>Recovering from depression isn’t easy when the news is bad. It doesn’t help that I’m a news junkie, one who reads the print newspaper from cover to cover before turning on CNN. How can I feel like the glass is half full in a bad news world?
I’m starting week 7 of an 8 week online course. I’m feeling positive. My course work is going well, my grades are good, and I’m keeping up with the interim deadlines for the final work.
Good news: this course will certify me to teach online.
No longer good news: These credits would have been enough to allow me a lane change, a move on the pay scale.
Bad news: As soon as the current contract expires (in June), we no longer have steps and lanes on our salary scale. Spending my money in this way no longer has a financial incentive.
Glass half full philosophy: This opens up a new avenue for me, that of teaching online.
Glass half empty philosophy: what a waste! All this money! All this time! All this work!
Glass half full: At least work-related tuition is tax deductible.
Glass half empty: in 2012. And who knows what kind of changes may take place in the tax code?
Glass half full: I’m passing. Heck, I’m doing a stellar job! My grades are great!
Glass half empty: Who cares? Thanks to our governor, my time, money, and work are worthless.
Well, this is not working. I’ll never finish weeks 7 and 8 if I focus on the negative, the glass half empty ideal.
Maybe it’s as my engineer husband says. It’s not that the glass is half full or half empty; the glass is simply twice as large as it needs to be.
Rats. That didn’t help my spirits at all.