Sunshine

Remember, you're the one who can fill the world with sunshine. – Snow White

Sunny Florida offers plenty of sunshine even during the dreary winter season. I find in my life that although many of us from the North East are said to suffer from a newer malady called seasonal affective disorder, SAD for short…a fancy name for lack of light or lack of sunshine, sunshine is more than the light the sun projects on our earth.

Call me crazy but since the beginning of time the seasons have changed and people have endured the short days of winter time. Perhaps the reason for the depression and fatigue, aka SAD, experienced during this time of year is rooted in other causes. The cynic in me wants to blame corporate American for the rat race that the hard working American citizens are subjected to and suggest that if the work day and work week were shorter, kinder and gentler, we would be able to see just a little sun on any given winter day. The other cynic in me wants to blame the medical establishment especially the pharmaceutical industry who jump to create new maladies in order to allow care providers to have a reimbursable diagnosis that can be treated with their existing quick fix medications like Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft. Perhaps the folks who suffer from SAD are simply sad, or perhaps suffer from depression but a SAD diagnosis is easier to swallow because it means you only have a temporary mental illness that can be cured by sunshine and a little R & R (in case you forget what that means folks it means Rest and Relaxation, so put down your Blackberries and i-Phones and go to Florida for a week!)

I propose that what we all need are more people in our lives who shine, people who shine even brighter than the sun. Surround yourself with positive, fun loving, and happy people. I am lucky enough to live in a very happy house. I grew up in a family who always saw the glass half full…well not always we all have our moments…but most of the time even when the chips were down… and believe me we have had those times… being positive, seeing the sun beyond the clouds has helped improve the quality of my life and that of my entire family and gotten us through some trying times.

People are the sunshine through the clouds, rain and dark winter days. So some advice from a gal who had a wicked witch trying to do her in, who was taking care of seven vertically challenged men (Can you imagine!!), and looking for her prince charming. Anyone has the ability to fill the world with sunshine so let's go! We all have the capacity to fill the world with sunshine!