Positivity In the Community

“A Tale of Two Attitudes”
-Jill W Tomey

About 18 years ago, I set out on a trip with a small group of ladies from Cincinnati and Pittsburgh to Erie, PA to an indoor waterpark, one of the first in our area. We were in my full-size conversion van and we were about halfway between Pittsburgh and Erie when my van began to slow. We were in the middle of nowhere and exits were few, but we happened on one and pulled off. There was an abandoned gas station we could pull into and under a canopy to provide shade. Next to the gas station was a mobile home that was an accounting office. There was nothing else to see in any direction. They offered us water, use of the bathroom and phone. One in our party knew the area and said there was a Chevy dealer in a nearby town. I called AAA and when the tow truck arrived, he knew of the dealer and it was just outside the number of miles they would tow but he took pity on our plight and took us there. The bad news: I needed a new transmission and, of course, it was just out of warranty. The repair would take several days.

The one who knew the area, knew it because her family had a camp close by. We asked if the courtesy van could take us there. Again, it was outside the range, but he did it anyway. When we arrived at the camp, her husband was there. He had planned to be on the lake all day but had come in early. We had lunch with him and then he took us to Erie, about an hour and a half away. We checked into the hotel and had only lost about 3 hours of our vacation. We had a suite at the resort and had brought food to cook for our meals. We didn’t need a car, so we could enjoy our vacation without the use of the van.

Now, as you read that story you either thought, how lucky we were or how horrible. I saw my guardian angel working to help me at every turn. Another in our party only saw the difficulty and it really impacted her ability to enjoy the vacation. Her complaining was a downer to all of us. I didn’t realize that I had such a positive attitude until the events of that trip showed the differences. My van was going to break down no matter where I was, and I felt fortunate that it didn’t cause an accident. She still classifies that vacation as one of the worst and the rest of us have good memories.

Having an attitude of positivity can not only affect your mood but it can affect outcomes. When you get upset about a situation it may color your thinking and decision making. If we had been a whole group of grumpy women, we may not have received the help we did.

This month, put on those rose-colored glasses and amp up your positivity!