How do you build optimism in yourself and for those around you? Of course “those around you” these days includes so many across your digital world too.

Sometimes I cannot stand Twitter because it is so full of negativism. Sometimes I love it because someone I follow will post a message that is inspiring, usually the words of some writer, of course! In my fiction class, we’re in week two of reading and studying the realist authors. I find myself longing for a little optimism. Camus’ The Stranger, and Joyce’s “The Dead,” don’t leave a lot of room for buoyancy.

Once again, I look to my students for a life lesson. One of the first things we do is have a discussion about what it means to be in a virtual community and some ground rules for our posts to each other. Some of their words:

“Don’t swear, Tell them something they did well, Be polite when correcting, Just because it isn’t your point of view doesn’t mean it’s wrong, Encourage each other, Don’t be a bully because I’ve had that before and it isn’t fun, Try to give positives along with what they could do better, Don’t be mean, Be helpful.”

And then some of them posted pictures of their pets because they said their pets make it easy to smile and have fun.

“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” Maya Angelou