scatter sunshine

"I am glad that you are young, and I hope you are enthusiastic, because there is a terrible ailment of pessimism in the land. It’s almost endemic. We’re constantly fed a steady and sour diet of character assassination, faultfinding, evil speaking of one another. . . . The tragedy is that this spirit of negativism seems to prevail throughout the country. . . .

I come this evening with a plea that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I’m suggesting that we accentuate the positive. I’m asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort. . . .

My dear young friends, don’t partake of the spirit of our times. Look for the good and build on it. There is so much of the sweet and the decent and the good to build upon.

You are partakers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel means “good news.” The message of the Lord is one of hope and salvation. The voice of the Lord is a voice of gladness. The work of the Lord is a work of glorious and certain reward. I do not suggest that you simply put on rose-colored glasses to make the world look rosy. I ask, rather, that you look above and beyond the negative, the critical, the cynical, the doubtful, to the positive."

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

I think that I'm guilty of this from time to time, especially when life gets stressful. I start thinking of all the opportunities of things that I get to do as burdens that I "have" to do. I don't have to study French and chemistry, I don't have to be on the ballroom dance tour team, I don't have to go to school at all. But I've chosen to take advantage of these opportunities. When things get hard I need to remember how blessed I am for having the chance to participate in all of these things. I won't be doing this forever, I won't be here forever. I need to enjoy it while I am.

Goal: No more complaints about dance or school for the rest of the week.