A gust bends Kev’s flower flat. The second the wind drops, it snaps back. That’s the whole idea behind stoic optimism, and it beats waiting for clear skies as a way of staying positive when things go wrong.
thatBB dictionary
stoic optimism
(noun)
Not expecting clear skies. Snapping back to attention when the storm passes.
Why staying positive feels impossible when things go wrong
Most advice treats optimism like a forecast: believe it will work out and you’ll feel better. Then the forecast is wrong, and the optimism goes with it. When a bad week hits, pretending the weather is fine just adds a second job. Stoic optimism starts from the other end. It expects wind. It just doesn’t expect to stay bent.
What would a stoic do?
Be like the promontory against which the waves continually break, but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.49 (trans. George Long)
Marcus wasn’t asking for calm seas. He was describing what stays put while the sea does whatever it does. The wind was never yours to control; the snapping back is. Bent isn’t broken. It just means the roots held.
Try this: 3 steps for the next storm
- Let it bend you. Don’t argue with the gust. A rough day is allowed to feel rough.
- Find the roots. Name one thing that’s still true: your people, your skills, your next meal. That’s what holds.
- Snap back to one small thing. The second the wind drops, do the next useful task. Attention first; the mood follows.
For whoever’s still standing after this week. meow meow, kev
