PASS THE OPTIMISM, PLEASE

First grade. The question goes out. “Who’s the most popular girl in the class?”  A chorus of little girls squeal, ” Betsy Riley!”  Could that possibly have ever happened? I don’t know.  I do have a lot of imagination.  Classmates screaming her name or not – it was true…

Betsy was what any noticing adult would have labeled Charismatic. Not to embarrass  her but but you won’t believe me otherwise – she played piano by ear, she went toe toe with Johnny Neutzling in the spelling bee, her curlicue handwriting drove the nuns nuts ( too pretty…) she could Sing!  She was a quick learner (first reading group whipping through those primary readers).  The perfect face, unforgettable green eyes. She was fun and and her greatest gift and asset … she was Happy!  Doggone but she was perpetually full of myrth.  Almost nobody could resist her.

We are 66 now and I am still practically best friends with Betsy.  Nothing has changed. Yakking with me on her cell phone  while walking her dog every neighbor stops to get a bit of her attention. If you run into me when she’s with me and I introduce you to her the NEXT time you see me you will ask,”How’s your friend, Betsy?”  It happens every single time… She’s got It. And that IT is her Vibe.  That overall sense that she likes her life. That life is good.  She is a real live smiley face.   Everybody wants a piece of her sunshine.

My husband, Steve is another kind of BETSY.  He loves to be happy. Talking about our kids or THE grandson his smile lights him up like a Christmas tree.  It’s the small things that set his joy rolling. Fields of flowers or a single bloom easily unleash his bliss.  He has a mild devotion to Jerry Garcia and the Boys and retreats to another realm of contentment with them in his ears. He can be talking to me about the most insignificant topic, mundane and ordinary and can’t contain his ebullience.  In short, he can’t stand to NOT be happy!

I have my moments.  I gush.  I glow.  I laugh a little too hard and loud.  But I don’t think I’m often taken for a Betsy or Steve.  They get the permanent title.  Feel Good Folk.  You can rely on them in most social situations to anchor the happy.  They like to do that, it seems.

I have been noticing  that the older I get the more life seems to turn inside out.  Upon close examination (40 yrs later) Steve can enjoy an occasional funk and Betsy (60 yrs after the fact) can be delightful even when she’s ragging about society’s social ills and injustice of it all.  They’re not Perfect! They are not 100% Peace  Love and Joy… Uh oh.  More and more I find it natural and easy to fill in for Steve when he is running on empty.  And there are times when the Pollyanna in me can unnerve Ms Riley.

I’m still pretty sure the two of them have a monopoly on the happy stuff.  It’s who they are.  It’s just nice to know that sometimes I have a contribution to make too. Deep down inside I’m every bit the optimist as two of my happiest and favorite souls. They just wear it very well.  So while most days I silently request of them, “Please pass the optimism”  I know for certain that I have also answered their call to: PASS THE OPTIMISM, PLEASE..