What would you think if I asked you whether you had a rose-colored-glasses attitude? Well, darlings, if you don’t know what it is, think of making lemonade out of lemons. Do you walk on the sunny side of the street? Can you find a sliver of light even when life feels heavy? Can you notice a blessing tucked inside an ordinary summer day?

A rose-colored glasses attitude is not naïveté. It is not pretending the world is perfect or that your personal troubles have vanished. It is a conscious decision to search for hope, beauty, gratitude, and possibility, especially when life asks more of you than you expected to give.

This year, as our country celebrates America’s 250th birthday, I find myself thinking about hope in a deeper way. Hope for our country. Hope for our families. Hope for women over 50 who are walking through life changes, caregiving, loneliness, grief, or uncertainty. Hope that we can still choose to see what is good, what is meaningful, and what is worth celebrating. Here’s why you should.

Why It’s Important to Wear Rose-Colored Glasses

Every day, I have a daily burst. Most of you would say “a lifting of spirits.” Writing the words “a daily burst” rather than “lifting my spirits” sounds so much more energetic! Every day, if you can, find a reason to wear your rose-colored glasses. This thought will help you maintain a positive, upbeat attitude.

It will also help you practice self care. Not in a complicated way, darling. In a daily way. Self care can be as simple as opening the window to feel the summer breeze, sitting quietly with your morning coffee, walking your pooch, watering your plants, calling a woman who makes you laugh, or giving yourself permission to notice one good thing before the day slips away.

Here’s why.

A Rose-Colored Glasses Attitude

Little things happen that make you burst out in a smile. Even on days that are a work in progress, little things happen that turn your havoc into joy. That is why I say, “Thank goodness for a rose-colored glasses attitude.”

Recently, my bursts of joy have come from the unexpected: the soft light over Lake Michigan from my condo in the sky, my pooch America looking at me as if I am the most important woman in the world, my Ultimate Concierge’s hand in mine, a text from a family member, the sound of laughter from another room, and the quiet satisfaction of tending to my plants.

These are not grand events. They are small moments. But, darling, small moments can become a woman’s lifeline. They remind us that joy does not always arrive with fireworks. Sometimes it comes as a whisper. Sometimes it comes as a summer breeze. Sometimes it comes through the loyal eyes of a beloved pooch named America.

And this summer, how fitting that my America gives me daily bursts of joy as our country celebrates its 250th celebration. America, my pooch, reminds me to look for loyalty, lightness, and love. America, my country, reminds me to remember courage, freedom, sacrifice, and the hope that built this nation.

Summer Hope and the Power of Small Joys

Summer has a way of inviting us to put on our rose-colored glasses. The days are longer. The flowers bloom. The sun lingers. Children run through sprinklers. Flags wave from porches. Farmers markets overflow with color. The world, even with its troubles, seems to say, “Look again. There is still beauty here.” That is summer hope.

Summer hope is not blind optimism. It is the decision to let warmth enter your spirit. It is the willingness to sit outside for a few extra minutes, to listen to birdsong, to savor a cold glass of lemonade, to walk in the early morning before the heat rises, to wear a bright lipstick, to call an old friend, or to make a small plan that gives you something to look forward to.

A woman who practices summer hope is practicing self care. She is feeding her senses. She is choosing to look outward instead of folding completely inward. She is telling herself, “My life may not be perfect, but it is still mine to notice, tend, and cherish.”

Rose-Colored Glasses Do Not Mean You Ignore Reality

You can still be realistic with rose-colored glasses. We have to think and dream that “the best is yet to come” and “climb the stairs” to make our desires come true. That is my definition of wearing rose-colored glasses.

Every day of my life, I do something to make myself smile. And every day I am grateful for my blessings. And I want you to follow my lead. Please do not misunderstand me. I am a very realistic woman. I can be just as down, discouraged, or upset as you. I have cried many tears over the changes in my life and over my Ultimate Concierge’s vascular dementia. I know what it means to feel frightened by the unknown. I know what it means to have the landscape of your life change without your permission.

But even in this season, I search for my daily bursts. I search because I must. I search because hope is a discipline. I search because a woman cannot live on worry alone. I can be just as down, discouraged, or upset as you. But I still find something that gives me a positive burst of hope. That is not pretending. That is perseverance.

America at 250 and a Rose-Colored Glasses Attitude

As America celebrates her 250th birthday, I cannot help but think about the women who came before us. Pioneer women crossed plains, mountains, and prairies with grit in their bones and hope in their hearts. They had to wear their own version of rose-colored glasses, not because life was easy, but because survival required vision. They had to believe there was something worth building. And, darling, so do we.

Our country has faced storms, divisions, disappointments, and growing pains. Families have too. So have marriages. So have friendships. So have women. But America’s story is still being written, and so is yours.

A rose-colored glasses attitude allows us to honor what is hard while still believing in what is possible. It lets us celebrate the home of the free and the brave while acknowledging that freedom and bravery ask something of us. They ask us to remain engaged. To be grateful. To be hopeful. To be responsible for the light we bring into our own corner of the world.

Yesterday’s 250th celebration is not only about fireworks, parades, flags, and songs (though I adore all of those). It is also about reflection. What kind of woman do I want to be in this country? What kind of legacy do I want to leave? How can I bring order, kindness, dignity, and wisdom into my family, my community, and my own daily life? Those questions are worth wearing rose-colored glasses for.

How I Get My Bursts of Positivity

Putting on my rose-colored glasses, I get a burst because I know there are far more decent and wise people than bullies in this world. I get a burst…

• Because my family is safe.
• When I hold my Ultimate Concierge’s hand and feel the language of our love without needing many words.
• When America, my pooch, follows me from room to room, reminding me that devotion can arrive on four paws.
• When I sit at my desk and write to you, my darlings, because writing is one of the ways I care for myself and, hopefully, care for you.

 

Self Care Through a Rose-Colored Lens

Self care and a rose-colored glasses attitude belong together. Why? Because both ask you to pay attention to your own spirit. When you choose a daily burst of joy, you are training your mind to notice what nourishes you. When you step outside for fresh air, you are telling your body it matters. When you protect a quiet hour, you are giving your nervous system a place to rest. When you laugh, pray, write, walk, garden, read, or sit with your pooch, you are creating small pockets of peace.

These small acts do not erase hardship. They help you carry it. Darling, self care does not have to be dramatic. It has to be consistent. A woman who tends to herself in small ways is better able to tend to the people and purposes she loves.

We Can Still Travel and Explore

Travel may look different in different seasons of life. I know this personally. There was a time when I traveled the world with my Ultimate Concierge. We saw breathtaking places, met fascinating people, and carried memories home like treasures.

Now, because of his health, my travels are quieter. My world has narrowed in some ways, but my curiosity has not disappeared. I can still travel through books, documentaries, memories, conversations, writing, and the daily landscape outside my window. I can still explore my own thoughts. I can still be moved by the stories you share with me.

And you, darling, may be planning trips of your own: Ireland, Hawaii, Paris, Italy, New Zealand, Mount Rushmore, a cabin in the forest, the Caribbean, the Keys, Mexico, or a visit to children and grands. I hope you go if you are able. I hope you pack your rose-colored glasses. I hope you return with stories.

But if travel is not possible in this season, do not think wonder is out of reach. Take a day trip. Visit a garden. Walk through a museum. Try a new restaurant. Sit by the water. Watch a patriotic concert on television. Read about America’s founding. Write a letter to someone you love. Curiosity is also a journey.

Climbing the Stairs Toward Hope

The older I become, the more I understand that hope is not passive. Hope climbs the stairs. Hope opens the curtains. Hope puts one foot in front of the other. Hope notices the small burst of joy and says, “Thank you.”

A rose-colored glasses attitude is not about living in fantasy. It is about refusing to let hardship steal your entire view. As we celebrate summer and America’s 250th birthday, I am choosing to wear my rose-colored glasses with intention. I will look for goodness. I will celebrate small joys. I will honor my country. I will care for my spirit. I will keep climbing the stairs.

Darling, how do you have a rose-colored glasses attitude? What gives you a daily burst of joy? What small act of self-care helps you stay hopeful? And as America celebrates 250 years, what are you grateful for in your own life and in our country? I want to hear your thoughts. Let me know in the comments!