BY: Sheryl DeVore/Triblocal.com Reporter

Susan and Paul Patricelli of Grayslake were driving separate vehicles to a friend’s birthday party. Nearly an hour late, Susan finally called Paul on the cell phone and told him she was lost.  He was lost, too.

And then what happened? Did one of them complain that he or she didn’t get the right directions?  Did one of them suggest they just go home, embarrassed by being so late?

Nope.  They figured out how to get there and once they arrived. Paul said, "Now we can relax and enjoy ourselves.”

It’s Paul’s attitude of gratitude, that positive view of life that has driven more than 3,000 people from all over the world in just a few months to his new Facebook site, “Attitude of Gratitude.”

A former Realtor and freelance financial planner, Patricelli has been going through the same ups and downs as other folks are during these difficult economic times. But one day, Patricelli decided, “I was sick of hearing all the bad that was going on in the world. So I created the attitude of gratitude page. It was an experiment. “I thought: Let’s see who else is sick of this. No more doom and gloom. It doesn’t get us anywhere.”

 “First a few friends and family joined, and then people all over the world joined—from Australia, North Carolina, Japan.

 “I started putting positive news on the page,” he said. And he started posing questions: What is the biggest blessing in your life? How do you stay positive? One woman wrote she was grateful that after being told she had cancer, the surgeon operated and told her it wasn’t cancer at all.  Many wrote why they were grateful – not for things or money, but for family and friends, no matter what difficult times they were experiencing.

Now, these folks are not all shiny, happy people all the time. That’s the point, said Patricelli. “It’s easy to complain. It’s hard to stay positive.” That’s what the Facebook site is supposed to do—help people stay positive.

In fact, Patricelli himself, did not always look on the bright side of life.  “I had a big temper,” he admitted.  “I was ego-challenged."

Susan said after 18 years of marriage her husband has mellowed. He says having children (Andrew is 13 and Michael is 10) has helped ground him. And he also began surrounding himself with positive people.

“It’s almost scientific. You attract and develop the attributes of those around you. It also helps that we’re grounded in faith,” said Paul who goes to Willow Creek Church in South Barrington with his family. He hasi also has joined causes that are important to him and helps yearly building homes for Habitat for Humanity. Said Susan, “When it’s time to sign up to build another home, Paul’s face just lights up.”
 
“What my dad is doing is just amazing,” said Andrew. “He’s showing us all how to be more positive.”

Kathy Davis of Brtisbane, Queensland, Australia finds Patricelli's columns refreshing. “I was so fed up with hearing negative news in the general media, which tends to breed public concern, that when I heard about Paul Patricelli's Facebook group, I joined. It's great to hear good news for a change, and I'm happy to spread the word here in Australia through my own Facebook connections. Paul is to be congratulated. He's an average bloke, as we say Downunder, spreading a little positivism and cheerfulness. That's got to be good,” she said.


Get more positive strokes by reading online occasional “Attitude of Gratitude” columns by Paul Patricelli.