A Charleston Newbie's Guide to Being Positive and Kind, aka "The New Black"

I saw this comment in a laundry list of posts today in response to an article that was written to teach people 'how to shop to save a significant amount of money on groceries'...

I love to read random articles about how to improve my life and finances, being in a constant effort to better myself and being that I am also 'in' to the social networking craze, I tend to scan the comments that follow the articles.

But lately I have stopped. Because the comments are just SO DARN NEGATIVE.

I'm also a "Fan" or I should say I "Like" the Today Show on Facebook, because I have watched the show religiously for years while getting ready for work, (sometimes they just have the most moving stories)
and for a few months I read their Facebook posts religiously, as well, and I saw nothing but responses to posts criticizing the Today Show's posts about the posts not being newsworthy.

Newsworthy being the key word here, the Today Show does, in fact, have fluffy news.

And if anyone ever told you otherwise they haven't really been watching it for years. But let's face it folks, I think fluffy news is where it's at when everyone is so stressed out and worn down. "WHY SO SERIOUS?" I would have to respond with, in that creepy Joker voice from Batman, the Dark Knight. But I'm really not trying to be creepy...I'm just trying to make the point that it's easy to freak out if you don't watch a little (or read a little) fluffy news.

So why are people so negative lately? Or shall I say, why are 'we' as a society not very positive?

As a nation we are run down, overworked, and cursing our houses that we bought in the recent housing boom as a way to 'build our future' that are yielding nothing and are instead costing us more money than they are currently worth. And we are SUPER PISSED. AS A WHOLE. And we all say to ourselves "All I want is what I... I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share" (to quote Sally from A Charlie Brown Christmas) Yes, it's true I've said this many times over the past 10 years.

But here's the deal. Life is difficult for everyone lately, and the positive people (and even the very wealthy people - yes, I'm going there) are no exception.

I gotta admit this is not my idea alone, the idea of being positive. I'm certainly not original. For years I worked with someone that had a post it note stuck to his computer that said "POSITIVE PRESENT". And I for a long time walked by and saw that post it note and simply thought 'hmmmmmmmm' and puckered my face.

Because it really did take me a few years to realize what it meant.

For those cloudy few years there wasn't an evening I didn't come home with my 'hooch' in hand in my brown bag, ready to pour myself a healthy glass of wine. That puckered face I walked around with will undoubtedly cost me some cash for Botox one day...

So, yes, maybe I'm a follower now that I've suddenly made this realization of "let's be nice to each other". And yes, maybe I did just stop reading a book about a woman that cheats on her husband halfway through it to instead read an inspirational book with a kitten on the cover. But seriously, how could you resist that face?!?!?!

Being positive, you mark my words, is and will be THE NEW BLACK. And you don't have to give up your 'deep and dark' books for novels covered in kittens to make this happen. (At least if you don't want to)