'Winging It": Converting to Optimism

Optimism. It’s a word that I have often cringed at. To me, it means believing in fairy-tales, trusting that someday your daydreams will become reality. At least, this is what I have been inclined to think. I like to think of myself as a “realist”. I just go through life thinking, “Que Sera, Sera. Whatever will be, will be.” In other words, the glass is not half-empty nor half-full, it is merely at the halfway point.

Now, this is not to say that I don’t try for things or work to make things happen; I just don’t believe that I have much control over most of life’s outcomes. For instance, I can practice for years, training my voice to be the best that it has the capacity to be, but I still might not ever have what it takes to beat out all of the competition on American Idol. That’s okay. It just means that sometimes I win, and sometimes I lose. Not a big deal. It’s life. In fact, I hate to admit it, but sometimes I even enjoy thinking a little pessimistically. As an example, I try not to get myself too pumped up about a new movie that I’m going to see, and just tell myself it will probably be nothing special. That way, when it ends up being fabulous, I am pleasantly surprised and pleased.

This is how I’ve been for the better part of my life, and I’ve been somewhat annoyed—even angry—at people for telling me I ought to be otherwise.

Until recently.

Recently I realized that optimism can be the very thing that holds your world together when everything is falling apart, keeps you from falling into despair when all hope seems lost, keeps you alive. Because recently I realized that being optimistic is really just having faith.

Sometimes it is scary to have faith. Sometimes it makes you feel silly, because all of the odds, all of “science” is against you. And sometimes, you just don’t feel that you have the strength. But the cool thing about faith is that it is powerful—so amazingly powerful. And just the littlest bit of it can go such a long way, can change your utter despair to hope and gladness.

And faith and optimism are infectious. When others see the faith that you have in something, they begin to believe too. They begin to hope for that thing for you. They begin to pray and rally and work together to support you. And sometimes all of that hope and support, prayer and love, optimism and faith are just what it takes to make a miracle happen—even despite what “science” says.

A dear friend of mine, Amy Wengert, witnessed a terrible car accident two weeks ago. Her husband of just six months was the driver of the vehicle that was crushed before her eyes. Dallin Wengert had suffered brain damage, and was in a coma. The doctors warned that he might not wake up…and if he did, he might never be the same. Amy and her family stayed by his side—”Winging it”, as they say, with optimism.

Most of this is a normal story—accidents happen every day, and family members just have to wait and see what will happen. But what makes this story different, I think, is that Amy and her family have spent the last couple of weeks celebrating Dallin and his life, remembering all of the fun things they have done together, and planning for the future. Amy and Dallin are going to be parents soon, and Amy just knows that Dallin is going to be there for his child. The family is so optimistic and faithful, and this faith and hope has literally drawn THOUSANDS of people to support and pray for them! It is amazing to see all of the love that is being offered from all over the nation!

And maybe all of that optimism is merely giving strength to this heart-broken family. Maybe it is just supporting a young wife while she faces one of the biggest horrors she could have dreamed of dealing with this young in life.

Maybe.

But maybe faith is just what it takes to create a miracle. Because Dallin woke up, just over a week after his accident. And, even though a million things can still go wrong, he is continuing to fight and progress and get better. And just the mere thought of the joy that the Wengert family has right now is enough to humble me into believing in optimism.

Life is hard. Life is sometimes cruel and dark and unfair. Sometimes it’s all that we can do to get through the challenges that seem to corrode our days. But we must have faith! We must believe that things can change. What we see now is only part of the picture. Only if we are optimistic will we live to see all of the most beautiful things that are yet to come.

As Dallin Wengert’s mother, Laura, says, “We don’t know what the future holds…but we are excited to find out!”

To learn more about Dallin Wengert’s condition and what you can do to help, you can go to https://www.facebook.com/DallinandAmyWengert.

UPDATE: Dallin Wengert has continued to work hard this year, and has almost fully recovered from the terrible accident last spring. He completes his therapies in February, just after the couple’s is born in January. They are expecting a baby boy on January 13th! Hooray for miracles and blessings! They come to all of us in many ways; we just have to be willing to look for them.