The Little Engine that Could...NO! The Little Engine that DID!

There are few things more contagious than enthusiasm. It is the behavior most associated with passion and determination (according to a study I just made up that is totally legit). I try and bring a level of enthusiasm or excitement, perhaps at the very least, some curiosity to everything I do, but there are a precious few who radiate enthusiasm...Positive Stanley is one of them. I have used a fake name for two reasons. First, I wish to respect the privacy of this person and second, he is much larger and stronger than I am and I see him on a semi-regular basis...

Positive Stanley is the captain of one of the tennis teams that I play on and he is sort of an optimistic  supernova just rocketing around the universe waiting to destroy you with happiness and good will. I try and stay upbeat and hopeful, but Positive Stanley is there screaming wonderful things at the top of his lungs, just daring you to try and feel bad about something. 

As part of his captain duties, Positive Stanley is responsible for writing the recap of our tennis matches and emailing it to the rest of the team. On more than one occasion, I thought his description of matches I played in were more thrilling, dramatic, exciting and uplifting than the actual experience. It is this particular skill that got me to thinking that Positive Stanley would be a fantastic children's book author. I feel like his version would be so intense that you and your children will likely be clutching each other and sobbing openly in both joy and exhaustion by the end. I would like share a quick version of how I think Positive Stanley would tell the children's story, The Little Engine that Could. In case you are unfamiliar with this tale, I will give you a quick synopsis:

One day there is a long train that needs an engine to pull it over the mountain to its destination. So the train starts asking other locomotives (naturally) if they will pull it over the mountain and each engine refuses for one reason or another. Finally, the train asks the Little Engine, who agrees and by repeating "I think I can, I think I can" is able to pull the long train over the mountain to its destination. (Parents: this is also the quick version you can tell your kids when they ask to hear the story for the nine-thousandth time and you're eight seconds away from losing your sh*t).

So without further ado, I give you what I think Positive Stanley's version of, "The Little Engine that Could" might sound like. (Feel free to shout this part out loud Tony Robbins-style...especially if you are reading this in public)

"Once upon a time there was a little locomotive that was much smaller than all the rest, but did that little engine's small stature stop it from being amazing? NO! Of course it didn't! One fateful afternoon, on the hottest day in recorded history, the longest train in the world, needed an engine to pull it over the most treacherous mountain range to deliver formula to all of the babies in the Eastern United States. Well, all the other engines refused clearly not caring about all of the babies on the Eastern Seaboard, but the little engine, who (if you couldn't guess by the name) was way smaller than the rest of the engines, agreed to help the longest train in the world, cross the most devilish mountain range to deliver baby formula on the hottest day ever. All the other engines were like "Hey little engine, there is no way you can make it over those mountains, you're too small." And the little engine, was all like, "whoa, back up bro, with some positive thinking and a good attitude, I can do anything." And the rest of the engines were all "No way man, those mountains are really big, we don't think you're gonna make it." But did the little engine let all those haters deter him from the task at hand? NO! He hitched himself up to the longest train in the world and started chugging up the first of like a billion mountains. Finally, on the 999,999,999th mountain the little engine, streaked with sweat and probably some oil, was struggling to make it over the last mountain. But just when it looked like the little engine couldn't go on, it began whispering to itself "I think I can, I think I can..." and that little engine pulled the longest train in the world over the treacherous mountain range on the hottest day in history, and all of the babies living on the East Coast received their formula and went to sleep, permitting their parents to finally rest and basically saving the world...all because one little engine thought it could!"

If you are at all unclear about the moral of the story, Positive Stanley will gladly tattoo "I think I can, I think I can" on your forehead, free of charge (he's cool like that). So that is how I think he would tell this classic children's tale, and provided I can have a nap or a quick therapy session afterwards, I would let Positive Stanley tell me every children's story ever written. 

Everyone needs a Positive Stanley in their lives and to be one for others. 

Now go shout wonderful things at the people you care about.