"You May Say I'm a Dreamer...."

   

        "How are you so positive all the time?" This is a question I've been asked quite a few times and, the truth is, I'm not positive all the time. Not even close. I have just as many "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days" as everyone else under the sun. Sometimes there's a reason behind my upset, but other days even I can't explain the root of my own negative emotions. Whether my feelings on any given bad day are explicable or not, I work through them by spending time with someone who makes me smile, going for a bike ride, doing yoga, or [insert activity that makes you feel better about life here]. 
        I think it has less to do with staying happy all the time and more to do with learning how to pull yourself through the rough days in order to get back to the better ones. For example: create a simple and honest life so there's less to worry about, take care of your mind and body, figure out your preferred coping mechanisms and "plan for the worst, but hope for the best". One thing I know for sure is that whatever it is that's bogging you down, it can pass. Learning how to embrace and accept the inevitable struggles is important. It doesn't matter who you are, what you look like, how much money you have or where you are in life; bad things have happened to you and more will happen. That is a fact of life. The shit storms that come barreling through the happy times don't discriminate. Your shit storms might come in a different form from the next person's, but that doesn't mean yours is worse. Get an umbrella and invite a good friend to join you under there. You can kick, scream, complain and cry while it's happening; you deserve that, because you know what? Life does suck and what's happening to you is not fair. But, it's up to you to remember that brighter days came after your past struggles and they can come again after the current ones. How will you ever find them if you don't look for them? The way I look at it, I have no choice but to look ahead with hope because the alternative of staying miserable is far worse than mustering up some optimism.  
        I changed my internet persona to "Grateful Kait" when things started getting weird on Facebook. Like most people, I didn't love the idea of being searchable or, more accurately in current times, "stalk-able". I wanted to be incognito, so I changed my name based on my love for Grateful Dead music and my innate drive to lift the people around me up. I threw around a bunch of ideas before I settled on this one. Little did I know, people would start knowing and referring to me as "Grateful Kait" and expecting me to be positive always. This wasn't my intention, but I'm happy to have become someone people reach out to or think of when they need a lift. A lot of who I am now stems from a silly name choice and people's subsequent perception of me; a very weird phenomenon, this social media thing is. I happened to already enjoy sharing my good thoughts as opposed to my negative and unhappy ones.(I save those for the people who lift me up; the ones who are more than willing to listen to me whine and then do everything in their power to turn my thinking around. Thanks for taking one for the team, guys;)
        So, it's not that I'm never feeling negative emotions, it's just that I don't feel the need to spread them. I do, however, feel the need to spread my love and inspiration when I'm feeling good. Everywhere I look in the internet world and the real world, certain people are seemingly determined to bring me down. The internet can be a wonderful means of communicating, learning and sharing. Instead, I see a lot of tragedy, hatred, misinformation and recounts of bad days or terrible news. When I see some ridiculous fad going viral, I can't help but think: "When is being a good person going to go viral? Loving, accepting others, seeking understanding, thinking positive, ethics in business, environmental and social responsibility; <---when are these ideas going to spread like wildfire?" I'm a dreamer, so I like to think the sparks are already starting to fly. It seems harder for people to do wrong as of late. I'm watching good people and deeds celebrated, which causes a ripple effect. More hope and love is the only thing that can stifle the aforementioned negativity. If you have light to give, please give it!

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us and the world will live as one." -John Lennon