Hot and Cold: My Own Personal Theory of Relativity

I might be at rock bottom, or I might be on the brink of something great. It’s hard to tell.

It’s possible that both are true. It’s a matter of perspective, really. I’ve always been a cup-half-full kind of guy, and I also believe that life is one giant self-fulfilling prophecy. Enter your favorite cliché here: You get what you give. You reap what you sew. My personal favorite, by way of the Grateful Dead, is: “If you plant ice, you’re gonna harvest wind.”

Whatever saying you prefer, the idea is if you enter a situation with a certain idea of the outcome, it’s more than likely you’ll end up exactly where you thought you would.

Where you are, where you’re going, where you’ve been – it’s all a matter of perspective. And everything is relative.

Here in Chicago, there’s a strong case of cabin fever going around right now. It’s April, and we had a snow storm last week. We try to remain patient for the arrival of the pleasant weeks of late spring and early summer, but after these many months of ugly weather, it’s difficult not to become overly anxious.

Last week, the mercury rose from the mid-30s one day “all the way” to the upper 40s the next. Suddenly, everyone was smiling. I’ll admit I shed my winter coat and went for a walk along the lake. But my brazen “reach” for spring was downright mild in comparison to the many people I saw wearing shorts and T-shirts. And I’m not just talking about a few loony teenagers. There were grown men and women – parents – acting like summer was upon us.

I couldn’t help but think back to last fall. October, November – I’m not sure which month, but it was the beginning of the end of the pleasant period of late summer and early fall. The temperature had dropped from the upper 50s one day to the 40s the next. That’s when I went out and bought a serious winter jacket and started wearing my wool socks. And I wasn’t alone in hunkering down for winter. Everyone was breaking out the cold-weather gear and bracing for worse to come.

So we’ve got two days of similar weather. One in the fall, moving toward winter. One in the spring, moving toward summer. Almost identical days when looked at without context – sunny, in the 40s. On the autumn day, people are wearing winter coats and wool socks. On the spring day, people are wearing shorts and T-shirts. A matter of perspective, no? Everything is relative indeed.

While the cycle of seasons – global warming or not – goes in the same order every year, my life does not have the same predictability. But for better or worse, though there is the occasional moment of self-doubt, I prefer to see sunshine in my future. And I believe this perspective will help to lead me in that direction.

That’s not to say that by simply picturing good things, those good things will automatically happen. But if, for example, I’m presented with a potentially promising opportunity, my disposition at the moment of presentation will no doubt affect how I react to the opportunity.

If I’m in a positive frame of mind and ready for good things to happen, I’m likely to look at a scenario and see how I can make it work toward the vision of success I’ve been picturing in my head. By the same token, if I’m in a negative frame of mind, I’m likely to look at the exact same scenario and wonder why I should waste my time working on yet another project bound for failure.

I truly believe both reactions would be likely to prove accurate. Am I headed toward a dark and lonely winter, or am I headed toward a warm and happy summer? The choice is up to me.

Comments

[Carol Hindin]

Guess you're here to make us think. Well, you blew me away!

[Teresa Basich]

Whenever I read your posts I always kind of dig into myself a bit and really think about things, and I love that about your writing.

I read a post over at Gretchen Rubin's blog, The Happiness Project (www.happiness-project.com), about "Enjoying the Process" and I'm learning that if I can reflect on aspects of my day that seem to get me down in a "this is all part of the process and I'm learning from it" sort of way, it's easy to sit back and enjoy the spot I'm in (unemployed, trying to move, looking for the perfect career path). Even if it's reflecting on the weather!

I think your natural bent toward positivity will prove to be a major asset to you. I see warm and happy summers in your future.

Just hold tight, the sun will be out sooner than you think. ;-)

~Teresa