“I’m living on the bright side. It’s all a state of mind.” —Angela Saini
I’ll be honest, often, the world scares me.
I look to things like this TToT and its gratitude exercise for some relief.
So, let’s just get to it, because I need some relief from the news of the day.
I am thankful for writers and thinkers such as Margaret Atwood.
I have not read The Handmaid’s Tale, as Atwood’s genre is one that covers uncomfortable truths and possibilities, through fiction and inside fictional realities. I don’t feel comfortable reading that stuff, but I do believe I am missing out.
She has had a long and esteemed writing career in Canada and we are lucky to have her intelligence and her talents.
I am thankful for those I know who travel and are out there living life, reporting back to me somehow on their journeys.
The world scares me and that is why I must see more of it, as much as I possibly can.
But, when and where I cannot, I value my friends, better than all the travel blogs I have followed on Facebook. My friends and those I’ve met, somewhere, somehow are out there and inspiring me to not feel so scared all the time.
And, if I am unable to push away my fear completely, they prove to me that it is possible to go ahead anyway. You miss less by going and doing, fear be damned.
I am thankful for Canada and my extremely privileged citizenship here.
We have our problems and we must acknowledge those. I see protests and silencing in Russia, famine and governmental corruption in Africa, and the unrest and polarization in the U.S. and I hope Canada can face our sins and remain as united and reasonable as possible.
I plan to write more about this as Canada Day, 2017 draws closer.
I am thankful for audio progress reports.
The sound of the App notification on my phone is enough to make me smile and forget my other racing thoughts for a few moments.
My friend may be over in Ireland, but I still get to hear her daughter’s growth, through trying to fill her baby’s bottle and spilling an entire jug of milk all over the floor or not understanding why she can’t fit into her doll’s clothes.
The photos my friend captions for me and then I listen to the short video clips with great interest. I look forward to them in my week.
I am thankful for more time holding my baby niece.
Speaking of growth…she is now one month old and my sister feels she is already growing too fast.
She loves to eat. I like to hold her the other times, when she is not nursing, and then my sister can do some other things.
My niece has a real angry cry, as babies do, but I hold her when she sleeps and she is so peaceful then. Hard to believe it’s the same child. You gotta love it.
I am thankful for all those who help me understand things better, things I often miss out on, those like my extremely generous friend.
My writing mentor is teaching travel writing across some of Africa and she posted a tree. I knew she wouldn’t post it for no reason. She must have seen something special in that tree. I wanted to try and see something in that photo too, in my mind.
“When a bulb burns out, I see. Even in the dark, it feels sunny to me. Skipping in the shadows, every corner holds beauty. There is always light if you look closely.” —Angela Saini
I don’t expect the world to always modify for my needs. Photos are visual things. I get that. Sometimes I just want to imagine what one looks like.
My friend, a writer and a scientist, she heard about this and offered to describe the tree. I learned a lot.
“Splashing through the puddles. Knowing that’s how green grass grows.” —Angela Saini
I am thankful for the first real spring weather.
The other day was so mild. The sunshine was warm on my face. No more shivering.
“I don’t own a poncho. Whenever it rains I only see a rainbow.” —Angela Saini
Spring means rain. I like a good rainstorm. Bring it on.
A rainbow is one of those things, like any photo, that I long to see and never likely will. I appreciate any person’s interpretation of what a rainbow looks like.
Anyone want to give it a go? Leave your description in the comments to this post.
I am thankful for a lesson I thought was certain to be bad.
We had to miss a week. My teacher is in university and this time of year is particularly chaotic.
Any time we have this happen, like when I was in Mexico, I assume the next lesson will not go well at all because of the extra time in between.
I’ve learned this isn’t always the case. I had an extremely productive and energetic practice just before and we had a great talk about the strain and endurance of playing the violin.
Oh, I also did work on the actual practicing techniques too, trying to make it more of a constant flow of sound, rather than always so start and stopish.
Like this. Maybe…one day. Maybe.
I am thankful the U.S. dodged an extremely wrong and risky bullet.
At first I was negative about it, as it strikes a nerve because I have needed lots of medical care, so I immediately thought this was winning a battle but not the war.
Why does this need to be a fight anyway?
Then I was reminded, if I were living in the U.S and relied on the healthcare system there in a big way, I’d want just a short period of time to relax and feel relieved for this moment in time.
I am still worried, anxious for all who would be affected, but I feel helpless to do anything.
Many of us feel like people see us as such a drain on the system, but we’ve faced death or serious illness. It’s no game to us.
“My train home is three hours late. Must be time for another piece of cake – I like chocolate.” —Angela Saini
I am thankful for the positive reception and Canadian support of the newly told.
The Canadian people watched the new Anne of Green Gables series and they have spoken that they approve.
The CBC was going to air the second episode two weeks after last week’s premier, but the reception was so positive that they went ahead and aired it last night.
I am keeping an open mind, as the story makes Canada proud from what I see, so I am going to keep an episode diary on my Facebook page every time it airs.
I will call it Ahead By A Century, like the theme song for the show, by The Tragically Hip.
Living On The Bright Side – Angela Saini
This song is all about seeing the silver lining, but her lyrics suggest there is always something good in everything. That’s what TToT is all about too, in a way.
Of course, I know this is a bit of an over simplification, we all know it, but really we have to at least try.
“Enjoying life, cause’ I’ve got only one.”
—Angela Saini
Her Headache 
I loved the way you wove your thoughts together for this post with meaningful quotes and music. I too am aware of all the bad things and the difficult things and the fearful things in life, but I am also aware of so much good, and the many people that bless my life.
You make a great point that even when we are sometimes afraid we need to go forward, never let fear freeze our ability to pursue life and all that it has to offer. Just like a violin lesson, it could go badly, but then again it just might go very well! 🙂
I too am thankful for Spring, for the smell and feel of fresh growth and damp rain. I wish I could even begin to describe a rainbow, how the soft pastel colors fade into one another in a giant arch across the sky, sometimes pale and sometimes bright and shining as if there really might be the fabled pot of gold waiting at the end. For me rainbows are always a sign of hope and promise. If I had to describe it in a non-visual way, I would think perhaps of layers of the most wonderful sweet flavors… chocolate, and raspberry, sweet whipped cream, butterscotch and the others I delight in, gently layered on top each other and carefully bent into a graceful curve that you could enjoy one layer at a time or by taking delicious bites off the end encompassing all the flavors at once!
WIshing you a beautiful week ahead, Kerry, enjoy that sweet little baby in your arms, who before very long will be tugging at your knee. 🙂 Life is good and you are blessed! XOXO
Many many good things, yes. I am indeed blessed.
I think the comparison to the violin, expecting things to go bad, and then they actually are the opposite is what I was going for. Glad you picked up on that and that you liked my song choice too. I use songs like that to help uplift me.
I love that I had the idea to ask people to describe a rainbow, how it looks to them, because you will get definite variations in their answers and I love that.
Thank you for yours. I like the graceful part. You make a rainbow sound delicious. Haha. I think they really are evidence of magic. Thank you.
excellent tune (the Bach)… for such a ‘simple’ song, there is so much to it, I find myself appreciating different elements in it, even after all the very many years I’ve listened to it being played.
next to drums, the violin surely must be the most difficult of musical instruments to master. Just think! with no frets, it’s all in the ear, plus you have to stand up to play and…. and! your arm is stuck out at a totally un-natural angle the whole time. I have great respect for those who overcome all that in order to learn to play the instrument.
Your invitation to describe a rainbow, is interesting because I find myself wanting to try, just for the challenge .
A rainbow is like a half-round sun in a time-lapse photo over the course of a single day. It’s hue starts as black as, well, as night and softens in violet and then red and then yellow (yes there is a possibility of a green halo on the sun, but thats a different phenomenon).. down the other side of noon, the arc descends through the sky and the day going from orange into red then violet and finally black again.
Yes, I often find, when I am playing, that wish I had longer arms.
The other side of noon. I love that Clark. I knew I’d get a good one from you.
Invitation and a challenge. That’s what I was going for and you nailed it perfectly. I am gathering so many varied and unique ideas of what a rainbow is thanks to all of you.
I have Atwood’s Hanmaid’s Tale on my reading list. I checked it out of the library but just didn’t get to it and more pressing things needed to be read. I’m way behind… But I’ll take it out again. That’s one I really want to see.
I would love to try and describe a rainbow for you. But alas, my day has been filled with a lot of non-rainbow things so I’m afraid my mood is a bit of a dark cloud right now. I could probably stand to re-focus and actually attempt to do it for you and see if I can’t adjust my very black mood. Perhaps in my paper journal writing this evening….just made a post-it note to remind me.
I’m so proud of the writing I see you putting out there and the success you’re seeing. I’d like a little of that to rub off in my direction, too! 😀
I watched the trailer and was totally creeped out. I knew the kind of writing Atwood is known for, but haven’t read any of it yet. That sort of thing agitates me and I think it might make my current mood worse. I thought about reading 1984, as that is the year I was born and seems fitting, but I haven’t yet.
Well, sorry to hear you were having a black storm cloud of a day Lisa, but you could always describe one of those to me instead, if it is what’s on your mind. I have seen the sky and clouds, but a storm cloud, not exactly.
I am excited about both our writing journeys. You are a phenomenal writer. We are both on our way to greatness.
Well, thank you, Kerry. And I sure hope we are!
Do read 1984 – it’s excellent. I read it way way back in eighth grade, the year it came out, and it is still one of my all-time favorite books.
I really enjoyed all the quotes by Angela Saini! She has a very beautiful voice. Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring by Bach has been a favorite of mine for many years.
Trying to describe colors, let alone a rainbow to someone who cannot see, is beyond my capabilities. I have seen a variety of rainbows. Once I saw a triple rainbow with the biggest at the top and two smaller ones underneath. It was fascinating.
Yes, I like to include both music and colour in my posts. This one came together nicely.
A triple rainbow. I like the sound of that. Thanks.
“The world scares me and that is why I must see more of it, as much as I possibly can” I love this quote. Other people might shy away from exploring but it’s great that it motivates you to get out there.
Here is my, probably poor, attempt at describing a rainbow but I wanted to try:
Imagine a semi-circle, without the straight line running across the bottom. The semi-circle is made up of multiple layers stacked on top of one another so you can see each layer. The first layer (at the top of the semi-circle) is red, then underneath is orange, then yellow, green, blue, indigo, and lastly violet.I’m afraid I don’t know how to describe these colours 😦
The layers/colours of the rainbow tend to be somewhat transparent. They say at the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold but you can often never figure out where the end of the rainbow is! Maybe we’re never meant to find it 🙂
People need to get over their shyness or else they end up becoming afraid of other people and that never works out. I’m glad you liked my quote.
Thanks for the rainbow description. Stacked. I used to love to draw rainbows, when I was a kid, with all those colours which I did once see and still carry vague recollections of. Transparent is a good word. Thanks.
No. I don’t think we are meant to. Excellent observation.
I used to see what rainbows looked like, but only on TV or in books. The colours of one were never bright enough for me to see in real time. So glad I put forward this challenge to other TToT members this week.
Yay, for Angela Saini. Her lyrics and music are very inspirational and I like how you weaved the lyrics into your post. Kerry, I just want to leave you with a thought. Sometimes the pictures your mind makes are so much more vivid and fulfilling than the actual image. I’ve read books, had my own pictures in my mind and when I see the same “pictures” in a movie or even in real life, I’m disappointed.
I watched a live performance with her and she introduced the song by saying she always try to be an optimistic person. That song is proof of that.
You make an excellent point Val. It’s the same sometimes with both people and places. Other times the real thing totally surpasses anything you may have been imagining. You just never know. For now, I will be satisfied with the descriptions I’ve been offered in these comments.
You are so eloquent and I am so jealous. I am told I write like I speak – sometimes way too blunt for most. 🙂 I tend to see the world in a lens of anger rather than fear. I am angry the way the world has become and wonder why it is so hard for people to just be decent good human beings. On my trip I saw the most beautiful double rainbow and started walking to the edge of it. As I got closer, it disappeared. I think, like most things in life, it is better from a distance than in the middle of it.
Thank you for your kind words. I often seem to dance around my true meaning when I write. That’s the challenge of it. I need to find the perfect way of saying what I mean.
Wow. I can imagine doing that too. I tried to explain the horizon to my brother, who has never seen it like I’ve been lucky to. You keep walking and never get anywhere, kind of like life sometimes and with our, at least my, constant disappointment in the ignorance and cruelty I see in people, but then there are beautiful souls and rainbows that make us want to reach out. That’s what’s real, even if often unattainable.