Hope
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“He’s too big” said Dr.Wilcox to Mom in her third trimester. She had already given birth to my two older brothers who were 9 pounders. So the decision was made to induce labor and Mom chose her sister’s birthdate, September 6 and that is when I was born in 1949. Mom was 5 years old when the great pandemic flu of 1918/1919 shook the world. She held vivid memories of those days all her life. The story she told about the party telephone line informing which of their rural Missouri neighbors had succumbed has in turn stayed with me as well. I never thought that within my lifetime I would live through a pandemic (a little, somewhat, more frightening?) as what she did, but here we are. I am a fan of the learned optimism mindset espoused by Martin Seligman. As such, if I spill a gallon of milk (did that yesterday) am not that worried that will do so again in the near future. After all there have been hundreds of times that have not spilled any thing including milk. And as to positive occ...