Good things are always around the corner

Here’s a story about how changing your mental tape can bring about positive outcomes.

When I was a young girl, my mother would often say to me, “Jeanne, you never know what’s around the corner.” This was generally in response to something that went terribly wrong in my young adult life. It usually centered around the typical disappointments – being dumped by a boyfriend or losing out on a job that I wanted.

Little did I know there were big, wonderful things around the corner for me. Things I never imagined. In between, I suffered the typical slings and arrows of life – losing my father at 9 years old, multiple job layoffs, a very painful divorce, the demise of a few friendships, and a lot of personal rejection.

Life isn’t perfect

The fact is no one gets off the planet without a few scars. Even while our social media platforms play out perfect lives, if we live long enough, we know that real lives comprise a mix of the good, the bad, and the ugly. What I know now is I can expect that good things are always around the corner. It’s just a matter of when.

My wish list

Most good things didn’t happen when I wanted them to and they didn’t play out the way I expected. In 2009, I was unemployed for over a year. I started to panic and began to write down some of the things I wished for in my life. As I was looking for material for my book, I see Old People®, I stumbled upon those scribblings. I wrote in short: “Money will come. I am successful. My book will sell. Love is coming.”

While I landed on my feet with respect to employment, it would take five additional years for me to find love and seven years for me to finish my book which is due out this year. They didn’t occur overnight because the tape I played in my head convinced me it wasn’t possible. While I could blame a lot of things for this, I was the only person standing in my way.

Changing my tape

When I changed my negative Nellie tape and believe that I deserved to be loved, it was then that love arrived. When I decided to finish my book, I focused on making it a reality.

I still believe that good things are ahead for all of us. I believe it with all my heart. When I look for the good, I see it everywhere. I see it in friends who enjoy hearing the sound of my voice. I see it in the seniors who delight in my window visits. I see it in the healthcare worker friends who sacrifice much to help others. I see it in my extraordinary husband who thinks I’m the most beautiful woman on the planet even with my wrinkles and faults.

While we may not know what’s around the corner, I can promise you this, if you expect good things, they will follow.

Look for Jeanne’s book and memoir, I see old People®, to come out in 2021.

Follow Jeanne on Instagram www.instagram.com/kindconversationsnow/

Follow Jeanne on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Kindconversationsnow