Positive Thinking is Negative

The weather has been steady so I've been fine.. completely normal. I keep a 9 day forecast on my desktop at all times so I can request that day off if there is a cold front.

That aside, I came over an interesting post on Reddit. It was about a guy asking advice about how to make his girlfriend with cancer feel better. The most up-voted comment was along the lines of don't tell her to be positive.

The exact quote was, "Do not, I repeat do not, tell her to keep a positive attitude. Instead, show her that whatever she's feeling (fear, anger, frustration, etc...) is OK and you can handle it.

I recommend this interview and book: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113758696"

Tonight, after texting my mom for a bit and her telling me to look for a better job with my response being I don't want to burn bridges by getting a great job then flaring so bad I have to quit in the first month, she told me, "don't be negative."

Is predicting something that happened every year for the last three years being negative or just being practical? It may not happen this year (or to be more precise, it could be a mild winter since its already demonstrated that it WILL still flare in cold fronts) and I'll seem healthy.. but that's the problem with invisible illnesses. Next winter I might not be so lucky.. and then what? Is it my fault because I wasn't positive enough? I feel this is a problem with ANY chronic health condition. Saying "stay positive" or "don't be so negative" is like saying, "Stop being a pussy. If you were stronger then you wouldn't be sick."

The thread also discusses how so many friends abandon you when your sick because they don't know how to handle it.. and how its mostly an age thing. It was a really interesting read, so I encourage you to click on the reddit link above since it'll send you straight there.