Looking For Good
Originally published on December 11th, 2016
Recently, I wrote an article about how gratitude and looking for things to be thankful for has become such a big part of my life, but I didn't mention how looking for the good has also changed my perspective.
In April of this year, I was in Los Angeles reading a book inside a rose garden outside of a museum. I didn't finish it (my bad...), but I was reading The Diary of Anne Frank (Diary of a Young Girl). My favorite quote is from Anne Frank, and it says "Think of all the beauty still left around you, and be happy." This quote has become a motto that I strive to live by every day, although it isn't always easy.
My school had its Christmas Banquet on Saturday, December 10th. There was a misunderstanding of sorts about who I was going with, and this past Monday it became clear that I would be going alone. Don't get me wrong, I am not the kind of person who feels the need to have a date to things like this, but I was still disappointed, especially considering all the people in the group I was originally going with had dates. I spent the next two days debating whether I should even go at all.
On Thursday, I had three girls invite me to join the groups that they were going with, and since I had eventually decided to go after all, things weren't looking as grim as they had seemed three days earlier. On Saturday, I put on my favorite red dress and curled my hair. I put on my gray coat, and walked down the hallways of my school. For the first five or so minutes, I found myself standing alone by a punch bowl, because I tend to be early to everything even when I try to be late (it's a blessing and a curse). Eventually, I was invited over to a table, and sat with a couple very nice girls who I had been wanting to get to know better anyway.
The second part of the banquet included going to a fairground that had been decorated for the holidays. This place, entitled "Winter Wonderland", was covered with Christmas lights and Frank Sinatra's voice could be heard even above the shouts of happiness from people on rides. Personally, I'm not a big fan of rides simply because I don't like heights or fast speeds, but when I saw the Ferris wheel I knew that was one thing I really wanted to do. Another girl and I spent the ride trading off who was terrified and who was trying to calm the other one down, which we laughed about later. During one of the moments when my fear had subsided, I took the picture below.
I rode on a spinning teacup with a girl I didn't know very well and we both almost threw up after. I went on a merry-go-round in my fanciest dress and jumped like a child into three large puddles. I drank hot chocolate while looking at Christmas lights, and I got to know more people I didn't know very well. I was reluctant to go in the first place because I was slightly heartbroken. I didn't want to put myself in a position where that heartbreak could be stretched even further, but I'm glad I talked myself into going anyway. Before leaving, I told myself not to dwell on the things that made me upset, but instead to look for the many good things. I had a good time not only because I was surrounded by lovely people, but because I had made the conscious decision to find reasons to be happy.
I hope that you all can find good things this week, and hopefully you find things to be thankful for as well.
From the top of the Ferris wheel...