I just finished a book about a small island that has few amenities except what nature provided an expansive sky and ocean.

There are few visitors because there are only a few rustic cottages on the rocky island and even owners only stay for the warmer months.What intrigued me was that the author claimed when island natives encounter others, they don't say hello.Instead, they greet each other with the words: Life is good.I'm not sure if there really is such a place because after all, the book is fiction. But isn't that a grand idea?Yes, I know. There is a clothing brand called Life is Good and that slogan is trademarked. But I don't think the two brothers who invented the line would mind hearing others say it. They claim to be all about spreading optimism.Their story is an interesting one. Bert and John Jacobs tried to launch a successful T-shirt line for five years while they lived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.They slept in their van while they traveled the East Coast trying to sell their T-shirts. They say they didn't do very well until they printed up 48 T-shirts with "Jake," a big grinning face and the slogan "Life is Good."When the brothers brought the T-shirts to a street fair in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the shirts with the slogan sold out before lunch.The rest, as they say, is history. The brothers became multimillionaires as the brand spread across the country.You know how fads come and go? Think pet rock or tie-dyed psychedelic T-shirts.The amazing thing is that Life is Good merchandise is still selling strong after 25 years.What is it about the Life is Good slogan that makes people want to display it?Perhaps at heart we all want to be optimists. Or, maybe many people do recognize that life is a series of ongoing gifts that come to us each day. All we have to do is be aware of those daily gifts.I saw those Life is Good T-shirts for the first time about 20 years ago in an Outer Banks gift store. At the time they were more than I wanted to pay for a T-shirt but I couldn't resist the colorful shirts with the happy face and simple yet profound message.John Jacobs says he drew the happy "Jake face" because he was tired of hearing only bad news and listening to people talk about what's wrong with the world. He created Jake as a symbol of optimism. Or, as he explains it, "Jake is a hero whose power is the way he views the world."He gave Jake a big smile, he says, because he always finds a reason to be happy.I love that story. I, too, always find a reason to be happy. Here's the reason: Life IS good, every single day of it.I admit I gravitate toward people who share that optimistic view of life because they are generally upbeat and happy. And happy people are fun to be around. When you walk away from upbeat people, you feel energized.But the opposite is also true. Someone who is always down or negative about everything is tiring to be around. Their negativism drags your spirits down.Did you ever notice how some people seem to save up every negative observation just so they can repeatedly bombard us with how bad life is?You probably know people like that.I have an elderly relative I call every now and then to try to cheer her up. She always starts with the weather, telling me how bad it is. Either it's too hot for her to go outside or it's too gray and overcast. I keep searching for something to say to overcome her negative attitude about everything in life.Finally, I hit upon talking about the past because she seems to like that. During our last conversation I mentioned our last family reunion at Knoebels Grove when we put the watermelons in the creek to keep them cold. She recalled what a great time we all had. Fortunately, she didn't remember she complained all day about relatives who arrived late, those who left early and those who simply didn't please her for one reason or another.It's tough to deal with someone who is always negative, isn't it?While I was in the middle of writing this column, I went to church. Coincidentally, the priest used his sermon to talk about loving life.He told us about Sally, an elderly church member with a wonderfully sunny disposition. Unfortunately, Sally fell in her home and had to lie there for four days before someone got worried and came to check on her.Although Sally has to leave her home to live in an assisted living facility, she is still upbeat and sunny. For her birthday next week, others are driving two hours to take her to lunch.They love Sally because the older woman radiates with a love of life.She's the kind of woman who would wear a Life is Good T-shirt. But then again, she doesn't have to. It's written in her heart.It's written in my heart, too, and on my lips as I give constant thanks for the bounties of a good life.