Welcome to the sunny side!

A couple weeks ago, I turned 50. While this landmark didn't really mean all that much to me in my life, I do find that it has forced me to look at myself and my life. I am undeniably middle-aged now; some would even say well past middle age. So who am I? Where have I been? Where am I going? Am I where I want to be?

Thinking about these questions has been a bit of a roller coaster. While overall I love the life I live, I have been forced to recognize that there is one major component missing. I am missing hope - hope for the future, hope for the world, hope that a single person can make a difference in this problem-packed present in which we live. Just when I lost hope, I can't say. Perhaps it has been a long, downhill slide into hopelessness. Maybe it is just a lifetime of being exposed to the tragedy, the catastrophe, the negative and the bad. Maybe - and here's where this blog comes in - maybe it's because I have just not paid attention to the many positive things that are happening in the world.

I'm not a Pollyanna. I know there is bad stuff out there. But there are also plenty of sites that will deliver that negativity in bold capitals, with a buy-one-get-one-free side dish of hopelessness. This blog aims to provide a little relief from the "ain't it awful" - a place for a smile, or a warm feeling, a place to affirm that there ARE good things happening in the world. I will include ways for individuals to make a difference - even if that difference is one person at a time.

So welcome to "Keeping My Sunny Side Up." I hope that you will find warmth when you are cold, and a smile when you are sad. Happy reading!