Put On a Happy Face


Does it surprise you that Yellow Springs doesn’t have an Optimist Club? There are 80 of them in Ohio, even Iraq has one. Maybe we should think about getting something started in the Village. Let’s see what we can put on the agenda – climate change, the oil disaster in the Gulf, a couple of wars, the housing crisis, unemployment, failing European economies, fluoride in the water, the stock market, Congress. Hmm, being an optimist might be more difficult than I thought.

Actually, I’m a die-hard pessimist and until just recently, didn’t understand how anyone could claim an optimistic outlook given the nightly news report. Much to my surprise, I’m starting to change my point of view. I still can’t be optimistic about world affairs or the nation or the state. I’m not even optimistic about next year but I am starting to be a little more positive about the day to day things.

Even with all the rain we’ve had recently, I’m fairly confident there will be another spectacular sunrise. I’m sure I’ll see another comet and a Scarlet Tangier and a wildflower that I’ve never seen before. I’ll probably see a Red Fox crossing the backyard, a field of sunflowers, maybe a new butterfly will visit our flower garden this summer and I know there is some great rhubarb pie coming soon.

Attitude is about perspective and maybe a little about age. At the macro level, I’m still convinced “the end is near!” At the micro level, things look a little more promising. So now I’m a “micro-optimist.” Should we form a club?

A. Reader