Today’s blog title is brought to you courtesy of the Taylor Swift concert that I attended with my daughter last night.  

Last week, I received the first negative comment on my blog.  A woman – we’ll call her Sally – left me a lovely little note saying that I am a narcissist and out of touch.  Ouch!  I see now that it was perhaps a little naive to have not foreseen that I would receive nasty comments.  I am, after all, putting my writing on the Internet for anyone to read.  But it still came as a bit of a shock.

I erased Sally’s comment. I’m pretty sure this is a no-no in the social media world.  But as she was effectively being a bully and name-calling, I made a judgement call to rid myself of this negative energy.

Let me say that I absolutely invite anyone to comment on my posts, whether they agree or disagree with me.  I am happy to engage in a constructive debate.  And maybe I will come out of it with a new piece of information that causes me to reassess my views.  But if you choose to be negative for the sake of being negative, then forget it!

I am a big proponent of the power of positive energy.  I firmly believe that what we put out to the universe is what we attract back.  I am sure all of you have that one person in your life who always finds something to gripe about.  And – surprise! – the well never runs dry.  These people have a constant supply of negative events, interactions and relationships to focus on.

Please don’t misunderstand me… I know that horrible things happen to good people.  And I am not for one single second suggesting that they in some way deserved it or brought it upon themselves.  But here is what I have found with these people:  they choose to see the positive, even in the darkest of times.  These people and their stories take my breath away.

Given the time of year, my kids have been learning about Terry Fox.  This is a man who, with one leg having been amputated, embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research.  He once told a Toronto radio station that he found life more “rewarding and challenging” since he had lost his leg.  Talk about trying to see the positive in a negative situation!

So let me finish by saying “thank you” to Sally.  You went to the trouble of reading my blog.  You may have hurt me with your words, but you’ve made me a little bit tougher.   And you have also reminded me to be kinder, gentler and more compassionate to others.  I choose to see the positive in all of this!

“People throw rocks at things that shine”
“It’s gonna be alright”
       – Taylor Swift