  A weekend trip out of town kept me from watching the funeral proceedings live. So I watched on TiVo Sunday night.
And that was good. I got to fast-forward through the singing, which doesn't do much for me, and instead watch the maneuvers of the honor guard, hear the speeches, and listen to a little of the commentary as so many of the people I used to work for and with milled about, sat in the front of the Cathedral, etc. And I gotta tell you (whoever you are -- no one yet, as far as I can tell) I enjoyed the pomp, if not the circumstance.
But what moved me was not what I saw, but what I heard. I can't remember now if it came from the commentators or from one (or more) of the eulogies. But at least one person said how Ronald Reagan never spoke ill of anyone. Sure, he got mad, but he'd never disparage another person, least of all behind their back. And he was an optimist. If not an eternal one, at least for 93 or so years. And I thought to myself how I can get pretty angry, get pretty down, and get pretty down on other people.
My temper gets the best of me, even if it's mostly while driving. I find myself drawn into -- or even starting -- conversations where the main topic is verbally eviscerating another person. And I thought, well, that's petty. So I'm taking a new approach to life. I'm going to try to be more optimistic. I'm going to try not to speak ill of others. If I don't like someone, and I'm talking about them, I'm going to try to be more diplomatic expressing my feelings. I'm going to practice a bit more of the golden rule than I ever have. And we'll see how that makes me feel.
So far, I must tell you, pretty good. I went to the hospital and visited my 85-year-old neighbor. He has family in town, and I suspect that they'd been by to see him too... and he's only been there since Sunday and should get back home tomorrow. But I felt good taking 45 minutes out of my day to sit and shoot the bull with him. It was hardly a hassle, I like the old codger... he's always got something funny to say, and is a good neighbor overall.
If my stopping by cheered him up a little bit, then we both got something out of the visit. Made me feel good. I don't think I would have done that last week. I don't know. Anyway, I think I'll be more fun to be around with my new attitude. I hope it sticks. -A- 
