One of my closest friends despite being a marvelous person is an inveterate pessimist. His initial reaction to any major issue tends to see only the downside. He once said to me “how can you always see the bright side when the reality is that many if not most challenges are more heavily weighed on the negative side?”I thought for a few moments and responded with these words.” I cannot remember one good thing that has happened in my life by being negative or pessimistic. “I do not live in Disneyland, but being an optimist has allowed me to find alternatives in the midst of many difficult equations. It does not magically make the issue easy or trite, but it has fortunately allowed be to see the silver lining rather than the black cloud.