When my 14-year-old daughter was diagnosed with an aggressive childhood brain cancer, I told myself I would find The Good in every step of that terrifying, life-altering experience.
My determination to practice Relentless Optimism in the face of the most harrowing time of our lives wasn’t just for my benefit. My husband and children, indeed all our extended family and friends needed some good news, too.
No; I wasn’t Susie Sunshine throughout our cancer crisis:
I understood the severity of the diagnosis. I anguished over the physical and emotional pain my daughter was experiencing. I grieved the loss of what could have been and worried about the unknown. I was angry and jealous that my daughter was enduring cancer while the biggest challenges most girls her age faced were navigating social complexities and completing school assignments on time. Sometimes, my fear, worry, and anger overwhelmed me and cast a black cloud over my thoughts and feelings.
And I kept looking for The Good in it all.
Because there was a lot of good in the midst of our most devastating struggle:
Family, friends, and strangers supported and encouraged us every day.
My child was strong and healthy despite a very aggressive cancer and treatment.
I found joy in the privilege of caring for my daughter and comforting the people who loved her, who were just as wrecked by this struggle as I was.
Relentless Optimism helped me through that most horrific time, and I believe it was elemental in helping my daughter thrive through her treatment and diagnosis to become the healthy, amazing woman she is today.
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are facing one of the most fearful and uncertain times in our lives.
The fear is legitimate. The crises this virus is causing are worthy of our fear.
And I continue to look for The Good in it all.
Today, despite all the terrifying things happening in our country and world, I invite you to practice Relentless Optimism.
If this is a new concept for you, try finding just one good thing to focus on today. This is not about denying our feelings; it's about rising above them.
May this time of global fear and uncertainty be an opportunity for us to seek out The Good in every situation.
Because it’s there, just waiting to be noticed.
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