Idaho Falls

Attitude determines the differ- ence in our happiness, or lack of it. It's been said that life is 10% of what happens to us and 90% of how we react to what happens to us. With a pessimistic attitude, we can find many reasons to complain and be mis- erable. Conversely, an optimistic attitude produces happiness and joy. The story is told of a traveler who was walking from a village in the mountains to a village in the valley. As he walked along, he saw a monk work- ing in a field, so he stopped and said to the monk, "I'm on my way to the village in the valley, can you tell me what it's like?" The monk looked up from his labor and asked the man where he had come from. The man responded, "I have come from the village in the mountains." "What was that like?" the monk asked. "Terrible!" the man exclaimed, "no-one spoke my language, I had to sleep on a dirt floor in one of their houses, they fed me some sort of stew that had yak or dog or both in it and the weather was atrocious." "Then I think that you will find that the village in the valley is much the same," the monk noted. A few hours later another traveler passed by and he said to the monk, "I am on my way to the village in the valley, can you tell what it's like?" "Where have you come from?" enquired the monk. "I have come from the village in the mountains." "And what was that like?" "It was awesome!" the man replied, "No-one spoke my language, so we had to communicate using our hands and facial expressions. I had to sleep on the dirt floor which was really cool, as I've never done that before. They fed me some sort of weird stew and I have no idea what was in it but just to experience how the locals lived was great and the weather was freezing cold, which meant that I really got a taste of the local conditions. It was one of the best experiences of my life." "Then I think that you'll find that the village in the valley is much the same," responded the monk. Experience has proven that life reflects our attitude back to us. Who hasn't heard of one person describ- ing their neighborhood as the finest in which they have ever resided, when an other finds nothing positive about the same neighborhood? Pessimism in, pes- simism out. Certainly, the opposite is true. Optimism in, optimism out. I regret a comment I made in haste to a friend who excitedly told me about her upcoming dream vacation to a European country. Without thinking, I jumped in, tell- ing her that of the five European countries we had visited, that was the least clean. And I didn't stop there. I explained how the hotel there was the least luxurious and most expensive of all the other countries we visited. Actually, we enjoyed touring this historic city but the first thing that came out of my mouth was the little bit of negativity we experienced. Why would I offer such an unfavorable comment that had the power to potentially tarnish the excitement and dreams of this friend? After giving myself a very serious assessment of such negativity, I apologized to her and hope she will never again remember my pessimistic remark. Gratefully she had a glorious time in that country, but I haven't forgotten my 'unchar- acteristic-of-me' comment. Admittedly, it wasn't one of my prouder moments. Like the story of the travelers from the village in the mountains, we usually find what we are looking for. With a negative attitude, we attract negativity. With a posi- tive attitude, we attract life's best. Making the adjustment to the positive side of life, no matter how much effort it takes, is always worth the struggle. A Travelers' Tale BY SUSAN STUCKI n CELEBRATE LIFE | OPTIMISM IN, OPTIMISM OUT IF IDAHOFALLSMAGAZINE.COM 61

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