Pollyanna: The Glad Game

Pollyanna Definition:

Pol·ly·an·nas

Plural

NOUN 

1. 

eternal optimist: an unrealistically optimistic person

Ever been called “Pollyanna” before? I know I have, which, when you come to think of it, can be absurd, given my cynicism and moodiness. But I will admit to making an effort to be optimistic. I may crash and burn at the attempt, but I do try, leaning more on Isaiah 55:11:

“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

Still, being called “Pollyanna” before, I did some snooping about the name and the character. While I have yet to see the 1960 Disney film, starring Haley Mills, or read the original 1913 novel by Eleanor H. Porter, I was fascinated to discover more of the story itself, as while as the descriptive adjective in the name.

According to Wikipedia…

Pollyanna Plot Summary:

“The title character is Pollyanna Whittier, a young orphan who goes to live in Beldingsville, Vermont, with her wealthy but stern Aunt Polly. Pollyanna's philosophy of life centers on what she calls "The Glad Game", an optimistic attitude she learned from her father. The game consists of finding something to be glad about in every situation. It originated in an incident one Christmas when Pollyanna, who was hoping for a doll in the missionary barrel, found only a pair of crutches inside. Making the game up on the spot, Pollyanna's father taught her to look at the good side of things—in this case, to be glad about the crutches because "we don't need 'em!"
With this philosophy, and her own sunny personality and sincere, sympathetic soul, Pollyanna brings so much gladness to her aunt's dispirited New England town that she transforms it into a pleasant place to live. 'The Glad Game' shields her from her aunt's stern attitude: when Aunt Polly puts her in a stuffy attic room without carpets or pictures, she exults at the beautiful view from the high window; when she tries to "punish" her niece for being late to dinner by sentencing her to a meal of bread and milk in the kitchen with the servant, Nancy, Pollyanna thanks her rapturously because she likes bread and milk, and she likes Nancy.
Soon, Pollyanna teaches some of Beldingsville's most troubled inhabitants to 'play the game' as well, from a querulous invalid named Mrs. Snow to a miserly bachelor, Mr. Pendleton, who lives all alone in a cluttered mansion. Aunt Polly, too— finding herself helpless before Pollyanna's buoyant refusal to be downcast—gradually begins to thaw, although she resists the glad game longer than anyone else.
Eventually, however, even Pollyanna's robust optimism is put to the test when she is struck down by a motorcar while crossing a street and loses the use of her legs. At first she doesn't realize the seriousness of her situation, but her spirits plummet when she accidentally overhears an eminent specialist say that she'll never walk again. After that, she lies in bed, unable to find anything to be glad about. Then the townspeople begin calling at Aunt Polly's house, eager to let Pollyanna know how much her encouragement has improved their lives; and Pollyanna decides she can still be glad that she had legs. The novel ends with Aunt Polly marrying her former lover Dr. Chilton and Pollyanna being sent to a hospital where she learns to walk again and is able to appreciate the use of her legs far more as a result of being temporarily disabled.”

You and I may be cynics; you and I will never be Hayley Mills in a Disney film. But you and I can decide to play “the glad game” a little more in our lives.

We just celebrated Thanksgiving. It’s a good, fresh time to stop and think, “what am I thankful for?” What can we be glad about, right now? Life isn’t all doom and gloom. There is SOMETHING to be glad about! God loves us and has tremendous plans for us; that’s a start, right?

So, check your Pollyanna status from time to time. When was the last time you played the “glad game?”