My first name is Paula, but I have always identified with that charming little girl, Pollyanna, whose sunny habit of looking at the bright side of things has come to mean that her name is synonymous a person bringing a slice of sunshine into an otherwise dark world.
Unfortunately, it has also come to mean, for some, that one is being 'unrealistic' or 'delusional' .... I once had a somewhat pessimistic sister-in-law tell me to "grow up, and quit acting like such a Pollyanna." I just smiled, because she did not know that Pollyanna is MY HERO, and she was, unintentionally, paying me the highest possible compliment instead of her intended put-down.
Unfortunately, it has also come to mean, for some, that one is being 'unrealistic' or 'delusional' .... I once had a somewhat pessimistic sister-in-law tell me to "grow up, and quit acting like such a Pollyanna." I just smiled, because she did not know that Pollyanna is MY HERO, and she was, unintentionally, paying me the highest possible compliment instead of her intended put-down.
