Today is Day 28 of the Art Apple A Day Retrospective – for information on the project click here.
Day Twenty Eight – October 28, 2010
Looking back 10 years ago today…
My husband inspired the day’s apple. We were discussing Halloween ideas and he suggested a Bat Apple which of course led me to One Bad Apple!
What’s interesting about the proverb “Don’t let one bad apple spoil the bunch” is that over time it has come to mean the opposite of the original proverb. We discuss the fact that, “One bad apple spoils the bunch.” and not the positive take and lesson of NOT allowing the one rotten thing to do so. I hadn’t really thought about this until I sat down today to write this retrospective post. I went to my original post from the day to read what I had written and look at what I had created. The link I shared 10 years ago no longer works – something I’m running into often so I decided to find a new working link and what I found was this NPR article discussing how the proverb had been so changed. Fascinating!
So as an apple aficionado I have decided to take back the positive spin and the original meaning!!! So there culture!
To see my original twenty eighth post and the link to the article about ~ One Bad Apple ~ from 10 years ago click here or on the image above.
Shifting to today in 2020 I am thinking about the power of positivity now. I said in yesterdays post that I would discuss the first biologics I tried before getting on my current i.v. biologic. I promise I will get to that but positivity is in my mind…
I am a positive person. To some annoyingly so. I know this is somehow a part of my general nature and has a lot to do with a Dad who is exactly the same along with having had a very blessed childhood and family life. BUT…
I also work at being positive and happy. I believe that you get better outcomes by living as positively as possible. A quote I love is, “You can live in a positive universe or a negative universe ~ the choice is yours.” Now, there are many who will poo poo that we have a choice. I hear ya; bad things happen, struggles are real and unfair. I do hear that loud and clear and I know when pain levels are high everything is a full stop. Part of healing is finding every single thing that works to reduce pain levels over time. Positivity is only one in a vast array of things that can be worked on, implemented, and added into the lifeboat.
Since there are overwhelming examples of people overcoming and succeeding despite great diversity and challenges we must contemplate our power to elevate any negative situation. It is the essence of our humanity to thrive. So if you can buy into the premise or at least take a moment to contemplate it then many ask, well how do I shift from being in a negative, grumpy, the world sucks rut?
You first choose to TRY.
I recall vividly an observation by my then 14 year old step daughter Amanda. She was getting headaches at school and we were trying to understand so that we could help. We did as parents do and started asking a lot of questions, thinking maybe it was new glasses she needed or the glare from florescent lights. Then out of the mouth of babes, she unknowingly gave the most pure and innocent answer that has impacted me to this day. She said, “Well, when I’m having fun, I don’t get them.” Yes indeed, fun is life and the body really struggles to stay in a bad state during play, fun, joy, and happiness.
Here’s what I’ve learned over the years of working on happiness, positivity, joy, and gaining back my health (still working on all of the above).
- The biggest key to this is being present to recognize you are in the low state of negativity that includes things like anger, frustration, hate, shame, apathy. You have to realize those emotions are currently in your body and mind. This is not as easy as it sounds.
- Once you start to train yourself to recognize the state you are in from moment to moment, you can learn to shift. Here’s what it looks like with me. I’m driving somewhere, my mind drifts to something just heard from the radio news update. It makes me so angry to hear someone was robbed (just an example) I start to spin downward in internal questions about why the world is how it is. I used to be able to hold this in my mind for a long time and the thoughts could go anywhere and often did. Now, I recognize it pretty quickly because I’m in tune to it. Those negative thoughts are immediately felt in my body and that is a very bad thing in someone with a chronic painful disease. I have learned to shift as self preservation! Not dwelling in the unfairness and treachery of life doesn’t make one apathetic, it makes us powerful.
- How to shift: You’ve recognized the downward spiral so now to attempt to get yourself out of it. My first thing is to turn off the news or the radio or get off social media. Or… walk away from the person taking you down the path. The next step is to replace the negativity with anything positive. Very often I will turn on happy upbeat music. If I can’t do that I will take deep breaths as I think about a beautiful calm happy place. Sometimes I ground myself by going outside to feel the air on my face and the ground under my feet. Sometimes I picture a large ball of light surrounding and protecting me from the negativity. Sometimes I light a scented candle I love or take a hot bath. I have a whole arsenal of things that shift me into the positive frequencies/states.
- Here is an example of a recent shift I made. I was outside looking at the sea of acorns that fall all over our yard in the fall. The thought that entered my mind was, “omg these acorns are driving me nuts (bahhhh)” and as soon as I thought it I realized I was upset at nature. At source. At God. What a silly silly ridiculous thing to bring down my energy! I immediately replaced that thinking with, “Look at all the potential life that is everywhere in our yard! How glorious!!! These acorns are mother natures glitter and glory” and now I will never look at an acorn quite the same.
- If you find yourself in a funk and you don’t know why and you’ve tried to get yourself out of it but can’t then what do? Well I play or laugh. My husband and I have started Saturday dance parties at home. Just the two of us. We play loud music and dance around the kitchen as we make a nice meal together. With the 2020 pandemic it’s been really difficult to be so shut off from so much that we love to do so we’ve turned that sadness and fear into fun! I dance, Doug plays air guitar, or bass, or drums… he always makes me laugh! But you have to decide to dance around the kitchen. You have to activate yourself into the equation of your life. A Saturday of dancing in the kitchen won’t magically make you a positive person but as you work on finding those type moments and stringing them together over time, there will be a difference.
I hope that is food for thought. The law of attraction states that we get more of what we focus on so we might as well attempt to focus on good positive stuff! Your mind and body will thank you! Remember, don’t let one bad apple spoil the bunch. OR… one bad thought spoil the moment! xO