Why So Cheery?

I'm starting a blog.  Not sure how this is going to pan out.  I'm actually not much of a writer.  My husband, Dan, is an accomplished writer, and I have quite a few friends who have a knack for the written word.  

But ... I DO have thoughts and ideas that I want to get out somehow!  So ... a blog seems like a pretty good way to do that.  

This first entry is about why I chose the title for my blog.

Cheers, Paula

Anyone who knows me, probably recognizes that this is how I sign off on almost everything -- letters, emails, cards, etc.  

It started way back when I was still in high school and was a cheerleader.  Back then, it was just kind of a cutesy thing!  Over time, it just stuck and has become a sort of philosophy for the way I try to live my life.  

Cheerleaders have to be eternal optimists!  Even when your team is losing (sometimes badly), you still have to smile, and clap, and face the fans with spirit and enthusiasm.  At the end of the game, it didn't matter if your team had won or lost.  The athletes could show their
disappointment.  Cheerleaders could too, but just for a little bit.  And then it was time to jump up, sing the school fight song, and swish your pom-poms through the entire routine.  (And don't forget to smile!)  

I guess after 7 years of that (Yes!  I was a cheerleader for 7 years), it just starts to become a way of life!  I started noticing something about my personality.  For me, winning or losing wasn't that big of a deal.  But ... keeping a positive attitude no matter what life threw at me was how I dealt with LIFE!  

Now, that's not to say that I am a regular "Pollyanna"!  I can be pretty negative sometimes, especially in private or with one or two close friends.  (Just ask Dan!)  But what's the point of staying in that state?  For me, it just doesn't work.  I might as well face the crowd with a smile, clap my hands and see if I can get the crowd to stand up and clap along!!!

In case you are wondering if my blog is going to turn into a big sappy happy optimist fest ...

I hope not!  I do plan on sharing with you some of my life's wins AND losses.  But I'm also going to be me!  And that means finding a way to be a "fan" of my life (and life in general) regardless of circumstances, choices, decisions, or fate. 

Cheers,
Paula