Searching for the Bright Side

Floptimism: The continual climb towards heightened optimism, only to fall back down into that stubborn state of pessimism once again. Courtesy of a cool online word inventor I stumbled upon late last night and was playing around with.

For as long as I can remember, I have been an incurable cynic. It was something I never had to put any effort into. Being negative is the easy way out - unless, of course, you're born wearing rose-colored glasses. I clearly was not. Recently, though, I have started making a concerted effort to become more optimistic. I even bought a Bob Marley poster to hang on my wall ("you just can't live in that negative way...make way for the positive day") to inspire me daily. Still, despite all of the energy put into being an optimistic person, I'm finding that I tend to flop back down into my cynical tendencies.

This really has nothing to do with this blog, though, except that I chose it as the title and maybe, I'm hoping anyway, that writing in here will somehow help me move away from my pessimism a little more permanently. As an added bonus, a side effect.

I decided to start this blog for a few reasons.

1. I have been in love with writing since I was a little kid. I've dreamt constantly of writing my own novels, publishing a book of my poems - I even get a kick out of editing the things that other people write. Now, though, I don't write as much. I don't have time; isn't that how it always works? The thing is, I could make time if I tried. And so, with the optimism-rich saying, "where there's a will, there's a way," I'm going to make time through this blog.

2. The real idea behind this is to share my recipes and cooking/baking ideas, and "chronicle" my journey in learning how to cook and bake. I'm slowly learning my way around a kitchen, and it's a messy and frustrating process, but I love it. For years, I've wanted to go to culinary school, become a pastry chef, and share what I bake with other people. Waking up at 3am, though, was unappealing enough to convince me that baking and cooking will just be a hobby. So, if I can't share my pastries and creations in person, maybe I can at least share them with a few people through this blog.

3. Ever since Julie & Julia came out, I have endlessly romanticized the idea of having my own blog. Let's face it. I have only grown out of my fairy tale imagination so much.

I'm excited for this, and I'm determined to make it last longer than any of the diaries I tried but failed to keep as a kid. So I'm dedicating this entry to anyone, like me, still learning how to move beyond the point of floptimism, into the world of permanent, infectious positive thinking.