I'm sure you've all heard something similar to these statements at some point or another:

"Not to be all Pollyanna, but..."

"I mean, sometimes she can be a total Pollyanna, but I still like her sometimes, because..."

"Dude, I can't stand those Pollyanna people!"

One day, I was walking along and Misti mentioned how much I remind her of Pollyanna, and I said, "Dude, I have to ask. What in the world are people talking about when they say that? What does it MEAN?"

And she stopped dead in her tracks and turned to me and said, "You?? YOU don't know who Pollyanna is?!"

"No!" I said, and she busted up laughing, which made me laugh, too. I didn't know what to think at that point. I mean, all I'd ever heard were terrible references, as though it was one of the worst things you could be. She said that she didn't think it was really a bad thing at all, and that she'd let me see for myself. She invited me over to watch it at her place one night.

So I was the last person on the planet to learn that Pollyanna was a 1960 Disney movie character, as I watched her tale unravel on the screen before me. And when the movie was over, all I could wonder was, "What the hell is everyone's problem with Pollyanna?"

I mean, I can kind of see it. I can kind of imagine the arguments Pollyanna-haters might put forth. She's annoying, they might say. She never allows herself to be sad. She can't let one downer moment go by without looking on the bright side.

Okay. But now I must ask, what if that's not what's going on? And with regards to that last statement, if that is true of her, what if that's not such a bad thing?

Bear with me for a second, and consider the following...

What if Pollyanna is just a sweet little kid who is aggravated by the rampant grumpiness and curmudgeony attitudes of the people she's been shipped off to live amongst? What if she is choosing to see the bright side, because she's seen the worst life could throw at her (her parents' deaths), and knows that all the annoying little stuff in life is bullshit to worry over? What if she's just trying to keep her mother's memory alive by playing the game her mother taught her in order to cheer her up? What if she is just trying to see the brighter side to life, because she knows that finding those aspects may be the only thing that helps pull any of us through the tough times?

I know for some people, looking at the bright side isn't very easy. And I am very aware that some people can't help feeling seriously depressed (those with a clinical diagnosis, who suffer from chemical imbalances) and to hear, "Cheer up!" would be a slap in the face. I'm not suggesting, nor do I believe, that we can all magically cheer up whenever we want to, or that every single person, including people with depression can just think of something happy and move on. I know it doesn't work that way. And I really don't think that's the point of the movie.

I do think the point is that for most of us, the little annoyances in life needn't bring us down so much. If you step in a puddle, if you miss a bus, if someone's a little rude to you... Sure, those things suck. Sometimes they suck quite a lot. But there are other things going on around us all the time that we could pay attention to, too. The person who who holds a door for you, the person who makes you laugh when you're down, the cashier lady who sincerely wishes you a nice day, the beautiful pattern the clouds make in the sky, the car that actually lets you merge without being a bitch about it. Those things are worth recognizing and being glad about, because if you can't be glad about the little things, the big things might just overwhelm you; they might just crush you into oblivion.

The movie is a bit of an exaggeration, to be sure. There are some situations that you can't just be glad about, per se. But I think it's true that even in the worst of situations, there are ways to create meaning from your suffering, to help others who may be in the same boat. And that's something.

I guess what I'm saying is perhaps Pollyanna isn't so bad or annoying afterall. Perhaps to be compared to Pollyanna is not an insult at all. Perhaps if we could all find the good parts in bad situations, or at least find a way to discover some redeeming aspects from the suffering we endure, we can create more meaning and fulfillment in our lives than ever before. And I'm thinking that could be a very good thing, indeed.

At least, that's how I see it.