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Pipi’s Pasture: Beating negativity

Diane Prather
Pipi's Pasture

Remarkable: that’s the best word to describe the brain.

Over my many teaching years, I’ve become more and more fascinated with this part of the human body, and if I could do things over, I would probably study it full time. Incredibly, the brain tries to protect its owner at all times, and that’s where negativity comes in.

Negativity is actually the brain’s way of preparing its owner for problems that might arise. No kidding. Lately, my brain has been working overtime with all the “what ifs” and the worry that goes along with it. It has been triggered by the challenge to get everything done — work outside the home, caring for the lawns and trees, being responsible for the cows, keeping up the house, and more.



So, worrisome negatives pile up: What if the weeds in the pasture dry up, resulting in a fire hazard? What if there’s a fire and I can’t get the cows out? What will people think about the dry spots in the lawn? What if the trees die? How will I ever be able to get the house deep-cleaned? And so on and so on.

Yesterday it dawned on me that all this worry isn’t good for my health so I’d better find a way to look at things more positively. After all, it’s not that I don’t know about positives. I’ve even written about them so I decided to find reasons to be grateful with my life.



Take yesterday afternoon, for example. Some blackish-looking clouds started moving up from the south. The bigger storms have been missing our little corner of the county lately, but I decided to start chores early, just in case. Sure enough, by the time I had filled the stock tank and given the cows their afternoon hay treat, the clouds looked really ominous.

I hadn’t been back in the house very long when the wind came up, and the thunder boomed right over the house. A downpour followed. It appeared that there was a blizzard. Rain mixed with pea-size hail blasted everything. Water ran down the driveway and settled into a low spot in the lane.

This seemingly simple event left me grateful. There was enough rain to water the lawns and the trees, and I didn’t have to pull the hose around. Nothing caught on fire from the lightning, and I had the foresight to do the chores early, avoiding a drenching and ruined hairdo. All positives.

Then I thought about being grateful for my wonderful family who would do anything for me and who give me their unconditional love.

There are also all the super caring friends and neighbors who help with the jobs around here, such as mowing lawns and weeds, hauling and stacking hay, plowing snow, and — my gosh — so much more. It is heartwarming to get a call from a caring family who notices an ambulance headed west and wants to make sure I’m OK.

Believe me, there’s plenty more, but I’m out of room. It’s all about beating negativity.


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