jakorte's blog

Firewalls are good. They don’t let anything in. Well, scratch that… they’re not perfect. Sometimes things get through. Sometimes they shake up the system a little before we get the chance to kick them out.

I’ve slowly been building my own negativity fighting firewall. It’s been a struggle. Like any good dam, you’ve got to get that first block in the water before you can even dream of stopping the rapid flow. And then you’ve got to build, build, build. You can’t lay a foundation block and then wait too long before adding to the line. If you do, you’ll find the edges of your early blocks begin to wear away under the constant barrage. What you end up with is little places water can slip through, and water is a very adept eroder. That isn’t always a permanent disaster though. Patches can be made, as long as you keep up with them.

Same thing applies to fighting fire with fire. The only way to combat unfriendly negative fire is you’re your inner positive flame. Use your fire to consume and contain. For every negative thought you have, throw back a positive one. For every negative comment someone else throws your way, throw back a positive one. Silently, of course -I’m not encouraging conflict.

I am encouraging amusement. Remind yourself your shoes match, so today’s going ok. Admittedly this one didn’t work so well for me last fall when I grabbed two different brown shoes one morning. But nowadays when I find myself faced with an excessive griper I silently consider, “My shoes match!” I also make a concentrated effort to not giggle aloud.

Nowadays, after years of practice, I view my firewall more as a way to keep the good stuff in my internal circulation than to keep the bad out. I’m not unaware of or choosing to be blind to the constant negativity of life. I know the bad stuff is out there. I know I have some gaps in my amateur walls, after all I built the without a well mapped out plan or even outline instructions. I’ve just learned how to spot my own weaknesses, and I know they’re best sealed with humor.