The Optimistic Pessimist

I have always believe that I can be called an optimistic pessimist. In pretty much every aspect of life, I've always looked at the worst case scenario before looking for the silver lining. Rather depressing, I know, but it does give me some feeling of comfort although some people may see it as negativity at times. I actually do think that it does make the rewards sweeter in the end when I know how bad things could have been. So today, opening the mailbox, I felt some of that sweetness. The albatross that had been my car accident and subsequent repairs has become something less than a gnat. In the mail was a check from my insurance company for about $700 for my deductible and car rental reimbursement. This means that my legwork consisting of accident photos, hand-drawn area map and calls to both insurance companies paid off and that I was found not at fault. The literally thousands of dollars that I spent (on deductible, rental and miscellaneous repairs) has been mostly recovered. But, best of all... accidents in parking lots generally wind up being a loss to both insurance companies. The ruling in my favor is a rarity as well as a blessing to my auto insurance record and rates. Yes, this time the silver lining won out.