You have an amazing capacity to bring so much to the page and yet never have it feel like either a confessional or a trauma dump. You share so generously and honestly. You tell us the hard stuff. But somehow it always feels like a hand up rather than a weight.
Thank you for writing about and sharing these deep, daily struggles that so many of us so often bury under layers of denial, fear, and distraction.
And thank you for the song. It’s good, and completely new to me.
Also - thanks for making me feel guilty about selling my Peloton. 😆😉
I’m dying laughing 😂 at the unintended Peloton guilt. I’d probably sell my house if I could keep that thing.
I can’t thank you enough for the reflection on this piece. I often struggle at how to write what’s real without sticking there, how to offer the little perspective I may have come by without it sounding like tocic positivity. I try to be honest about where I’m still struggling and when I have legitimately risen off the canyon floor. At the end of the day, I believe that good writers don’t stand on a mountaintop looking down. They invite us to hike up the mountain with them.
"Seeing the bright side through the dark times" gave me pause, and I think it has to do with the term "bright side." Even as someone who is at risk of being called Pollyanna at times, looking at the bright side of things sounds superficial. It sounds like something that would produce a platitude - and platitudes drive me crazy. (Unless you are Monty Python and wrote the incredible "Life of Brian"...!)
What I hope I am is someone who navigates dark times by working through the fear, releasing control, and staying hopeful of a positive future. And if that positive future does not arrive, then being present with a full heart to appreciate what was, what currently is, and what might be in the future. There's a big dose of hope in that last one. 😊
I can totally understand the reaction to "the bright side", and as you are one of the most hopeful people I know, it does not surprise me that you hold that perspective even in dark times. I think this line hit me so hard because I do think there may be a distinction between "hope" and "a bright side." I never lost hope in my dark times, but I did lose the ability to find the light. I'm still searching for the right words to explain this distinction, but I felt it when I heard the song, and I know the difference in my soul. I do think there's an aspirational thing here for me...still noodling on it, obviously.
I agree that there is a difference. I love that you are willing to explore what this means for you. I firmly believe it is calling to you for a reason. I hope you will share what you discover. ☺️
You have an amazing capacity to bring so much to the page and yet never have it feel like either a confessional or a trauma dump. You share so generously and honestly. You tell us the hard stuff. But somehow it always feels like a hand up rather than a weight.
Thank you for writing about and sharing these deep, daily struggles that so many of us so often bury under layers of denial, fear, and distraction.
And thank you for the song. It’s good, and completely new to me.
Also - thanks for making me feel guilty about selling my Peloton. 😆😉
xo
I’m dying laughing 😂 at the unintended Peloton guilt. I’d probably sell my house if I could keep that thing.
I can’t thank you enough for the reflection on this piece. I often struggle at how to write what’s real without sticking there, how to offer the little perspective I may have come by without it sounding like tocic positivity. I try to be honest about where I’m still struggling and when I have legitimately risen off the canyon floor. At the end of the day, I believe that good writers don’t stand on a mountaintop looking down. They invite us to hike up the mountain with them.
"Seeing the bright side through the dark times" gave me pause, and I think it has to do with the term "bright side." Even as someone who is at risk of being called Pollyanna at times, looking at the bright side of things sounds superficial. It sounds like something that would produce a platitude - and platitudes drive me crazy. (Unless you are Monty Python and wrote the incredible "Life of Brian"...!)
What I hope I am is someone who navigates dark times by working through the fear, releasing control, and staying hopeful of a positive future. And if that positive future does not arrive, then being present with a full heart to appreciate what was, what currently is, and what might be in the future. There's a big dose of hope in that last one. 😊
I can totally understand the reaction to "the bright side", and as you are one of the most hopeful people I know, it does not surprise me that you hold that perspective even in dark times. I think this line hit me so hard because I do think there may be a distinction between "hope" and "a bright side." I never lost hope in my dark times, but I did lose the ability to find the light. I'm still searching for the right words to explain this distinction, but I felt it when I heard the song, and I know the difference in my soul. I do think there's an aspirational thing here for me...still noodling on it, obviously.
I agree that there is a difference. I love that you are willing to explore what this means for you. I firmly believe it is calling to you for a reason. I hope you will share what you discover. ☺️
Thank you for that invitation. 🧡 I most certainly will!