I was scrounging in our mailroom the other day looking for magazines. Don't worry, we are allowed to do this. I wasn't grabbing them from the long line of in-boxes, but rather from the United States Postal Service bins under the long line of in-boxes. These bins are both fun and sad at the same time. There's always the tiny rush of adrenaline you get when you think you've found this week's issue of People, and that's fun. But it's also sad because these magazines are usually addressed to one of several people who used to work where I work but no longer do because they were "laid off". Michigan's economy ain't rockin' right now and my line of work is directly tied to the automotive industry.
During this most recent excavation I came across a new gem for me called Ode. Ode Magazine (with it's subtitle of To People To Passion To Possibilities) is a magazine about things that are positive. Imagine that. I was drawn to the cover of the March 2008 issue because it's a photographic recreation of Gustav Klimt's Mother and Child which my Aunt has a print of hanging in her house. But I was also drawn to one particular headline "The Art of Happiness Everyone can master it". So yes I was drawn to the book by it's cover but then one of it's headlines spoke to me and just like that Ode was wrapped in my arms like a school book and I was on my way home.
I am not positive by nature. In fact my husband will tell you I am quite the opposite of positive. I could argue with him and point out that I am forever convinced that one day someone is going to drop a big load of money in my lap and save me from my money issues, but that may be more delusional than positive. But other than that I usually predict and then expect that the least positive thing is going to happen. That said, I couldn't help but wonder if Ode was for people who are already drowning in the positive, or for people like me who would enjoy learning that being positive is even possible.
According to the website, "Ode is a print and online publication about positive news, about the people and ideas that are changing our world for the better". It's readers "are passionate about the magazine and the issues for which it stands: positive social, environmental and economic change". Right away I thought, this mag is for me! Ok, not really. But in my "No real resolutions- February 1st is my new year" mind I decided I'm definitely going to read this magazine, if for no other reason than to find out how not-positive I really am.
So this post may be a little premature. I'll admit I have yet to devour every affirmative morsel that can be found in Ode. But I have skimmed through it and I like what I am reading. I did enjoy the article mentioned on the cover. Peter Van Dijk interviewed Christophe Andre, a French psychiatrist who writes books about being happy. How great is that? In the article Andre lists six key lessions for being happy. I'm not going to list them here, but I will say that the simplicity behind them is insane. It really boils down to deciding to be happy and positive and then actually doing it.
In the end the irony in it all is that someone had to lose their job for me to find out that there is a magazine about things that are positive. Do you see the message in that?
3 comments:
Stace, I have always loved your innate pessimism and sarcasm, which I am happy to see intact in your earlier post about the snowstorm. I love that you are sort of giving yourself little reminders all the time to be positive, too! I actually think that those of us who sound the most pessimistic are sometimes in our hearts the most idealistic. But it makes us too vulnerable to let that show and so we grouch around about things and complain. Partly because it's just easy, fun and funny, and partly because we don't want anyone to REALLY know how much we're hoping everything will come out all right. What do you think?
I think I've missed you Heather! You always get me and my so called writing! Oh and I think I completely agree!
Oh, I miss you too. You would probably be quite surprised to know how often I think of you fondly and wonder what you're doing. Not be be creepy. Just that my experience has been that it's hard to meet people where you really "get" each other and I always thought we went pretty well together that way. You have a rare sense of humor that I very much appreciate!
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