If You Don't Know For Sure. . .

Lyn Frohlich. 

You know those times when you are fortunate to rub shoulders with someone truly wise? Someone who says things on occasion that stick with you and become part of your life? I had one of those times when I started working for the State Appeals Department as a legal secretary and met my "trainer," Lyn Frohlich. Despite our age difference, we were total nerds and got along very quickly. She started calling me "wunderkindt." (I think my parents must have paid her to do that or something.) We'd play Scrabble at lunch sometimes and had a "word of the day" that we would try to incorporate in our conversations. Triskaidekaphobia was one of my favorites. She had a wire tree on the corner of her desk that she'd decorate for every holiday/occasion. Of course never on company time. She's a strait arrow and completely golden.

That reminds me, I really need to call her.

Anyway, one of my favorite things that I've taken from our friendship is her sayings. Like this german quote she kept by her desk; "Geteilte Freude ist doppelte Freude, geteilter Schmerz ist halber Schmerz." Which translated means, "shared joy is double joy, shared sorrow is halved sorrow." Isn't that great? But my absolute favorite saying that has really stuck with me is, "If you don't know for sure, think the best."

Let me say that again, "IF YOU DON'T KNOW FOR SURE, THINK THE BEST!"
How many times do we find ourselves in a situation in which we have done everything we can and must wait? Well, this statement applies. Whether you're waiting for news from a doctor or you're afraid the dark. Uncertainty so easily lends itself to fear. Unnecessary fear. The ever-inspiring Michael J. Fox wisely said, “Don’t spend a lot of time imagining the worst-case scenario.  It rarely goes down as you imagine it will, and if by some fluke it does, you will have lived it twice.” So next time you find yourself in that situation, I recommend you cover your bases, be prepared for the worst, but by all means, IF YOU DON'T KNOW FOR SURE, THINK THE BEST.

Go put that in your back pocket, and save it for a rainy day.
I think I'm going to go watch Pollyanna now.