April optimism…

What a wonderful time of the year in Denver!  Snow Sunday night; 70’s today; never quite sure what Mother Nature has in mind.  What we do know is:

No Winter lasts forever, no Spring skips its turn.

Hal Borland

Spring is a wonderful time for optimism.  Our favorite, Unknown Sage puts it this way:

“Pessimist”:

A person who not only expects the worst, but makes the most of it when it happens.

“Optimist”:

The person who makes it possible for the pessimist to know how happy he or she isn’t.                                 

April reminds me of baseball.  People sometimes ask me if I’m a Colorado Rockies fan.  I’m not.  You see, I only have a place in my heart for one, bad franchise at a time.  You guessed it – I’m a die-hard Cubs fan!  Hey, we’re in 1^st place!

Being a Cubs fan says a lot about optimism.  The Cubs have won one World Series since 1908.  One - over a span of 117 years.  No wonder we are referred to as “die-hard”!

Even so, Winter to Spring, baseball, and optimism all remind me of my Chicago roots:

Life in Chicago

60° above: Floridians wear coats, gloves and wooly hats.  Chicago people sunbathe.

50° above: New Yorkers try to turn on the heat.  Chicago people plant gardens.

40° above: Italian cars won’t start.  Chicago people drive with their windows down.

32° above: Distilled water freezes.  Lake Michigan's water gets thicker.

20° above: Californians shiver uncontrollably.  Chicago people have their last cook-out before it gets cold.

15° above: New York landlords finally turn up the heat.  Chicago people throw on a sweatshirt.

Zero: Californians fly away to Mexico.  Chicago people lick the flagpole.

20° below: People in Miami cease to exist.  Chicago people get out their winter coats.

40° below: Hollywood disintegrates.  Chicago's Girl Scouts begin selling cookies door-to-door.

60° below: Polar bears begin to evacuate Antarctica.  Chicago’s Boy Scouts postpone "Winter Survival" classes until it gets cold enough.

80° below: Mt. St. Helen's freezes.  Chicago people rent some videos.

100° below: Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.  Chicago people get frustrated when they can't thaw the keg. 

297° below: Microbial life survives on dairy products.      Illinois cows complain of farmers with cold hands.

460° below: ALL atomic motion stops.  Chicago people start saying, “Cold 'nuff for ya?”

500° below: Hell freezes over.  The Cubs win the World Series!

So come on Die Hard Cubs fans; don’t be pessimistic; don’t give up; don’t give in; don’t expect the worst.  This is our year!  At least that’s my story for April; and no April skips its turn in Chicago.

GAP

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.