Advice to “stay upbeat” and “keep your chin up” must be familiar to you. It can be tiresome and overwhelming.

Nonetheless, it does make sense. Positive thoughts push you forward, while negative ones keep you in shackles. The key to progress is to be a positive magnet. Hence I am thankful for a few positives this week.

My mother-in-law suffered a minor stroke this week. While that itself is not a positive, it did make the family more aware of unhealthy food habits. Steamed food fills the table these days.

Then, there was writing. I had the chance to meet lovely writing clients who appreciated my work this week, and I hope to interact with more of them.

There was roast chicken, which I am glad browned nicely on both sides. It is hard to time the cooking correctly in my oven, so I’m pleased that the bird turned out to be one worthy to be served.

Then, there are the dogs. They have a knack for seeing the brighter side of life. Misty and Cloudy missed a walk in a favorite park owing to the rain but enjoyed sniffing around the one nearby nonetheless.

May we be overwhelmed by positives this week.