Book Excerpt: I Can See Clearly Now by Dr. Wayne Dyer

It’s Christmastime 1941, a few weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. America has been drawn into war; two of my mother’s brothers are serving in the military, one in Europe and the other in the Pacific. My father is no longer in the picture. His persistent carousing with other women, excessive drinking, and regular encounters as a lawbreaker, which have landed him in jail on several occasions, have finally made living with him impossible for my mother. He has simply walked away from his fatherly responsibilities, never to be heard from again. My mother is alone with three children under the age of five to feed. She’s taking her three boys to her mother’s house to be watched while she goes to work for the day. 
My two older brothers and I are waiting with our mother for the bus to arrive on Jefferson Avenue on the east side of Detroit. We’re dressed in our snowsuits, mittens, galoshes, and earmuffs, standing at the bus stop next to what appears to us to be a huge mountain of freshly plowed snow. The road is littered with salt to melt the continually falling snow, and it is one big nasty mess. A truck drives past the four of us, spraying us so hard with slush that we’re knocked off of our feet. We land safely but soaked on the gigantic pile of snow.
My mother breaks down—she’s dressed for work and covered with dirty, salty slush. She is exasperated. Her life is obviously out of control with the departure of her former husband, and she’s doing her best to make ends meet. The lingering Depression, along with a world war, contributes to her overall situation. Work is difficult to come by, and my mother must rely upon the meager help that comes from her family. They too are overburdened by the long-term economic downturn. It is a difficult period under the best of circumstances, due to shortages of all manner of goods, and the fog of war itself. 
My two brothers are very upset, too. Five-year-old Jim attempts to console our mother; three-year-old David is crying uncontrollably. Me? I am having the time of my life. This is like a nice surprise party with a big castle of snow that we’re all lying on top of. We can have fun! I don’t quite understand why everyone is so angry and frustrated. 
And then these words came out of my mouth: “It’s okay, Mommy. Don’t cry. We can all just stay here and play in the snow.” 
I’m the baby who seldom cries; the toddler who tries to make everyone laugh and feel good, regardless of what’s going on. I’m the kid who makes silly faces to change the environment from sad to glad. I am that little boy who’d be sure There must be a pony here somewhere if the sandbox was full of manure. I don’t know how to be filled with sadness. My demeanor seems to be naturally inclined to look for the bright side and pay little heed to things that make everyone else dreary. 
According to my mother, I’m the most independent and inquisitive little boy she and her family have ever encountered. Apparently I arrived with this happy disposition intact. I am so happy to be here in this world. At 19 months of age I am almost the same size as Dave, who is 18 months older. I try to get my brother to laugh and feel safe, because he seems to be afraid, sick, and most of the time, sad, but he seldom even smiles. I find the world so exciting, and I love wandering and exploring. 

— Dr. Wayne Dyer, author of I Can See Clearly Now (Hay House 2014). To learn more about Wayne Dyer and inspirational authors such as Doreen Virtue, Kris Carr, Gabrielle Bernstein and more, we invite you to join us at the Hay House I Can Do It! event in Austin, TX, June 7th & 8th, 2014.

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