Poor Misunderstood Pollyanna

In a comment in my last post I mentioned Pollyanna. Man, when I want to live dangerously, I bring up Pollyanna's name. I usually have to cover my ears (or my eyes) because of the language her name stirs up.

Have you realized how negative our world has become? Maybe you've noticed that I often end my posts with quotations from people or books. To find them, I just do an MSN search for 'quotes about __________' (and fill in the blank with my topic). Well, often I must scroll down ten or twenty negative, pessimistic, sour-face quotations to get to a positive, hopeful-sounding one.

What's up with that?

But back to Pollyanna. Here is her original quote about the Glad Game:

"Oh, yes; the Glad Game was to just find something about everything to be glad about--no matter what it was..."

But according to this negative, weary old world, the Glad Game is foolish, ignorant and unrealistic.

Yet I think I know why it's considered unrealistic--many people have partaken of negativity until they are stuffed full to the bursting of their seams. They've gorged themselves on negatively-slanted news and books and thinking and people. They've chosen roads which have taken them to gloomy, dark places where they'd never originally planned to go. So now not only are they negative on the inside, but they're surrounded by all things heavy and sad on the outside, too.

Don't tell me such a place doesn't exist. I lived there in the 1980's as I described here.

So I'm going to be extremely bold and risk some comments from those still living in the land called There's Not One Good Thing Left Anywhere.

Pollyanna had it right.

There *is* always at least one thing to be glad about in any situation.
The Glad Game can still be played by players ages 2 and up.

And I daresay that includes you.


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Some Glad Game examples:

When it's been raining for days I'm glad no hurricane came and flattened my house.

When all days are snowy and dark I'm thankful I have a cozy home and glowing lamps and that I'm still young enough and strong enough to shovel snow.

When I lose a friend I'm glad for the good times we had and I'm grateful for the friends I still have.

When money is tight I'm hopeful some day that will change and I'm grateful for what we've been given.

When our computer breaks down I'm glad I still have books to read and I'm anticipating my email box will be full of mail when I'm back online.

Come play along! It just might make you smile.


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"But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy." ... Psalm 5:11

"A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles." ... Washington Irving

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