The Mindfulness Blog

Years ago, I was on a business trip to London and had a free afternoon, so I thought I'd take in a play. I wasn't in the mood for anything serious or dramatic, so I decided to see the Monty Python-inspired spoof, Spamelot. It had a decent musical score, built around a song that played during the closing credits for the film, Life of Brian, though I'd never really listened to it.

The song was, "Always Look at the Bright Side of Life"
and I often find myself humming or whistling it, for no particular reason, other than that I really like it-- it's simple, funny (the lyrics are a hoot) and incredibly optimistic-- a big time thanks to the late Eric Idle and the entire Monty Python group. So very well done!

Optimism lies at the heart of two qualities that I think are the bread of life: Kindness and gratitude. And that particular song reminds me about the importance of those two qualities, which are far too easy to forget-- especially given the climate in which we now live.

Not coincidentally, kindness and gratitude just naturally seem to breed optimism. In a strange way, the equation is almost mathematical: Like, 1+1= 2. Kindness plus gratitude equals optimism -- I wonder if Pythagoras ever thought about that.

How, exactly, does it all work? Well, I'm not sure about the inner workings (or the math analogy) but kindness, gratitude and optimism are all positive feelings that in turn seem to generate positive action, which in the end positively impacts just about all of us-- that's a lot of positivity!

It's easy for some to reject that logic, or brand it as pollyannish twaddle that has no meaning in the "real world", but for those who may think that I say: More for the rest of us. Reject kindness, Reject gratitude. And always look at the dark side of life-- I'm sure you'll have company. People who will tell you where to go, if you somehow get lost.

Me? I'll keep chipping away at the proverbial self-care rock, and always be looking at the bright side of life!