Our Daughter at 1 © Jay Goodrich

My wife Heather sent me a text message a little earlier today stating that she was sad. To which I replied asking, “why?”. I then received a laundry list of items that were on her mind. This list contained the typical things that bother almost any person on this planet regardless of career, lifestyle, or monetary worth – money, job status, family members, etc. This of course led to me immediately calling her.

I am not always the positive cheerleader, I have many a dark artist day as well. However, I tend to be very positive when others are completely down. Searching deep into a very untapped well, not really, but tapped only in time of need. I told Heather that some of the things on her list were completely uncontrollable. If they did indeed happen, there was nothing to do but ride the coaster and see where it took us. Some of the things could be controlled, with some really good drugs and alcohol. And, the remainder, had other people’s pain involved, pain that we have been through, so it wouldn’t be hard to guide them to a positive ending.

This whole conversation got me thinking about the rest of the United States. If my wife, who is one of the most positive humans on this earth can become sad right now, how bad are the countless others? Or all of the people in Haiti? Is 2012 really going to happen? This all led me to thinking about those super remote tribes in the Amazon. Have they changed because the U.S. is in a recession? Probably not. They may have been changed by the ever increasing climate issue that the whole planet is contributing to though. This then lead me to the realization that maybe we are all truly connected by six degrees of separation. And if we are in fact connected, does that mean by some miracle a good deed generated by me could help some person 20,000 miles away, who I have not met or may never meet?

As I was driving home from the gym and our phone conversation ended, I passed my sign. I looked to the side of the highway and there was this simple, giant, white billboard with only the words “Optimism is Contagious” written on it. If that was not a sign, I don’t know what would be.

So that is my message to everyone who has read anything that I have ever written. OPTIMISM IS CONTAGIOUS. Act and think optimistically, because you never know, that person 20,000 miles from you, whom you have never met and may never meet, could get a huge dose of optimism from you.

A few weeks ago, I lost a very large contract. This contract was going to be a big part of my yearly income for 2009. I was absolutely devastated, mostly in part because I did not see it coming. It happened on a Monday, and about ten minutes after it happened, I received a call from my good friend Patrick. He was shocked as well, and offered up every item under the sun in an attempt to try and cheer me up. He continued to call every day prior, but to no avail, I was still in mourning, wondering what I was going to do? Then on Thursday, I was starting to reconcile my differences and realize that all things in life happen for a reason and even though I may not know the reason now, at this moment, I will know eventually.

Water over Ice taken with iPhone © Jay Goodrich

It was at this moment that Patrick called again. I was still not great, but we spoke and discussed much of the same, that I would look back later and probably be greatful that this had happened. As we hung up the phone, I stepped out of my truck in a client’s driveway only to see a magical scene unfolding before me. I had only my iphone with me because this was only a meeting, but I did pull it out and record what was at my feet. A moment of pure perfection. It was magical and it was gone in 10 seconds. When I got back to my office I quickly downloaded the images from my phone to see if any of them displayed what I encountered; the colors of a rainbow trapped between melted water floating over the cracked ice of a puddle below my feet, to my welcomed surprise they did.

Nature always brings me back to reality, it is my saving grace. This magical moment was the sign for me to stop dwelling on the lost contract and start creating new opportunities. So that is exactly what I am going to do!