A Little Sweeter at Home

I admit that I am not the most optimistic person out there. I even garnered the nickname "Cynical Jackie" by a college professor. Nevertheless, I would say I'm actually cautiously optimistic. Namely, I want to be optimistic; however, I always think about the what-ifs. What if it does not happen? What if I fail?  That being said, after a very challenging year, don't we all want to feel like things will get better? We pray or hope that we will get to do the things we missed out on in 2020. We pray or hope that we will get to see our loved ones IN PERSON. We pray or hope that THINGS WILL GO BACK TO NORMAL! I'm not talking about a "new normal." I want normal, normal—the old normal. Actually, a better normal for everybody. We have all struggled in 2020 - some more, some less. I'm thankful that we have endured 2020 together. We may not even know each other, but we are united in struggle. We are also united in hope. So as a reminder to myself and possibly o

Question: When have you felt the most grateful in your life?  Most people would probably say that it was when they had good things happen to them, their family, or their friends. It is effortless when things are positive to have a sense of gratefulness; however, it is not easy or commonplace to have an attitude of gratitude during a crisis.  When your life feels like it is falling apart, it is challenging to think about your life's positives. It is usually easier to wallow in misery. Still, it is important to aspire for gratefulness to experience its benefits, even during challenging times. Let me repeat that, EVEN IN CHALLENGING TIMES.  We all probably know someone who only focuses on negatives, and it is easy to fall into that type of pattern ourselves.  However, negative thinking = more negative thinking. To increase gratefulness, you have to have a different perspective on your current situation. Meaning, the problem may not change, but you can think about your circumstances di