What to Give an Optimist and Pessimist for Christmas
A family had twin boys whose only resemblance to each other
was their looks. If one felt it was too hot, the other thought
it was too cold. If one said the TV was too loud, the other
claimed the volume needed to be turned up. Opposite in every
way, one was an eternal optimist, the other a doom &
gloom pessimist.
Just to see what would happen, on the twins' birthday
their father loaded the pessimist's room with every
imaginable toy and game. The optimist's room he loaded
with horse manure.
That night the father passed by the pessimist's room
and found him sitting amid his new gifts crying bitterly.
Why are you crying? the father asked.
Because my friends will be jealous, I'll have
to read all these instructions before I can do anything
with this stuff, I'll constantly need batteries,
and my toys will eventually get broken. answered
the pessimist twin.
Passing the optimist twin's room, the father found
him dancing for joy in the pile of manure. What are
you so happy about? he asked.
To which his optimist twin replied, There's
got to be a pony in here somewhere!