Banishing Negativity

I think it is human nature to find the negative in our lives. I bet Bill Gates sits in his house in space and goes "hmmm. I wish there was a Taco Bell nearby. This sucks." I have written before about positive thinking and the benefits it brings to me and, you know what, it can be tough sometimes. When you deal with things outside of your power, it is often disheartening. I am a firm believer in working hard and pushing yourself as hard as you can but when life throws you a stupid hard ass lemon, you don't always want to make lemonade. You want a pina colada. 

I believe that there are things out there. I believe in ghosts, spirits, magic and premonitions and of course, control top pantyhose. Now, I'm not talking about spells or people who wear ankle-length leather coats and corsets, but I do believe there are things beyond our understanding and if it makes me feel better, where's the harm? I also don't know if there are aliens on Earth but to be honest, any intelligent life form would look at the Kardashian family, look at their bank account and twitter followers and say "Screw this place. There ain't no intelligent life form on this planet." Word, Alf, word.

So for the past couple of weeks, I have smudged our apartment, the Kid, the Husband and me a couple of times. Smudging is burning a dried bundle of sage and thinking good thoughts to banish any negative energy. You know when I asked what's the harm? Well, your place will smell like roast chicken, your child will look at you like you've lost your mind and your husband will do the "loud sigh". But you know what? Who cares, I feel better. 

You don't have to believe in the otherwordly but I would like to direct your attention to the picture below. This is a picture of Andie MacDowell at the age of 36 in 1994

Now, this is a picture of her now, at age 55. Do you believe in magic now? 

Now tell me she isn't some magic priestess. She's tapping the magic voodoo and I want in. Or is it Botox? Either way, I'm game.

The key to banishing negative thoughts is not automatic. It is a conscious effort to look for the good that is in your life. Sure, I kvetch and I bitch but I need to tone it down whenever it gets to be too much. Years ago there was someone in my life I had to see 5 times a week. This person made me so incredibly angry and unhappy. This person was the bane of my existence and I would go on for hours and hours about how much this person was ruining my life and others'. In the end, I was screwed. The best quote I read was "He who angers me controls me" and it really was controlling my life. I lit a couple of candles one day, took some deep breaths and just "let it go". And it worked. 

I am a much happier person than I was. I have let go of so much anger. If it is beyond my control, there's not much I can do about it. If I can't fix it with a glue gun or shellac? Let it go. You should be able to complain, that is normal, and girlfriends are the best for that. I am so grateful to have my bitch fests but I also know that I need to look for the good. Except for that woman at the cash at the supermarket. I have her number. 

And now, if you are still harboring any negative thoughts this morning. Check out this picture. You're welcome.