I Believe In Optimism

It took my dog, who thinks my mom’s Uggs taste like chicken, to teach me a thing or two about happiness. Once an absolute pessimist, I am now proud to say, I believe in optimism.
Many kids can easily stay happy through months of tests, quizzes and late nights spent studying, by simply thinking about the idea of their inevitable summer vacation. Unfortunately though, in my eyes, the most significant part of my precious, inevitable summer vacation, was its inevitable end. I, like most kids, looked forward to summer, but then I would remind myself that it ends, just like every other happy thing.
Thinking about the end of any happy time will make most people sad. Of course, the same went for me. Life just kept going on in one continuous, sad cycle until one day, my family decided to get a dog.
Cody, my new dog, was always happy. No matter what, he was always running around the house with some kind of hilarious dog smile. Cody was great to have around, but, as always, I thought of his inevitable end. Like all living things, Cody would one day die, just like our old dog before him. So, as always, I was sad.
I spent a lot of time with my dog. Almost every day I took him on walks, watched TV with him and played outside with him. There was always one recurring theme with him: no matter what, he was always happy. I could never actually figure it out. How does he stay so happy all the time? Isn’t there anything that makes him sad?
One day, I lost Cody’s favorite red frisbee. I had accidentally thrown it into a tree. I know it doesn't sound so bad, but try to imagine losing the one item on which your life is based, your most precious belonging which you use every single day. For about 10 seconds, Cody just sat there staring at the tree. At that moment, I thought, “This is it. This is the day that Cody is no longer happy”. But then, rather than being sad, as I was accustomed to in times like these, Cody went into the garage and came out with his tennis ball.
That moment taught me something. I had finally figured out why my dog was always so happy. When he lost his toy, rather than mourning its absence, as I would have done, he just got another one. Cody was an optimist. He was able to appreciate what he had and not dwell on what was gone. That was why he was so happy. I was a pessimist, hence my constant unhappiness. I decided to change my philosophy. Rather than thinking about summer’s end, I now think of just enjoying it. I look forward to summer, not its end.
Being optimistic and focusing on the positive things can improve anyone’s life. There are always things to look forward to, even if they end. Life is great. Some people, including me, just needed to realize that.