A – The Always-Positive Cheerleader : BlogchatterA2Z

The world could be on fire, your plans could be crumbling, and disaster could strike at the worst possible moment—but to this person, “It’s all happening for a reason!”

The Always-Positive Cheerleader is that one friend who refuses to see any situation as truly bad. No matter how terrible things get, they always find a “bright side”—even when you really don’t want to hear it.

I had been preparing for an important exam for months—late nights, endless revisions, sacrificing leisure time like a dedicated scholar. I had my notes color-coded, my strategies set, and my confidence soaring. This was my moment.

And then, two days before the exam, COVID struck.

Not mild, sit-at-home-and-watch-Netflix COVID. No. I got the full, body aching, head pounding, fever spiking, can’t-lift-myself-from-bed experience.

Naturally, I called my best friend—let’s call her Anu the Always Optimist—expecting a wave of sympathy, anger on my behalf, maybe even a dramatic “Why does the universe hate you?!”

Instead, I got this:

Me: “Anu, you won’t believe it. I got COVID. TWO DAYS before my exam.”

Anu: “Oh wow! At least now you don’t have to stress about last-minute revision!”

Excuse me, what?

Me: “Anu, I was READY. I worked for this! Now I have to skip the exam entirely!”

Anu: “Yeah, but think about it! Now you’ll have even more time to prepare for the next attempt! You’ll probably get an even better score!”

I groaned.

Me: “But I don’t WANT to wait for the next attempt! I wanted to be done with this now!”

Anu: “Maybe this just wasn’t your time, yaar. Maybe the universe knew you’d do even better later.”

Me: “The universe needs to mind its own business.”

Anu: “You’re lucky, honestly! At least this way, you won’t have to sit for hours in that stressful exam hall while wearing a mask.”

Me: “ANU, I WOULD GLADLY SIT IN A MASK IF IT MEANT I COULD GIVE MY EXAM.”

Anu: “But look at the upside—you have a legit excuse to rest now. You needed a break anyway.”

A break?! A break?! After the exam, not from it! I was on the verge of launching my pillow at an imaginary Anu.

The Always-Positive Cheerleader reminds us that mindset matters—but sometimes, so does acknowledging reality. While their relentless optimism can be exhausting (please, let me be sad for five minutes!), they also stop us from drowning in negativity.

Sure, I wanted to throw a pillow at Anu’s head, but deep down, her unshakable belief in better things made me feel like maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t the end of the world.

We need these people in our lives—because when we’re ready to give up, they remind us that setbacks aren’t always permanent. Even if, in the moment, we want to strangle them.

Have you met an Always-Positive Cheerleader? Or… are you one?

PS: I eventually got to give the exam remotely with a supervisor supervising digitally. Downside being I had to write in the state that I was in, but the upside being that I could complete my exams while lying on my bed.

I'm participating in #BlogchatterA2Z"

Comments

Post a Comment

Read other posts

The Surname of Light

The theme of this bloghop was an invitation I couldn't ignore. I had a draft ready in my mind, waiting for the house to go quiet so I could finally pen it down. As I tucked my son in, I used his full name. “Aadi Parekh, let’s close our eyes.” Off he started his chants. “Maman Parekh,” “Papa Parekh,” “Dada Parekh,” “Dadi Parekh.” I smiled in the dimness. He knows our names, but he chose to anchor our formal family title to our designated roles. I was about to tell him how cute he was, assuming the census of our home was complete. “Light Parekh,” he whispered. I paused. My instinct was to correct him—to say that light isn't family. I caught the words before they left my lips. I saw the warmth on his face, a look of genuine recognition. I repeated “Light Parekh” with a hint of a question, waiting for the punchline of a toddler’s joke. He didn’t laugh. He looked at the floor lamp and smiled warmly. I stayed awake that night, my original draft forgotten. A two-year-old had just dism...
Read more

L: Legolepsy

Image
The Vocabulary of Life is an A–Z journey through the unspoken. Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for "why," I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you're a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you.
Read more

G: Glabella

  The Vocabulary of Life is an A–Z journey through the unspoken .   Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for “why,” I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you’re a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you. I remember the day my son spent a very long time pointing out different places on the body and asking me what they were, repeatedly. “What’s this, Mama?” he’d ask, pointing to his elbow, then his knee, then his chin. We were on a roll until his tiny finger landed right between his eyebrows. He paused, looking at me with total expectation. I realized in that second that I had lived my entire life with that specific spot on my face, yet I had never once questioned what it was called myself. That small, flat space between your eyebrows, where worry and wonder often meet, is called the Glabella. The Glabella is more than just an anatomical land...
Read more

O: Opia

The Vocabulary of Life is an A–Z journey through the unspoken . Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for "why," I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you're a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you.
Read more

Theme Reveal: The Vocabulary of Life (An A–Z Journey)

One day, I caught my toddler staring at a single patch of sunlight on the floorboards with such intensity that the rest of the world seemed to vanish. He wasn't just playing; he was observing. In that moment, I realized that while I have the words to describe my day, I didn't always have the words to describe his wonder. Life with a toddler is a constant stream of "Why?" and "What’s that?" But as a writer and a lover of language, I’ve found that our everyday vocabulary often falls short. We feel things—a specific nostalgia, a sudden sense of safety, the music of a repeating sound—that we simply don't have labels for. My son’s relentless curiosity for complex facts pushed me to dig deeper. I wanted to find the names for the invisible magic in our world, not just for him, but for all of us. This April, for the Blogchatter A2Z Challenge, I am embarking on: "The Vocabulary of Life: An A–Z Journey through the Unspoken." Over the...
Read more