Anyone who knows me well would almost certainly label me an optimist. I believe in embracing hope and finding something1 even in the most difficult2 .
With that being said, even optimists can temporarily3 hope. This was the case for me on a particularly cold and gloomy January day. Health, and financial 4 had joined forces to create a tornado of emotion that threatened to crush my spirit. I felt angry, frustrated, and 5 . The weather seemed to reflect my mood—the gray sky6 even a single ray of sunlight.
About midway through the day, I noticed that the sun had7 for a brief moment. I began to think about my negative 8 and reminded myself that I was9 for choosing my state of mind. Even as I consciously reminded myself of this truth, I felt incapable of making the10 . Still feeling pessimistic and negative, I left work to get some 11 . As I12 at a red light, I looked at the car directly in front of mine. The personalized license plate(车牌) 13 my eye—it read"SUNOUT". This brought an immediate smile to my face. It felt like a reminder that the sun was14 after all, and in the midst of the longest, darkest, coldest winter in years, this in itself was a blessing. 15 when my eyes moved to the car that was 16 parallel (并行的) to the SUNOUT vehicle, I found the license plate on that car read "GROUCH (发牢骚)". So as I read these two license p lates side by side, I said out loud "SUNOUT, GROUCH". This brought more than a17 to my face as I laughed out loud! Seeing the two very 18 license plates right next to each other at that exact moment in time also 19 my previous recognition of my ability to choose my outlook (态度) despite my circumstances. I felt my spirits and mood20 as I made the conscious decision to choose a positive attitude.
