Glass Half Full

There were some fundamental lessons that my parents had already taught me throughout my young seventeen-year-old life.  These would reveal themselves to be paramount in these weeks alone in ICU.  The most resounding message from my parents was that life is about choices.  We always had choices growing up.  And with choices comes consequence.  The consequences may be good or bad, it was the result of the choices made which was important to understand.  No matter what the circumstance, there was always a choice.  Cause and effect.  And more importantly, in every outcome, there is always something positive to gain.  Something.    I would later take this for all I could and would search for the smallest of successes in every situation.  Just one single positive. That was all I needed.  There was so much negative and uncertainty around me…I just needed one positive.  All I needed was one to keep the hope alive.  Hope had to be there if I was going to believe I would get better.  It would become a mission to find one positive element in every situation…developing into a core trait in my personality.  The sometimes overzealous optimist.