I am a relentless optimist. I think this one character trait has prevented me from slashing a few sets of tires belonging to the cars of a few former females that I thought were my friends; putting sugar in my ex’s tanks and participating in all matters of destructive behavior unbecoming to a lady.

How do I maintain this level of restraint and forgiveness? I learned it as a child.

As a child I discovered quickly, that I am not only the sum total of all my experiences, but how I respond to adversity and pain is more important that the adversity itself.

Divorce. Abandonment. Molestation. Poverty. Child abuse. Life-threatening illness. Rape. Cancer. Death or Murder of a parental figure.

If you experienced any of these challenges as a child, it sucked.

I myself can check a few of these situations off of my own personal list of unpleasant childhood experiences.  If you were fortunate, social services came to your rescue; administered comprehensive mental treatment; kissed all your boo boos and helped to take the pain away. I didn’t have that type of idyllic childhood filled with psychologists and positive thinking.