Did you know that most of the people who die from cancer have eaten broccoli at some time in their life? And 99% of those in auto accidents also ate broccoli - many within six months of their accident! Virtually all prison inmates -- you guessed it -- were forced to eat broccoli as children. Scary, ha????
All broccoli eaters born between 1800 and 1900 are either dead now or have severe physical ailments. There should be a warning label on vegetables!
You know I'm kidding; but have you guessed what I'm leading up to? You can add up the statistics and still make the wrong conclusion, if you are looking at only the negative . . .
Do I need to tell you that the moral of this story is that focus on the negatives can lead us way off track?
My grandson, Cobi makes me smile with the cute things he says; but he also teaches me a lot! He talks big and brags about himself and how tough he is. He loves to show off his muscles. Actually, he's a good example for me. He's not afraid of looking silly or failing. He ignores the negative and focuses on the positive, believing he can do anything.
I took Cobi with me when I needed some emergency dental word. He had previously had a traumatic experience when he was badly burned, so he was afraid of all doctors' offices. The dentist tried to calm his fears by letting him operate the chair as I sat in it, moving me up and down and tilting me to a reclining position. I asked if he'd like to try sitting in the chair, and he quickly declined; but he told the dentist that when he grows up, he will be brave and unafraid to sit in "that big chair under the hot light." He said, "I won't even care if my teeth are drilled, because I'm going to be big, and strong, and tough, and fearless . . . someday . . . when I grow up."
What an incredible teacher this four-year-old cutie is. From him I learn that I can admit my present failures and weaknesses, but I can also have confidence that I will "grow up" to be stronger, braver, and better in the future. This is what hope and faith are all about.
Kids start out as positive thinkers. They become pessimistic only after we adults teach them that they can't do what they think they can. We are all born as positive thinkers, believing the best about ourselves and the world around us. I believe God intends for us to remain that way, positive, loving, trusting, hopeful -- like a four-year-old.
The Bible says, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." (Proverbs 23:7) That means if you think of yourself as happy, loving, and capable, you will BE happy, loving, and capable.
Of course, the opposite is also true. If you believe you are an unlovable failure, you will act in such a way to fulfill that "prophecy" about yourself.
Isn't it amazing what preschoolers can teach us old-timers? Even in unlikely places like a dentist's office.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marsha Jordan, creator of the HUGS and HOPE Club, is a disabled grandma who cares about kids and does whatever she can to help them.
In a new book, author Thomas Baldrick calls Jordan a champion and compares her to Michael Jordan, saying: "She has done for the Internet what Michael Jordan has done for the game of basketball -- raising it to a higher level."
The book "A Million & One Ways to Celebrate a Child" is a powerful collection of real-life stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things for children. Jordan's story, entitled "Love, Happiness, and Sticky Peanut Butter" is one of the many true sources of inspiration in the book. Part of the proceeds from book sales will benefit the HUGS and HOPE Club for Sick Children.
To contact Marsha, email marsha@hugsandhope.com <mailto:marsha@hugsandhope.com>
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