Is Your Glass Half-Empty or Half-Full?Let your cup runneth over!

THERE’S A WONDERFUL LITTLE STORY about seven-year-old twin boys. One was a complete pessimist, the other a total optimist. Worried about their extreme personalities, their mother decided to take them to a psychiatrist.

First, the doctor attempted to treat the pessimistic boy who was always crying, complaining, and miserable no matter what the circumstances were. In an effort to brighten his outlook on life, the psychiatrist took him to a room that was piled to the ceiling with brand-new toys. “They’re all for you!” he exclaimed with zeal. For the next couple of minutes, the child looked carefully at the toys, but instead of tearing open the boxes and playing with delight, he burst into tears.

“What’s the matter?” the psychiatrist asked, baffled by this meltdown. “Don’t you want to play with any of your new toys?”

“Yes!” the little boy screamed, “but this one says it’s for ages nine and up, and I’m only seven. And this one says it needs batteries, and I didn’t bring any! And this one says I need to assemble it, and I don’t know how!” Quite concerned by the child’s attitude, the doctor informed the mother that treatment would likely be necessary.

Next, the psychiatrist began to work with the other twin, the eternal optimist. He was the complete opposite of his brother, and nothing seemed to bring him down. Trying to dampen his outlook, this boy was taken to a room that was full of fresh horse manure. Certain that this would upset him, the doctor said, “It’s all for you, son. This is my gift to you!”

But rather than looking at the pile of feces with disgust, the child’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Seconds later, he jumped eagerly into the foul-smelling waste and began joyfully digging out scoop after scoop with his bare hands. Totally confused and quite concerned about the boy’s well-being, the psychiatrist screamed, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Wiping himself off, the little optimist looked up with enthusiasm and exclaimed, “With all this manure, there must be a pony in here somewhere!”