Bonnie Bing: Be optimistic and let that glass overflow

Don’t you love optimistic people? Their glass isn’t half full, it’s overflowing. One of the most optimistic people I know is Connie Erbert, who was bound and determined to get Autism Avenue Flower & Gift Shoppe up and running no matter how much money she would need to raise or how many hoops she would have to jump through.

Connie and a band of determined, optimistic people got it done. The store opened in December of 2015 and moved to a bigger retail space in Indian Hills late last year. And then they got robbed. Now, it’s bad when someone robs anyone of anything, but Autism Avenue’s mission is to help young adults with autism gain the skills and confidence needed to live independently in the community.

The robber has been caught, but Connie has decided to chalk up the incident as advertising. She said she’s seen a lot of new customers since the Feb. 15 robbery, especially in the two weeks after it happened. That’s certainly looking on the bright side.

I read an article the other day about how some people grow less optimistic as they grow older. I’ve seen that happen, and I’m determined it won’t happen to me. Of course, that’s exactly what everyone says.

When I asked the fifth-graders in my Girl Power group what they thought optimism meant, one said, “You’re in a good mood.” Another thought it had something to do with eyesight because of the opti, and another said, “It’s when you think you can win.”

We also talked about pessimistic people. I have a friend who says “pestamistic” because she thinks pessimistic people are pests. I have to agree. And have you noticed that if someone is consistently negative, it starts rubbing off on you? Careful: Before you know it, you’ve become a pestamist.

A few years ago I was shopping with an acquaintance (I could never call her a friend because she was the epitome of a Debbie Downer), and I was amazed at her total lack of optimism. She picked up a shoe and said, “These are exactly what I’m looking for. I know they won’t have them in my size.” They did have her size, but before the salesperson could get one of the shoes out of the box, she said, “They’ll probably kill my feet.” But she said they were comfortable. Walking to the mirror she said, “I probably can’t afford them.” The shoes were on sale! That’s when I started laughing. Haven’t seen her since.

I’m no Little Mary Sunshine, but I think it’s best to think positive thoughts. And it’s a good idea to be around people who are optimistic about life in general. Maybe it all boils down to the fact that my favorite word is joy. As Connie Erbert says, “choose joy to ooze joy.” Be optimistic and let that glass overflow.

This story was originally published March 23, 2017 at 2:16 PM with the headline "Bonnie Bing: Be optimistic and let that glass overflow."