Work on it.

Opposition research is a term that generally carries a somewhat negative connotation.  It’s the research political candidates do on their opponents to look for areas where those opponents might be undermined in an election.  Sometimes, they have their staffs conduct the same investigations on their own backgrounds.  It’s known then as a “vulnerability study.”  What makes a vulnerability study necessary is the same sleazy maneuvering that makes opposition research a political tool.

But today, I’m inventing a new term.  Opposition thinking.

When things are going well, it’s a good idea to remember those for whom life may not be so good.  It’s a good idea to think about what could go wrong.  Not in a spirit of fear and anxiety, but as a way to recognize and acknowledge the goodness that surrounds you and, maybe, to take reasonable steps to preserve it.

When things are going badly, it’s even more important to think of the opposite, to recognize the things that are good.  Even in the worst disasters, there are helpers and extraordinary acts of kindness and bravery.  And, truly, if you have a life where you can sit at a computer and read this blog, you have it pretty good.

Sure, there are things we all want.  Possessions we covet, goals we want to achieve.  And there are obstacles and hurdles.  Some of them loom large.  Perfection is an unattainable goal.  We get the “pursuit of happiness,” not necessarily the happiness itself.

Except that part is a choice.

It’s not always easy, and we are conditioned in many ways not to recognize it, but we have a choice.  We can do our own vulnerability studies and minimize the risks to our inner peace.  In the moments of struggle, we can recognize the places where we are stronger than that which opposes us, or, at the very least, where there are miracles to offset the stumbles and roadblocks.

The very fact that we can choose to do this is one of those miracles.

Choose wisely.