For those who've just tuned in, I'm the annoyingly positive member of this crew. But there's a reason for this. Because positivity works. It's worked for me for about eight years now. And let me tell you, it was not always easy to stay positive during those eight years.

Most of the time, I cruise along at an even keel. But then there are those weeks. The ones that test Pollyanna to see how strong she really is. (Pollyanna would be my inner happy child. Or so Hellie dubbed her and now I've embraced the moniker.) Last week was one of those weeks.

My daughter his teenage-dom in July. If that doesn't garner your sympathy, nothing will. We've hit some bumps already and these mood swings are enough to give a person whiplash. I offered to buy a school supply last night and you'd think I asked for a blood sample. WTH??

Then my beloved Bumblebee got sick. (That would be my 15lb orange Tabby.) I spent all day Thursday at the ER Vet clinic racking up a ginormous bill to find out it's a hairball that won't pass. Lovely.

Later in the week I realized my floor was hemorrhaging water and it was coming from my air exchanger. Which led to having to turn off the air until I could get it fixed. Nothing like mid-90s with high humidity over a holiday weekend with no air to help you sleep at night. (Too much sarcasm? No?)

Then Sunday came around. Kiddo's mood came up a notch, a neighbor told me how to fix my water issue which led to the return of air conditioning (after buying three fans *sigh*), and Bumbles starting eating and acting like himself again.  

But the best turnaround was the writing. For the first time in a couple weeks, I put words on the page. As soon as I looked up and realized there were a thousand new words, everything shifted into place. And I realized something.

I'm not writing because I have to or want to or kind of enjoy it. I'm writing because I need to. And so long as the writing is going, then all the other stuff will fall into place. These tester weeks (as I call them) are not fun, but the trick is not to let them win. Keep the positivity and the words going. And when life gets you down, raise a fist and declare,

MY POLLYANNA IS STRONG!

How about you? How do you handle adversity? Do you notice a difference when you take the time to write compared to when everything else gets in the way? Everyone ready for fall? I know I am!