Shocked, stunned, and not a little bit amazed...

I had an epiphany!

I actually had to look up the word in the dictionary to confirm that "an epiphany" is what I had actually experienced.

Basically it is an emotional/pyschological kick in the head resulting in an "awakening" of sorts.

Without delving into the details, in the middle of a conversation with my boss it dawned on me that I was a "glass half empty" person, and it shocked me!

At 54, it occurred to me that I had spent the vast majority of my life believing the worst. If I knew someone was talking about me then it has to be a bad thing. If I caught a cold then it had to be the beginnings of pneumonia. Chest pains, rather than being caused by stressed muscles, were an indication of a soon-to-be heart attack.

Life is simply too short to waste. Yes it throws out constant challenges. Yes many of the people in the world are struggling, hungry, under siege from illness, war, and financial hardship. And yes maybe smiling won't contribute to a solution to these challenges.

Bit it won't harm! And in a best case scenario it might actually help us all think more clearly about how to solve some of our real or perceived problems.

Laughter really is the best medicine. Smiling and being positive in the face of adversity can help. And maybe, just maybe, the problem we face, or think we face, is not quite as large or dark as we think.