May 17, 2011

Optimism Heals

Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.
--Doug Larson

"An optimistic outlook gives us energy to handle the harder things that we have to deal with. Research shows that people who have a positive attitude have a stronger immune system, are healthier, live longer, and are even more likely to recover from serious illness.

"To believe in hopeful outcomes is largely a matter of choice. Many of us have experienced big disappointments and defeats in life. But having come this far, we can look back and see that somehow we had the capacity to deal with it. The Second Step guides us to believe in hopeful possibilities. We can't say that things will always turn out just the way we hope, but that we can cope with whatever happens.

"Today I choose to believe that a power greater than myself can help me deal with life, and I have reason to be optimistic."

---from Today's thought from Hazelden from the book Wisdom to Know.