I look back at the last 24 1/2 years and I wonder, "How did I become friends with so many cynical pessimists?" There's a lot there... Friends spanning 20 or so states, friends spanning numerous countries... I know a lot of cynics... But perhaps the problem is me. If I were more optimistic wouldn't I have notated this the other way around? I look back at the last 24 1/2 years with wonder, "I'm friends with so many cheerful optimists." Of course, with all the glass-half-empty and glass-half-full people, I know quite a few the-water-level-is-where-it's-at people as well. But back to the original question, How did I attract so many pessimistic friends? Is it my behavior? Is it my like-mindedness, or my unlike-mindedness? I try to be optimistic... but you can only do it so much. Or am I just not trying hard enough? Is optimism like the required smile when you work for Disney World? Sure, it's aggravating at times, but the more you smile the more you are likely to smile. I remember smiling all the time when I worked for Disney, and a lot of really crappy things happened to me while I was there... but I kept on smiling. And not because it was required of me, rather, because it had become habit. Is optimism merely a habit? A habit that is easier to follow for some than others?