Don't Rain On My Parade

Bobby Darin and Barbara Streisand both sang a song titled "Don't Rain On My Parade." A sampling of the lyrics are: "Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade. Don't tell me not to fly, I simply got to. If someone takes a spill, it's me and not you. Who told you that you're allowed to rain on my parade?"

I'm a dreamer. I always think that life is going to get better. I see the possibilities, not the improbabilities. Many would call me an optimist. My glass is always half full. So-called "realists" think that optimists are fools. All I know is that I'm more optimistic when I'm depressed, than some people are when they are not depressed. I call them pessimists. "A pessimist is someone who feels bad when he feels good, for fear that he will feel even worse when he feels better (Anonymous)." These people are always trying to rain on someone's parade.

For example, an avid duck hunter was in the market for a new bird dog. His search ended when he found a dog that could actually walk on water to retrieve a duck. Shocked by his find, he was sure none of his friends would ever believe him. He decided to try to break the news to a friend of his, a pessimist by nature, and invited him to hunt with him and his new dog. As they waited by the shore, a flock of ducks flew by. They fired, and a duck fell. The dog responded and jumped into the water. The dog, however, did not sink but instead walked across the water to retrieve the bird, never getting more than his paws wet. This continued all day long; each time a duck fell, the dog walked across the surface of the water to retrieve it. The pessimist watched carefully, saw everything, but didn't say a single word. On the drive home the hunter asked his friend, "Did you notice anything unusual about my new dog?" "I sure did," responded the pessimist. "Your dog can't swim!"

People who don't have depressive mood disorders don't understand how toxic pessimism can be. If you are chronically depressed, those who surround you need to be people who will feed your hope. They should be people who are optimistic about your life and your chances of survival. They should help you dream. Hopes and dreams prevent suicides. They sustain people during rough times.

I can't think of a more miserable way to live, than to live as a "rainmaker." I will take a dream unfulfilled over "realism" fulfilled any day. I don't even demand that my glass be half full. Just a drop will do me. The crumbs off the table will fill my belly. Of course, I'll be dreaming about shakes and steaks.

But please....please...don't rain on my parade!!

**********************************************

"Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:4f)."

["I'm so low I could do a ten minute free-fall off the edge of a dime."]