Off the Cuff / My Other Journal

A Mingled Yarn

"The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together: our virtues would be proud, if our faults whipp'd them not; and our crimes would despair, if they were not cherish'd by our virtues"
Shakespeare – From All's Well That Ends Well

The way we look at life is only a matter of perspective. A person may say this glass is half full while another one may fret over the glass being half empty. Mathematically speaking, they are both looking at the same glass.

It is practically impossible to be happy and elated all the time; yet in reverse, being upset or anxious all the time is self-destructive. Accepting what we cannot change and looking at the sunny side is choosing to be content and showing fortitude. This approach encourages positive behavior and invigorates constructive work, which leads to service to ourselves and those around us.

For me, seeing the glass half full means being content, as contentment is being happy with the way things are and finding adventure in every moment. Maybe, the part that's half full we need to keep it that way, so we don't fall into desperation. Likewise, the other empty half should stay empty to goad and cajole us toward success. As Longfellow said, "For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain."

All I wrote up to here sounds nice and logical, but can I practice what I preach?

Absolutely, not. Like the glass that is half-empty or half-full, I am a person with flaws and a couple of positive assets. Whenever I feel I accept myself, I find the world accepts me, too. Whenever I feel cross with myself, the world seems to reject me, also. The same goes for what happens around me and with things that concern the wellbeing of my friends and family. As to wants and needs, most of the time, I feel content inside, but if, once in a blue moon, I see the negative side of things first, the positives always find a way of springing to my view to straighten my sight, which means my glass is usually half-full and I like it that way, so I neither spill over nor run dry.

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Prompt: Do you consider your glass half-full or half-empty?