The Art of Being Conflicted: cynic

Did you know that August is "Admit You're Happy Month"? No? Neither did I and more importantly, I am not sure that I am all THAT happy at this exact moment. I guess I need to establish my level of happiness or lack thereof. Actually, while I was still pondering the "should I or shouldn't I" profess my happiness to the world I made the mistake of reading the Kansas City Star.

For my regular blog readers (yes, you... my dear blogee friends) by now I am sure you sense that I am just a big ole barrel of sunshine. My natural tendency to be over the moon in my optimism is unfortunately curtailed due to the fact I have to analyze every detail of every facet of my life and thereby finding an alternate point of view to pretty much squash any moment of joy. In other words, any happy event can be countered by the equal or opposite negative aspect of said event.

This should be called Cheryl's Conundrum

Happy + Research = Cynicism²
Pessimism

So part of the solution to this conundrum would be that I should stay away from newspapers, Internet and the TV news programs. However, as I am seemingly a glutton for punishment, I read anything I can get my greedy little hands on.

But, I digress. I picked up the newspaper and this is one of the articles that was my unfortunate fate to see.

Oatmeal and the word "gloomier" is perhaps not the ideal start to any given day.

So, of course, I had to keep reading by going to continued on page 10.

Really, did anyone need a survey to prove the fact that pessimism is growing? They could of just called me and I would have clarified the matter without a survey. You know how I ADORE (dripping with sarcasm)surveys. Remember the Who's Lazy? survey that I wrote about. The Center for Disease Control did a survey to find out who the lazy people are and where they live. Turns out there is a Lazy Belt that runs through the country. I happened to luck out on that survey by the grace of living in Johnson County, Kansas. There surely is a margin of error though as my career is in the dumper therefore leaving me less than BUSY. So technically, I have escaped being considered lazy but I absolutely deserve to be counted as one of the growing pessimists.

***Please, note that I haven't had anyone actually ask me to weigh in on either of these studies so I am one of the silent majority, evidently.

A statue of one of the Greek philosophers
known as the Cynics.

***To further clarify, At this point I would consider myself a cynic not a pessimist. I might be growing in my pessimism but it is still a work in progress.

So after realizing that I am one of the growing pessimist in the world, I went to my ever helpful calendar to see what I might have going on of interest in my life that would renew and give me joy and VOILA...discovered the fact about August being "Admit Your Happy" month and it further shows the month is broken down into weekly categories. Unfortunately we are now three weeks into the month (plus 3 days) not only have I not admitted my happiness but I seemed to have missed a couple of other categories.

Week 1 National Simplify your Life Week
Week 2 National Smile Week
Week 3 Friendship Week
Week 4 Be Kind to Humankind Week

Now I find I have also pretty much screwed up my weekly obligations such as simplifying my life, smiling for a week, and probably I could have been a better friend.

I have one last chance to make good for the month of August. I need to be kind to HUMANKIND. Tall order for me considering my cynicism and all.

The Good for the Day... The 27th is Just Because Day. I think I could work with that. I Need a new [fill in the blank]? Just because...

The Bad for the Day....Today was Vesuvius Day. Isn't this a bad month to place Vesuvius Day. How happy could the Greeks have been during that particular event.

The Weird for the Day.....The 28th of August is "Race Your Mouse Day". Truly, that is what the calendar says. Your guess is as good as mine.