It’s OK to anticipate different outcomes and impossibilities. It’s OK to prepare our hearts and minds for potential undesirable results. It’s OK to be a realist. I would hate being called a “negative” for my tendency to reality-check. I mean, why is it that people credit unrealistic positivity more than they do realistic negativity? Rainbows and unicorns are cool, man, but coming down from that cloud and checking in with Planet Earth from time to time is also good. Does a story of denial ever end well?
“Stay positive” “Be happy” — I honestly see one of those posts every single day. And, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE optimism. If you’re one of those people who are forever and ever feeling happy (even through menstrual cramps), I wanna chill with you! Thing is, some people are struggling with real issues, like depression and other things, and you’re telling them to “just be happy,” as if it were a switch. Let’s remember one thing: it is not. There’s no switch, unfortunately. Life isn’t about just one feeling; it’s about a million different feelings, and being able to express them all is necessary and it’s human nature.
I’ll leave you with a quote by a very famously known depressed person who knew a thing or two about reality.
If you expect nothing from anybody, you’re never disappointed.
–Sylvia Plath
