GUEST-WRITING

     Mr. P., offered me to be a guest writer on his blog called "The Attitude of Gratitude". What that means is, - I will write a post for it! Now, the only thing that I need to worry about is finding, what to say and how to say it! Hmm. Here is the first draft (it, actually, turned into a second draft, since I edited it).

     Do you know the difference between a pessimistic person and an optimistic one? A pessimist says: "Oh, it couldn't get any worse!" And an optimist says: "It could, of course it could!" 
     I recently began to think that, hope was one of the biggest enemies of mankind! How can I say that? Isn't the point of this blog to have a positive, optimistic attitude? 
    After neglecting my well being for the longest time, I finally began to take care of myself. I began to seek counselling, at my friends' urging attend Al Anon meetings and write a blog. I also enrolled in a Weight Management Program. It went great! My outlook on life improved, I started to lose weight at a spectacular rate. It was hard to stick to just protein shakes and bars, which comprised the first phase of the diet, but even when I slipped and cheated, I knew that, as they say in Al Anon, I should focus on my progress and not perfection! Unfortunately, because the whole diet was built on protein, I began to have gout attacks.
     If you ever had gout or know anyone who suffers from it, you'd know, how much pain I was in! The doctors at Kaiser Permanente weren't any help. As soon as one attack would finish, and I would start moving around the house again and hope for a better outcome, another attack would begin. It ended after three months of continuous pain and three courses of Prednisone, a cortisone medicine which years ago made me gain weight! I stopped the diet, the pain went away, as did a good chunk of my optimism.
     Hope was what made it all worse. I kept thinking: "Maybe, the next time I can follow the regimen better! Maybe, the next time gout won't return!" Time after time, I had to swallow my pessimism and doubt, and - time after time - my hopes were crushed. What's the use then of trying anything, if all that I've done, seemingly, only made my situation worse?!
     I almost gave up then. I began to purse my lips, as my Jewish mother used to do, and say to everything: "Ah, it will not turn out well! Better just keep your head down and try to survive your life!" I come from generations upon Jewish generations of pessimists, you see!
     The only thing that kept me afloat was this thought: "What about God? Don't I have any trust in His/Her Higher Power?"
     There is no magic cure. Most of the time, we hope for something that can never happen. There are so many things which we can not control! God can, and having a relationship with the Higher Power helps us to better understand It and the purpose for which we are created.
     And here is what I, finally, decided, - and it's up to you to believe it or not. We, the humans, have setbacks ninety percent of the time. It's, probably, foolish to still attempt anything, if it wasn't for hope, for the trust in the Higher Power than just ourselves. Just  think of it as our covenant with God, a condition on which the Higher Power will still bother with us. After all, everyone needs a little motivation!