Just Call Me "Pollyanna." (But only if you know what that means.)

I have often been referred to as a "Pollyanna." I think of this as a compliment. But only if the person actually knows what they are talking about. So, I intend to clear things up a bit. Excuse me for a moment while I go on a bit of a rant.

First of all, if you are not familiar enough with the movie to know the implications of what you're saying, then you shouldn't be making implications related to it at all. That's like me making a remark about so-and-so being "very republican." Or "very democrat." I have absolutely no idea what that means (I simply do not follow or understand or, really, even care about politics.). So, to make a comment about someone in relation to politics could really only be ignorant on my part.

The biggest issue I get with people misunderstanding what it means to be called a "Pollyanna" is that people misuse the term for a synonym for "Goodie Two Shoes," meaning she never does anything wrong... implying that this person (me, in this scenario) has never made a mistake, gotten in trouble, let people down, etc. When people make this implication, I wonder if they've ever even seen the movie. I mean, this is the girl who sneaks out of the house past dark to attend an event her guardian doesn't want her to attend. The entire climax of the movie is set around her being disobedient! She is certainly not someone who's always perfectly behaved.

The second most common issue that people make mistakes with this label is implying that being a "Pollyanna" is someone who thinks she's perfect or otherwise thinks very highly of herself. Or, at least thinks others should think very highly of her. And sometimes people even indicate that being a "Pollyanna" is someone who not only thinks highly of herself, and thinks others should think highly of her, but then in addition, thinks lowly of everyone else (looks down upon others). This also makes me want to scream! And this comparison also makes it quite obvious to me that said person has never seen the movie. Or, at least not recently enough to accurately know what they are talking about.

The third most common issue is that people think a "Pollyanna" is never in a bad mood, is never grumpy, but is rather always smiling, and always perfectly happy. Have these people seen the end? Where she's in the bed refusing to talk to people? Have they seen the part where she tells off the grouchy old lady and then stomps off? She doesn't seem to be in a very great mood to me!

What it really means to be a "Pollyanna" is to be a person who is loving, genuine, kind, giving, caring, sincere, and views the world as half full rather than half empty.

Being a "Pollyanna" means being someone who loves everyone equally. She loves her disconnected, rich aunt as much as the orphan boy as much as the maid (and maid's fiance), as much as the crotchety old woman who's convinced she's dying (Mrs. Snow). She greets everyone with the same smile and gives the same pieces of herself to each of them. She doesn't discriminate in her friendships and she doesn't hold grudges. She gives second chances equally, and the entire town comes to love that about her. (But that doesn't mean she won't give you a piece of her mind should she desire to!)

Being a "Pollyanna" doesn't mean that your life is full of only good things (the girl is an orphan, for goodness sake!), but it does mean taking all things head-on and then looking for the silver lining. In a poignant scene with two grouchy maids, she tells them about how she plays The Glad Game. The is the epitome of being a "Pollyanna." She acknowledges the less-than-desirable thing/situation, and then finds something, anything to be glad about within it. They try to stump her by asking about being required to have a certain food each Sunday which gives them "sour stomachs." She pauses just a minute before coming up with the fact that they can be glad that they have 7 whole days before they have to eat it again. ! That, my friends, is what Pollyanna is about. And, what I'm about.

I don't claim to be perfect. I don't claim to be completely obedient (or that I'm never doing anything wrong). I certainly don't look down upon others that are different than I am or that make different choices than I would. I love them all the same. I might even just give you a piece of my mind, should I believe the situation to require it. ;-) And when really bad things happen (like her being paralyzed at the end of the movie), I might be quite down, sad, grumpy, upset, etc. I'm not without negative emotions. But it does mean that after sitting with the situation for a bit, I will forge ahead, focusing on that one small thing that's positive. Even if it's that I don't have to go through this again for 7 more days.

So, feel free to call me "Pollyanna." I think of it as a compliment. I LOVE it when people say that about me. But only if you've seen the movie. Recently. And you know what you're talking about. And if it's obvious you don't, just know that I might just give you that piece of my mind. :-)

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