this week's sermon is about pessimism. pessimism has gotten some dumb stigma attached to it somehow, and there are all sorts of people who apparently think optimism is "good" and pessimism is "bad".

like i was saying to janet last night (and like i've been saying for a really long time), a lot of people just don't see the beauty of pessimism: you are never disappointed. you can be hurt, sure, but nothing will ever disappoint you; it'll either go pretty much as you expected or it'll be a pleasant surprise.

it's really mind-boggling when you think about it. if you always brace yourself for the worst, you're a lot more likely to be able to cope with it. optimists get let down all the time. they get ready for miracles and most of the time they don't get jack.

i still have hope. when i ask a girl out, i hope like crazy that's she's going to say yes. i never expect her to, though, so it doesn't hurt as much. i'm fully prepared for the rejection, so when/if it comes it hardly phases me (or maybe i just don't let it).

recently i was lucky enough to get a "yes" when i asked a girl out, and it was gr8. quite a thrilling surprise. i'd like to think it went well, too, but i didn't expect it to go well.

so this week's gospel is: pray for miracles, but expect them not.