“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” – Helen Keller
The birds have been keeping me sane all week.
Their songs, tweets, chirps, and twittering melodies have calmed me, any moment I felt anxious about a bit of a difficult week.
It was Billie Holiday’s birthday. Her voice brings me back to a different time.
I am thankful for a glimpse into an unfamiliar place.
Love the colours.
I meant to include this last week. Lizzi wrote this incredible story about her time in Kenya. If you haven’t read it, you should.
I am thankful for tall mountain pose.
Someone who knows a lot more about yoga than me found this one. I’ve been trying it out. The woman describes the poses well, though I don’t know I am all that good at following the instructions. The deep breathing is the nice part.
The music in the background is rather soothing, but for the clanging bell sound that makes me think of that warning bell you hear at a train track as a train comes near. Not so relaxing for me. Kind of triggering.
I am thankful for a challenging week.
I have been doing A to Z for the first time and this week has been rather fun. I’ve not put too much pressure on myself with it.
I am thankful for an opportunity to share a little piece of myself.
It Was All a Blur #MyBlindStory
I am thankful for a night out at an author reading which involved some helpful men who showed me through the library and a kind word from an author, on a night I almost missed out on entirely.
It had been a rather bad week and I almost backed out and stayed hidden at home. If I’d received the rejection to a writing pitch I would receive while I was at said author reading, or if I’d heard the unsettling news that would come later on that night involving 45 and missile strikes, I may have chosen to stay hidden. Thankfully, I hadn’t. It was a rainy night, but I am glad I braved it anyway.
“Ann Walmsley author of the Prison Book Club will be sharing her experience of becoming a book club volunteer at men’s prisons in Ontario. This incredible book recently won the Edna Staebler award in 2016. One juror Bruce Gillespie quoted: “Walmsley’s book provides a unique glimpse into the lives of incarcerated men and the transformative power of literature and fellowship.” Featured several times on CBC it is truly a honour to have her come to Woodstock Public Library.”
After the reading, I introduced myself to the author and bought a copy of her book. I spoke to her about being a writer and she gave me a bookmark with her email and told me I could email her if I ever had any questions about writing.
I am thankful for scoops and slurs.
I have moved on from Brahms’ Lullaby and on to learning a song I didn’t recognize from my teacher’s description, until she played a little of it and a song that came, preprogrammed on my brother’s little keyboard from childhood, it all came back to me. I love the different violin techniques in this one. It will be a challenge, but one I am quite excited about taking on.
There are scoops when playing the violin. Going from one string to another.
Not all slurs are nice, but the one that occurs in this song is a new technique to me.
I am thankful for family members who are handy and generous with their talents and time.
A leak somewhere in my shower, dripping water down through my ceiling and into my living room are a different sort of April showers. Keep that outside my home preferably.
I have an uncle and cousin who do this sort of thing, fixing showers and leaks for desperate nieces and cousins like me.
The machine they had to use up in my ceiling was loud and reminded me of a dentist’s drill. Again, triggering.
Now I have a layer of dust over everything, including my books, but all is well again.
I am thankful for a day of family, an early Easter/birthday celebration.
Family days include fun, laughter, children playing, and scoops of vanilla ice cream.
I am thankful for my siblings and the siblings (my nieces and nephews) who have each other.
My nephew now has a sister, a sibling, and all of them have a friend for life.
This makes my list every year (National Siblings Day) and every year it is more and more true.
This year mine are willing to do something special with me in a few months, zip lining alongside Niagara Falls, to celebrate my twenty-year anniversary of my kidney transplant.
They are the best.
I am thankful for a surprise phone call from a friend.
I was tired, after this week, but it was nice to talk and catch up.
It’s been raining, off and on, all day long. This is April – to be expected. Not so bad.
Her Headache 
Lizzi’s story is wonderful! I really enjoyed reading it, as I did reading about your story about the fear you feel about possibly losing all your vision. It is good that you were able to share those feelings with the group. It is good that your uncle and cousin were able to fix the leak! I’m going to try the chair yoga. Thanks for sharing the youtube link. It might be a blessing to not be able to see while zip lining. Of course this is coming from someone who might freak out if it is very high above the ground.
Have a great week, Keri.
Thanks for reading those stories Pat.
Yoga has possibilities for me and my physical flexibility, but I’d much rather test my limits and go zip lining, as I am not really afraid of heights like so many are.
Zip lining over Niagara Falls? You are a brave girl, Kerry. Really? Have someone take a video of that. I’m in awe that anyone would/could do that. Wow. You know, I was thinking about you listening to the birdsong and chirping. If it calms you, that is a very good thing. Birdsong can reflect unbalance in the environment, danger and other things which are not so calming. So if the birds are calm, that is good. Have a good week. I’m glad you are enjoying the A-Z.
I am sure we will capture the day somehow. It is hard to get others to join me in something like this, as fear of heights is a real common occurrence out there.
Wow. I didn’t know all that about birds as danger signs. I’d like to learn more about that.
I apologize for being such a late visitor to your TToT post! We are back from vacation now, and I am slowly getting back in gear and caught up! I will be around to catch up on your A – Z posts in the near future too!!
I like coming here to read and enjoy all the good music, videos, and thoughts you share with us. You have a busy life! I smiled at you taking on a new song with your violin, and finding a yoga method that works for you. I’m going to have to check that out. My hearing isn’t great, so I often miss birdsongs, but we have one who sings near our deck window each day, and it is such a happy sound. My husband says he is trying to attract a girlfriend. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing Lizzi’s story, and yours, both are amazing. My favorite reading is when people share important parts of their lives, so very real, and we realize how much we all have in common about how we approach life.
I can’t wait for your zip line experience, yes a video please!! I think it is such a wonderful way to celebrate something so important, and your siblings are the best for agreeing to join in! The older we get the more important our siblings become.
I am proud of you for going to the book presentation and speaking with the author. She sounds amazing, and I know she inspired you. You are doing good things to pursue your dreams. Rejections are a part of writing, as much as breathing is a part of life, they are just something you will one day be able to laugh at when you prove them wrong!
I hope this week is a more gentle one for you, blessings to you always. XOXO
Thanks for another thoughtful response Josie. I like to share music and videos and other articles and things I come across in my week. It is a nice thing to keep a record of too.
I try to keep myself busy, but the part about achieving my dreams is the hard part. I hope to prove myself wrong most of all, as I fear all the time that I will end up nowhere.
I can’t wait for zip lining in just over two months and I am slowly gaining a few extra friends who have agreed to join us in that adventure.
I will keep you all posted and thanks again.