The Personification of NO!
During holiday time spent with my in-laws, my father-in-law and I were home watching television. Because he had control of the remote, we landed on Sarah Palin’s Alaska. Certainly not a choice I would have made, but I allowed it, as I wasn’t feeling well and simply wanted my mind off of being ill for Christmas.
During this particular episode, the Palin family was to go camping with Kate Gosselin and her brood of children. What I viewed within that hour was truly the personification of NO! Kate incessantly whined, complained and eventually flat out bitched about being hungry, cold and wet, while doing nothing more than standing under a canopy. Her kids were having a ball, saying YES! to the new experiences they were having with fishing, cooking out, and playing in the rain.
I was torn between two opposing emotions while watching. On one hand, I was so annoyed that Kate is still on my television under some umbrella of “celebrity” simply because she pushed a bunch of babies out of her hoo-ha AND that this behavior was what she had to show for it. She appears to have absolutely no gratitude for what she has been given in this life, especially as a now single mother of eight children. On the other hand, I was deeply saddened that with all of her blessings in life, she continually chooses to play the victim in situations. Whenever I’ve seen her on television, she spends most of her time complaining about her life and those around her. Nothing is good enough for her.
Sadly, Kate is the perfect specimen of NO! personified. Although one’s current surroundings aren’t all they think they should be, there are still works of beauty and wonder surrounding any situation. All pleasure and pain exist at the same time. What one chooses to place their focus on, they will see with more clarity. When I teach, I remind students that their life is a garden and energy spent on anything they focus on causes it to grow. If one’s energy is spent on the wonders surrounding them, then they are essentially watering those wonders and subsequently, more wonders grow. If one’s energy is spent on the woes surrounding them, then they are in turn watering those woes.