Thinking Makes it So

Is the glass half empty or half full? Gary Larson, the 'Far Side' cartoonist, identified four personality types:
-The glass is half full.
-The glass is half empty.
-Half full...No! Wait! Half empty...No, half...What was the question?
-Hey! I ordered a cheeseburger!

The tendency toward optimism or pessimism is witnessed throughout history: Twelve men went to spy on Canaan, "ten were bad and two were good." Spies were sent to scout Canaan and only two thought Israel could take the land. Ten held the pessimistic view that the land could not be taken.

A friend once quipped, "I want to start a Pessimists Club, but I'm sure no one will come." On the other hand, the story goes that an eternal optimist who fell from a 50-story building. He could be heard from each floor calling, "So far, so good!"

Personality determines our filters, alters our perceptions, and generally affects outcomes, for better or worse. The overly optimistic are criticized for wearing rosy tinted glasses and the pessimist is labeled 'Debbie Downer'.

Is the glass half empty or half full? A statistician might conclude the glass is simply at 50 percent. Shakespeare held, "there is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so."

Sommeliers understand a glass of wine is best enjoyed when you leave room to tilt the glass and observe the color or swirl the wine to release the aromatic bouquet. When it comes to wine, it's best not to fill the glass to the top.

Is the glass half empty or half full? Something is missing from the question. Whether the glass is half empty or half full, are we grateful to have something/anything in our glass--especially, a fine Cabernet?

[Carolyn Fjeran, LowTide explorer/reflective writer; horticulturist & gardener; former writer for Cooperative Extension Service, Master Gardeners, and The Newnan Times-Herald]
View: Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour,  Grant Park, Georgia

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