Poverty in Optimism & Pessimism - Gratitude Journal

A variety of events and conversations have me thinking about the different ways people live through poverty and difficult situations.  When I distill the ways down to the simplest forms, it seems to come down to seeing the world through the eyes of pessimism or optimism.  I'm grateful for the experiences I had when life was difficult and my family had to learn how to get by on very little- it taught me so much about managing adversity and making the most of whatever we had even when it felt like little more than survival.  We learned that enjoying life isn't about the money we have as much as it is about how we approach our own resources and the resources around us.

When I look at the variety of ways we can handle difficulty, it becomes a prime example of HOW we manage our life situations being even more important than WHAT our life situations are...

Poverty Through Eyes of Pessimism...

1. Events: Poverty becomes the reason a person can't go anywhere or do anything, because it will only cost more money.
2. Friends: Poverty becomes the reason not to hang out with anyone, because pessimism assumes it will mean spending more money to keep up with other people.
3. Food: Poverty means buying the cheapest and worst quality food because pessimism can't afford good quality foods.
4. Shopping: Poverty means never going to retail stores or festivals because it will just trigger depression about all the things that can't be purchased.
5. Vacation: Poverty means not taking a vacation because it will take too many resources to make happen.
6. Parties: Poverty becomes the reason never to have other neighborhood kids over, because there aren't enough snacks or extra toys for them.
7. Eating Out: Poverty means not going out to eat because it's too expensive and family members never eat what they pay for anyway.
8. Part-Time Work: Poverty means not even trying to find a part-time minimum wage job because it won't pay enough anyway, and will only take time away from finding a full-time job.
9. Mental Health: Poverty becomes the reason not to take care of the mind, because counseling is too expensive to afford.
10. Physical Health: Poverty becomes the reason not to work on physical health, because gym classes and memberships are too expensive.

Poverty Through Eyes of Optimism...

1. Events: Poverty becomes the reason to explore all of the free and inexpensive ways to enjoy events in the community.
2. Friends: Poverty becomes the reason to find friends who will share rides, split the cost of gas and park entry fees, and caravan together.
3. Food: Poverty becomes the reason to learn how to grow fresh vegetables and fruits, or volunteer for a farmer's market or co-op grocery store.
4. Shopping: Poverty means going to stores and festivals that offer all of the free samples, because why not enjoy what's free while it's free?
5. Vacation: Poverty means vacationing in free or low-cost state parks and free campgrounds where families cook over found sticks and leaves out in nature instead of in a hot kitchen without air conditioning.
6. Parties: Poverty becomes the reason to trade babysitting nights with other families in the same situation, because everyone needs alone time even if they can't afford a babysitter.
7. Eating Out: Poverty means finding all of the kids-eat-free, happy-hour-deals, and two-for-one nights at restaurants so there's room to save on groceries and have a good night out, while taking home all the leftovers to enjoy for lunch or snacks later on.
8. Part-Time Work: Poverty means finding a part-time minimum wage job that has perks like free clothing, free food, free books, free travel perks, or other free benefits that can only be obtained as an employee, while still using the other part-time hours to find a better situation.
9. Mental Health: Poverty becomes the reason to join free church community groups that work through difficult life situations together, and to find free meditation events in the community.
10. Physical Health: Poverty becomes the reason to join free meet-up groups that go hiking together or free community yoga classes to stay in good physical shape together.

Pessimism isolates and dwells in suffering.  Optimism reaches out and finds opportunities to connect with free resources and supportive communities.  It takes a very strong mind and body to seek opportunities when life feels like it is bereft of beauty and abundance.  For people who feel crushed and defeated by a job-loss or income-loss situation, they may only see the pessimistic answers until they learn how to find strength even in the midst of loss.  Learning how to survive and thrive even in the face poverty creates tools and resources needed to succeed and thrive in any situation.  If you find yourself in a difficult spot or in a time of loss, I hope that this post helps you keep your eyes, heart, and mind open to the possibilities and options to find greater support in the people and communities around you.

With all my heart, soul, and lived experiences, please know that you have the power right now to make whatever situation you have even better just by shifting your perspective.

Love, Anne

PS.  Do you have more ways to see the brighter side of life even during difficulty?  Please share in the comments!