Optimism/Pessimism/Realism

Many people think about events in one of three ways: in a positive light, negative light, or by simply viewing the facts without applying feelings. This morning these versions clashed as my wife and I came home from our first official prenatal appointment. We were once again faced with bad news from an expert in the field (not just an emergency room medic) who gave us a very poor prognosis for pregnancy making it to the second trimester. She based the information on two hormone measurements but called for a third to ensure the downward trend continued.

My wife was obviously crushed and reacted strongly, as you can expect. But I, with my scientific mind, which my wife demands is ever the optimist, wanted to wait for the third result. Several hours after the appointment we received the very encouraging results. My wife's emotions surged very excitedly with the odds-defying change in prognosis. Still, I remain guarded because things can still go sour.

So here I am, a man who believes he is based on rationality, but always accused of wearing rose colored glasses by nearly everyone who knows him. The best explanation is that optimism is typically welcome by people who are in despair. They need to hear that things can improve. However, I am painfully aware that people who are elated never want to hear the bad that could come. I think about the negative aspects, though. I keep aware of all possibilities, good and bad, in any situation. While spreading optimism is wonderful, pessimism should be kept to oneself. Hoping for the best while preparing for the worst is my way of coping. That's realism.