Why "Pollyanna" Runner?
If you've never read "Pollyanna" by Eleanor H. Potter, or seen one of the several movie adaptations of her work, then you might not know about "The Glad Game." In brief, this was a coping mechanism young Pollyanna Whittier learned from her father, a preacher from "out west", based on the many, many Bible verses based around cheerfulness and thankfulness. A few that immediately come to mind are, of course, I Thessalonians 5:16-18: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Philippians 4:10: "Rejoice in the Lord Always; again I will say, rejoice!" Revelation 12:12a: "Therefore, Rejoice, O Heavens and you who dwell in them!" And many others! Pollyanna's father taught her to always figure out what there was to be glad about in whatever situation they found themselves. Most famously, as Pollyanna would tell her new friends in Aunt Polly...