The Grand Optimist

...is who I want to be.

I fear I'm dying from complications
Complications due to things that I've left undone
That all my debts will be left unpaid
Feel like a cripple without a cane
I'm like a jack of all trades
Who's a master of none

Then there's my father
He's always looking on the bright side
Saying things like "Son, life just ain't that hard."
He is the grand optimist
I am the world's poor pessimist
You give him burdensome times
And he will escape unscarred

I guess I take after my mother 

I used to be quite resilient
Gain no strength from counting the beads on a rosary 
Now the wound has begun to turn
Another lesson that has gone unlearned
But this is not a cry for pity or for sympathy

I guess I take after my mother

Having a scientific education means I have many practical friends that can tell me exactly why something won't work. I also know the best part of me is my inner optimist. My world is full of abundance and possibilities. Shit happens to all of us but in aggregate, the world is becoming  a better place. I'm going to keep looking on the bright side.