Smile. Lenore is very positive. On to Boston.

 October 23, 2009 -  Lenore is an inspiration to me. She loves her life. She loves me. She loves Maria. She loves the other dogs. She loves all things that can be eaten or smelled.
 She will love you too if she gets a chance. Of course, she is a dog, and is unaware of the awful things happening in the world that one can learn about anytime we turn on a TV, radio or computer. Managing bad news has become a survival tool, and learning how to do it without becoming one of those cult-like up thinkers is a challenge. There has always been bad news in the world, we just never used to hear so much of it.
  For me, learning to be more positive has become essential, as I nearly cracked up a couple of years ago, and that is an experience that will focus you on being more (or selectively) positive or perishing. Smart, educated people, in my experience, tend to be gloomy. It’s considered highly unfashionable – anti-intellectual, even – to be cheerful or upbeat, sort of a cult-like disease or myopic experience. It’s hard to separate one’s reality from one’s psychology, as they are often related.
 I touched a deep nerve writing about positive thinking, and I’d like to do more. I think I’m getting a bead on it for me. It’s important not to hide from the reality of life, just as it is critical not to drown in it. As a writer, I ought to be able to articulate the balance (my daughter has challenged me to do so, and I listen to Emma) and I haven’t quite got it yet.
 On that note, I am putting my feet behind my big mouth, and heading off to Boston with Maria. The farm is in good hands and we are going to hit museums, eat seafood, take walks.
  I intend to leave my troubles, those of the world and of the Yankees far behind me, and I got a great deal on a wonderful hotel. Sounds pretty positive to me. Back Saturday.