“Pollyanna got a bad rap”
During the Thanksgiving season, I feel compelled to blog about gratitude. When I was young, my mother read me the story of Pollyanna, which epitomizes the lesson of gratitude. The term “Pollyanna” is often referenced in a derogatory way to denote naïve optimism and denial (e.g., “Don’t be such a Pollyanna”), but the actual fictional character of Pollyanna was a true inspiration. Pollyanna viewed her life through the lens of gratitude. Even when things weren’t going well, she was able to play the “glad game” to identify the things for which she was grateful. As the story progressed, Pollyanna was paralyzed after a near-fatal car accident. Despite her paralysis, she was able to continue to be “glad” and appreciative instead of bitter and resentful.
Pollyanna may not have realized it, but she was demonstrating a skill that psychologists have identified as paramount to cultivating positive emotion. In fact, individuals who practice gratitude on a daily basis for one month by identifying three things for which they are grateful have improvements in positive emotion for up to three months after completing the exercise (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).
I like to practice this exercise by keeping a gratitude journal that I can review when I’m feeling discouraged or pessimistic. An alternative is Caroline Miller’s handout (http://www.carolinemiller.com/info/Three_Blessings.pdf).
When I think about Pollyanna, I can’t help but to think of a modern day Pollyanna, who is an inspiration to me and others. Katherine Arnold Wolf was a student of mine when I was a professor at Samford. She was well- known for her intelligence, beauty, and sense of humor. She was in my Psychology of Women class, and I always appreciated her, because she naturally looked like a Southern Belle (or maybe a Barbie?), but she was a leader and always spoke her mind. After graduation Katherine moved to California to pursue a modeling career while her husband attended law school. Shortly after the birth of their son, she suffered a near-fatal AVM that left her paralyzed. She has made a strong recovery, which she has chronicled in her blog. My favorite part of the blog is her section entitled “too blessed to be bitter.” http://www.hope-heals.com/too-blessed-to-be-bitter/i-feel-so-good-i-knew.... Here she practices an infectious gratitude that inspires me. I wholeheartedly believe that her attitude of gratitude is a large part of her successful recovery.
So, today I’m grateful for people like Katherine and Pollyanna, who remind me of what true gratitude is and remind me that “When you look for the bad, expecting it, you will get it. When you know you will find the good—you will get that..." (Quote from "Pollyanna" by Eleanor H. Porter).
