Can Cynicism and Gratitude Coexist?
Today I am grateful for pen and paper to record my thoughts, feelings, and ideas. I am also grateful for perspective gained.
Winter has me tapped out this year. There is plenty of commiserating going on regarding the topic. Spring sports teams wonder if they will ever get outdoors. Gardeners wonder how long before they get to dig in the dirt. Farmers wonder what this means for this year's growing season. Last year we barely had a winter and March was unseasonably mild. This year, it's mid-April and there's more snow on the way. Really?
I have a case of weather cynicism. Here's a very fitting definition of the type of cynicism I am talking about: an attitude of scornful or jaded negativity. I am also suffering bouts of cynicism about my job. That comes with the time of year. School years and the energy that ebbs and flows with each year are cyclical. It's not unusual to be tired and skeptical in April compared to how I might feel in late August.
There's cynicism on more than one front in my life. It raises the question, can cynicism and gratitude coexist? I am living proof that they indeed can. Is Mother Nature out to get me or you personally? Of course not. Interject "it is what it is" at this point. Darcy and I took a walk after work yesterday. A cross-country skier was taking advantage of the new snowfall. Sure, the golf course she was skiing on hasn't seen a single round of golf this spring, but at least the course was being put to use. It won't help to complain and whine about weather I can't change. I can indulge in a few brief conversations with others who are sharing my pain, but that needs to be the extent of it.
Cynicism does take the shine off of gratitude. But gratitude also dulls the sharp edges created by cynicism. A peaceful coexistence of sorts.
Winter has me tapped out this year. There is plenty of commiserating going on regarding the topic. Spring sports teams wonder if they will ever get outdoors. Gardeners wonder how long before they get to dig in the dirt. Farmers wonder what this means for this year's growing season. Last year we barely had a winter and March was unseasonably mild. This year, it's mid-April and there's more snow on the way. Really?
I have a case of weather cynicism. Here's a very fitting definition of the type of cynicism I am talking about: an attitude of scornful or jaded negativity. I am also suffering bouts of cynicism about my job. That comes with the time of year. School years and the energy that ebbs and flows with each year are cyclical. It's not unusual to be tired and skeptical in April compared to how I might feel in late August.
There's cynicism on more than one front in my life. It raises the question, can cynicism and gratitude coexist? I am living proof that they indeed can. Is Mother Nature out to get me or you personally? Of course not. Interject "it is what it is" at this point. Darcy and I took a walk after work yesterday. A cross-country skier was taking advantage of the new snowfall. Sure, the golf course she was skiing on hasn't seen a single round of golf this spring, but at least the course was being put to use. It won't help to complain and whine about weather I can't change. I can indulge in a few brief conversations with others who are sharing my pain, but that needs to be the extent of it.
Cynicism does take the shine off of gratitude. But gratitude also dulls the sharp edges created by cynicism. A peaceful coexistence of sorts.
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