and I’m sure my appropriate is different from your appropriate), get back up, turn to the sun and start smiling.  Whether you feel like it or not is really sort of irrelevant.  If you find that you just can’t do it, no matter what, maybe your appropriate amount of time hasn’t elapsed yet*.

I feel like a different person today.  We got so much done today, and had a good time doing it. I wouldn’t call myself a Pollyanna, although her phrase was: “I can always find a reason to smile”, right? Well than maybe I am.  Honestly though, I think I prefer plain old “optimistic”.

*Disclaimer: I’m not talking about clinical depression here, just lethargy and sadness, if you feel that you’re depressed see your doctor.

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