Tuesday, November 13, 2007

The Glad Game - ポリアンナごっこ

Weather: Gorgeous sunny day! 51°F
Energy Level: 4 out of 10
Mood: 6/10
Health: 4/10


When I was younger, my mom and I used to play "pretend to be Pollyanna," a.k.a. "The Glad Game" played by the title character in the book Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter. We'd try to look for what made us glad that day, or the good side of everything.

(There was a Japanese anime series based on the two books by Ms. Porter in the 80s. Pollyanna, in case you haven't heard, is a girl who has lots of hardships, like losing her dad and becoming an orphan, being in an accident potentially paralyzing her for life, etc., but she always finds something to be glad about. She's basically the ultimate optimist. I have to admit, as a moody teen, I often found this character a bit annoying.)

I recently read in a magazine that it helps the day's outlook to list 5 things you're thankful for that day, however silly those things may be. This reminded me of the Glad Game and made me smile; and so I've been trying to do this every morning as I wake up, instead of thinking something like "hmm, I still hurt all over like someone beat me with a stick." It's not possible to be happy all the time, but this exercise definitely helps me start the day on a good note.

This morning I was thankful that...

1. I slept almost all night!
2. Then I had energy to get up and start a load of laundry.
3. I have a husband with happy disposition, who's singing as I write this.
4. Daniel likes the boots I bought.
5. It's an amazingly gorgeous day!

A lot of times it's too early to think anything deep, so I think of things like "we have cute cats." While it may seem silly, it does help me get up. And I haven't run out of things to be thankful for, so I must be a very fortunate woman :-)

-A

天候: きれいな晴れの日; 11°C
元気度(勢い): 4/10
気分: 6/10
体調: 4/10

昔日本に住んでいた頃、母と一緒に、(半分ふざけて)
「ポリアンナごっこ」をよくした時期がありました。
その日の中で、よかった~と思うことを探す試みです。

(エレナ・ホグマン・ポーター原作の「少女パレアナ」に基づいた
アニメ、「愛少女ポリアンナ」の主人公ポリアンナは、孤児になったり、
事故にあったり、いろいろな逆境の中で「よかった探し」をします。
いらいらすることが多かった思春期には、そんなこと
ある訳ないやろ~、と思ったものでしたが。)

最近雑誌を読んでいて、一日を始める前に、5つ、その日
(どんなに小さなことでもいいから)感謝していることを考えると
気分良く起きられる、という記事がありました。

「よかった探し」を思い出して(笑)やってみようと、
ここ2週間ほど起きるたびに、「今日も体中痛い」とか思う代わりに、
5つ感謝できることを考えてみました。
いつもいつも幸せでいることは不可能だけれど、
一日の始まりを少し良くすることには役立っています。

今朝ありがたかったことは・・・

1.  一晩(近く)眠れた!
2.  そして起き上がって、お洗濯を始める元気があった。
3.  私にはハッピーな気質の、朝から歌をうたっている旦那様がいる。
4.  先日購入したブーツをダニエルが可愛いと言ってくれた。
5.  今日はすごくきれいな晴れた日!

朝はたいてい頭がボーっとしているので、あんまり深いことは
考えてません。 (だから、「うちの猫はみんな可愛い」とか
いうのが1つ目の考えのことが多い。)

あほなことのようですが、起き上がる気力の助けになります。
感謝することがない日はないから、きっと私は幸せ者なんだわ~。
\(^ ^)/

-英

2 comments:

mick(^o^)k said...

I got a notification from US Customs that I have passed its Customs Broker Exam. This should make me happy, and thankful.
For, I have been working this from the beginning of this year.
But the reality is I just feel releaved from studying for the exam, and not much delight, or exitement for the acheivment.
I wish I could be like you, who can appreciate small things from a pure heart.

Aya said...

Congratulations Mick-san!! That's great. I'm not quite sure what is involved in being a Customs Broker, but it sure sounds very official and hard :P

Oh, I don't have that pure of a heart. I can be pretty morose a lot of times! Anyway, sorry I'm not near you to go out and celebrate or anything, but you should celebrate not having to study anymore :))))