From Gary Larson’s The Complete Far Side Collection, $67.22 on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2svSzmr
I have a good friend who is relentlessly optimistic. No matter how bad the situation, he always sees the positive side of things. I swear that he could trip and fall headfirst into a septic tank, only to climb out and cheerfully explain how the contents are good for the complexion. He’s damned near bulletproof when it comes to attitude. Sometimes he is so optimistic that I just want to slap him.
When I am having the worst day possible and generally pissed off at the world, I call him up. After a few minutes, I start feeling guilty about my ingrained, hard-nosed cynicism. Off go the gray-tinted shades, on go the rose-colored glasses.
The truth of the matter is that you are going to go through this stroke situation no matter what your attitude. It is going to be a difficult journey either way. You can be angry and depressed and sad, or you can be positive and optimistic. Trust me that the latter is a much easier path.
Barring some newly-discovered medical breakthrough, I see only one possible path out of this stroke situation: relentless, repetitive exercise over a long period of time. I can’t and won’t find the will and the discipline necessary to accomplish that if I am pissed off and depressed all the time, and I am betting that you won’t either.
To ease your path to recovery, you need to adjust the one thing that you have control over – your attitude. Think of your attitude like a battery that requires daily recharging. Find something or someone positive that will inspire you, and get yourself a daily dose. A family member, friend, mentor, role model, video, book, this website – whatever it takes to power up.
Hopefully, you will find something on this site that inspires you to adjust your attitude and get to work on recovering.