Thoughts Along the Path . . .

Part 1, written two weeks ago: I don’t like to dwell on negativity, but to put it bluntly: I’ve just had a crappy week. A very crappy week. It seems like everything that can go wrong did go wrong. And some things that couldn’t go wrong somehow managed to do so anyway. Much as I hope you don’t know what I mean, perhaps you do. Don’t we all sometimes have days or weeks like that?

Many years ago I read a book called “You Can’t Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought” by Peter McWilliams. Among the author’s many insights is the advice that if we will laugh about it later then why not just laugh about it now. Depending on what has happened, laughter may indeed be the outcome. Or at the very least a renewed, refreshed, enlightened perspective.

Part 2, written one week ago: As a result of having a crappy week, I’ve had to deal with many distractions. I suppose it’s a case of “urgent” getting in the way of “important.” Why do I mention this? Because I haven’t been able to finish this column for the Ayr News. I am due to send it to the newspaper in the next couple of days, and I now see that it isn’t going to be ready. With thanks to Irene for her patience, I am going to resume work on this later.

Part 3, written this week: Even while all of the crazy stuff was happening, I knew that it would pass. I even managed to laugh about it some of the time. While I cannot claim to have been saintly about it all – I was indeed grumpy at times – I did notice much to be happy about and to be thankful for. In this season of Thanksgiving especially I want to concentrate on the goodness all around me.

I am thankful for friends inviting John and me for Thanksgiving dinner. Yesterday a long-time friend from out of town visited us, and we cooked a special meal for her and also took her on a tour of Ayr. I am thankful for my home, my neighbours, my garden, my life with its richness and abundance. Every day I have something to do that brings satisfaction as well as challenges. I appreciate the many opportunities for engaging in community life in a meaningful way. I am grateful for living in North Dumfries, as it is a welcoming, encouraging, inclusive social environment. I am fortunate to be in good health, and the beauty of this part of the world at any time of the year is a never-ending source of joy.

Part 4, summing it all up: With the passing of time since the crappy week, I have found that some of what went wrong turned out to be not quite as bad as I thought. In some instances, some things that I thought had gone “wrong” turned out to be examples of “serendipity” when an event has an unexpected, even fortunate outcome. So maybe I need to reconsider how I use “wrong” and to delay my assessment of good/bad even.

As I prepare to close this story, I want to share Winston Churchill’s practical advice: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

And this quotation from the Baha’i Writings is a reminder that good/bad as well as right/wrong are two aspects of our reality and both call on us to maintain a positive attitude as well as positive action: “Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity.”

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Submitted to Ayr News by Jaellayna Palmer October 2025