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Only the good

  1. absurdoldbird
    Member

    I need my mood perking up, therefore I propose that we have a topic in which we only write about the good stuff in our life at the moment, the stuff we like, the stuff we appreciate.

    So, to start, here's mine: we have a Robin back in our garden. This is a European robin, and it's started singing beautifully at the top of a tree in our front garden. I'm hoping it might sing at night too, as these birds sometimes do (they serenade street lamps and, while there aren't any street lamps here as we live in a rural area, there are solar lights in our garden... so I can hope!) :)

    Your turn.

    The blog I need help with is absurdoldbird.wordpress.com.

  2. theinsanityaquarium
    Member

    Lovely idea for a thread!

    I am happy today because I've just had some toast with jam, and a cup of tea.
    And toast is literally awesome :D

  3. howvoicebegan
    Member

    I appreciate the kids I'm working with in the orphanage. They always brighten up my day when I'm down.

    Today one of the little girls addressed an imaginary audience by saying, "Ladies and Junglemen!" Every single day I get cute and hilarious one-liners, and that is the one for today.

  4. ardpete
    Member

    I'm happy for the friends I have and looking forward to treating them to a meal and cinema tomorrow for looking after me during some dark days.

    And thank Zog for Ribena.

  5. darkjade68
    Member

    Glad I'm Writing again

  6. gigisanchez
    Member

    Excellent thread idea, I propose we do not less this one die... I'm curious now if the robin is singing at night... ha ha, junglemen.

    Yesterday was the first day I really dug into my story. I haven't fleshed out the characters just yet but I know who they are and I love the story, which feels too good for words. This morning, I made a difficult decision on which way it's going to go, which is odd cuz I never plan what I'm going to write, but it's not the kind of writing I'm used to and it's working to have an outline -plus, I can always change it. I am just so happy to have gotten through my first major hoop: how it starts and what it's all about. Also know the ending already, which is not like me, and I cannot imagine a better ending. So all around, I'm doing well so far. It is a constant battle of faith that I can do this b/c it's much longer than anything I'm used to writing but I'm giving myself that faith.

    Am a bird lover, too. Surrounded by crows and bluejays, which I love.

  7. pdykie
    Member

    Great idea. This is hard for me because i always seem to be bothered, but here goes.

    Early this morning as the coming dawn was just a whisper on a gentle wind, I took a leisurely walk with my dog, Chase. It was a cool, crisp Autumn morning with just a hint of white and billowy fog. We traversed a narrow trail along a swiftly moving river filled with the remnants of recent, heavy rains. Around us rose a dimly-lit forest of massive trees with branches reaching towards the sky. Their leaves were just beginning to change from a vibrant green to shades of subtle red. As Chase eagerly led me forward, I paused for a few minutes to listen to the sounds of life around me. As birds flitted through the trees, squirrels moved across the forest floor in search of food to store for the coming winter. The sky began to brighten as the sun rose in the eastern sky like a magnificent sphere of light. I returned home with a tired dog to a cozy house and a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee. I began to write with Chase gently snoring as he lay close by my feet. Every once in a while I would reach down and scratch behind his ears. It's at times like this that I appreciate the good life that I have. As I'm writing this, I can hear a car pull up outside. It's my wife coming home from work. Chase, with a wagging tail is following me to the front door. Life is good.

  8. noirciplume
    Member

    I've just spent 5 days exploring the British countryside. The sun was continuously shining. The grass was greener. Even the scones with clotted cream and jam tasted better. Everyone was cheerful and happy. It was simply beautiful.

  9. strawberryindigo
    Member

    Mornings in my garden have been especially lovely lately. The cooler air has been invigorating. I have been inspired by how the morning sunbeams dance on the leaves of the trees. Every tiny dewdrop is illuminated in the grass. What a beautiful time of the year!

  10. momfog
    Member

    My 5 kids are playing happily and laughing. Not a fight the whole afternoon.

  11. absurdoldbird
    Member

    I discovered tonight a very simple way to do something I've been doing in an overcomplicated way.

  12. gigisanchez
    Member

    This thread rocks. I love reading what everybody else wrote. Imagine how great this world would be if all our thoughts were just like the ones on this thread? It makes me concentrate on "only the good." Also helps me log how I'm progressing with my story, which keeps me on track. =)

    I'm in the world of my imagination right now and it makes me very happy. In the right frame of mind, my priorities are straight. I know this now b/c yesterday, I took a nap wondering why a certain plot was integral to the story and when I woke up from the nap, I got the answer. Then last night, I went to bed -probably thinking a negative thought- so of course I woke up in the middle of the night thinking something negative. But I realized that and got myself on track by posing another question for my story (what does my main character want?) and when I woke up this morning, the answer was clear. Yahoo, that was awesome.

    My dog is the cutest dog in the world. Every time I sigh, she sighs. It's the cutest thing. Two of the plants I rescued this last summer are starting to grow yellow flowers. I got a great haircut. I found some great readers. Every time I have a great idea while I'm walking, a beautiful crow's feather shows up on my trail.

  13. sayali611
    Member

    Okay, this would be the most weird one, but you asked for it -
    The guy I have a secret crush on gave me some great comments on my FB photos. *Blush blush* I'll be having a big smile on my face all day long :)

  14. absurdoldbird
    Member

    Today the weather is beautiful! We have the warm 'Indian Summer' day that we'd been promised by the weather forecasters. Lovely sunny weather, lifts my mood.

    I'm also happy that so many people are pleased with this thread... thank you! :)

  15. theinsanityaquarium
    Member

    Today I had some customers tell me that they were going to go and tell my manager how helpful I'd been! I get so embarassed when this happens, but it's wonderful at the same time because, as I work in a supermarket, customers are so quick to critisise and very rarely acknowledge that you've done a good job.

    If they did actually go and speak to her, this will be my third in as many weeks! The last one was so lovely, someone had taken the time to write out at the Customer Service desk that I was 'genuine' and 'made [them] feel happy'. That last part had me all emotional for the rest of the day. It's people like that, that make it all worthwhile :)

  16. darkjade68
    Member

    My dad swung by yesterday, as he never lets me know when he's going to which is kinda, hmm... but, I had actually been wanting to see him, so it was a good thing... and he brought along two books that he read, and was giving to me... He basically told me that he felt I was at least as good a writer as these writers, and felt I should write a book... It was that point that I asked him if he had been receiving my blog posts, I e-mail the links to a few people, he is one... He said yeah, and judging by the fact that he was suggesting that I write a book, I would assume he had been reading and liking them... Of course, he's very much a business guy, so he's thinking I can make some money from it, but none the less... It was he that told me as a kid, when I showed him the novel I was writing, that said that I was a good writer, and thought I could make a living at it. Our relationship is a bit difficult, because for the most part when I talk to him, he seems to feel that he needs to fix my life, even when there's nothing to fix... So when he instead talks to me about writing, I do enjoy/appreciate it

  17. gigisanchez
    Member

    All these answers are coming to me. Yesterday, I was worried about how to handle something and I just happened to have a film inside a DVD player and turned it on and apparently, it was already running. So from the middle of this movie, my answer came to me from an old man actor/character. Clear as a bell. I could have easily trashed the answer by saying that it was coincidental but it was a helluva an answer, so I took it and chilled out.

    Also yesterday, I'm walking into a room and one person was reading to the other from a book, and the exact sentence they were reading just as I walked into the room... wow, that was a revelation. And then I wondered, have I ever heard anybody say that before b/c I'm not reading that book and I wasn't in that conversation. And I honestly can't remember ever hearing that said before, but it is a human thing, and if I've heard it 999,000 times, it took that millionth time for it to sink inside my head.

    And last night... I went to bed asking for clarity on what is making everything turn my story, what fuels it, what propels it, what one thing. It has to come from what my main character wants -that's the fuel right there. And I already had that 'want,' but last night, I wanted clarity about it b/c the character's want is clear but I'm not sure it's going to fuel the whole story and I don't want to get stuck in the middle. So I asked for that clarity to come to me in one word and sure enough this morning, that one word came to me. What a shocker, I did not expect that word; Now I'm completely thrown. But the truth is, that word fits completely so what I'm seeing is how complex this story and this character are. So I'll be spending time today writing notes and back story. And all of this is strange for me b/c all I've ever needed is my lead sentence and that propels my stories. This is 180 degrees different from how I'm used to writing but my gut says to go with it. So what's happening for me is what happens to all writers -we find ourselves constantly beginning. Everything you think you know is thrown out the window and you learn something new about the process. And all of it is a discovery, just like it is for the reader.

  18. momfog
    Member

    I am drinking a salted caramel mocha frap from Starbucks and loving every minute of it. Not thinking about fat and calories, just crushing on the salt/caramel combo.

  19. gigisanchez
    Member

    I thought this was going to take forever. It took me 2 hours and 8 minutes. All I did was write question after question until... boom, the answer was in front of me. In black and white and 12-inch type. Thank God I'm not feeling sick today. But helloooooooo, I was thinking about my story from my main character's pov, not from my pov, so I wasn't seeing how their objective could propel me to write the whole story. But my character doesn't know what propels the story; if they did, there wouldn't be a story. All they know is what they want and that want is going to change and they don't see that yet. They can't possibly know what happens on the next page, only I know that. And I knew this and forgot and ...

    Am drinking a salted caramel mocha frap from Starbucks -mentally- cuz that is how I feel right now. Go, momfog =)

  20. absurdoldbird
    Member

    I was just thinking... wouldn't it be nice, instead of just writing obout our own good stuff, we might respond to each other's good stuff, too? A lot of the time in these ongoing topics and threads all we seem to do is to talk to ourselves not each other - let's talk to each other! :)

    @ Gigi, I think it's great that you're getting ahead with your writing, that you're finding new ways to connect.

    @Momfog - I've never had a salted caramel mocha frap, but it sounds yummy!

    @darkjade - great to get some support from your dad. :)

    @Anna (insanityaquarium) - that's brill about being given a thumbs up from customers. I should image that it must be a helluva tough job most of the time with people just taking you for granted.

    Phew... well that's a start! :)

    And that's some of the good stuff from my current moment!

    Apart from that... I walked in the garden this afternoon and pondered what I'd be doing if I were a child right now.

  21. ardpete
    Member

    I want to give thanks to the people at work that took me to hospital yesterday after I had my accident and stayed with me all the way through then brought me back despite the fact I'd never met them before, my girlfriend and friends that were worried about me and the people from WP that gave me get well wishes. Never been so humbled and grateful in my life :)

    And yeah Anna I agree with Val, it's very rare that people that work in supermarkets get compliments (One of my best friends works at Tesco's and I often insult him, often complaining to the manager because he's sexually harassing me, luckily his manager takes it in jest haha), well done!

  22. gigisanchez
    Member

    Val --> Thanks... did you see where I asked if the robin sings at night? Am curious. :o)

    The reason I'm contributing to this thread is b/c I think it's good to start each day with gratitude. I could do that on my own but am continuing it here with my story b/c it's a way to hold myself to something. Once you tell the world you're going to do something -especially if you make it a big deal- you're going to look foolish if you don't. So for me, this isn’t about getting feedback. I don't need anyone to say, "Gigi, that's great” -unless they want to and unless it is genuine. I’m doing this for myself. In my mind, there is at least one person out there that is reading what I'm saying, and reading quietly, just like they would for a book. That's the person that I'm talking to.

    Fell off track yesterday and this morning. Sick and stuff happened that didn't exactly keep me inspired. When that happens, it's easy to lose sight of my goals. So today is a battle of faith -to believe in myself, despite. I feel beaten down today. But the fighter in me, the "only the good" part -that’s the part of me I’m going to let win. I got a poster board and I'm going to draw out my story today so that I can see what I saw yesterday and the days before. I have yet to write the story. I have been writing notes and an outline. I do have my first sentence, though. A 5-word sentence. I love this sentence. It says everything my character wants in five words. It sets everything up.

    Aside from that, I am still above ground.

    howvoicebegan --> My heart goes out to you. You have an interesting job and blog.

  23. absurdoldbird
    Member

    @ Gigi - sorry no, I didn't spot that you'd asked about the Robin (my concentration's been pretty crappy recently) - I didn't hear the Robin sing that night. But my husband is currently - well, in the daytime anyway - building something 'secret' in our garden near where the Robin was living (one day I may be able to reveal all... or not!) so it might have been a bit put off...

    You're lucky that you can keep going when you've told people that you're going to do something. Me, I'm the opposite - I find it impossible to do that. I do much better creatively when I do it secretly and then reveal it when it's all done! :)

    And I still think it's great that you're finding ways to connect and get ahead with your writing! :)

    My good thing today... I did some 'ponding' - fishing blanketweed out of our pond. That might sound like a chore to most people, but there are lots of things I enjoy that others loathe and that's one of them. (I also enjoy getting the fluff out of the dryer filter, lol!)

  24. gigisanchez
    Member

    You enjoy getting the fluff out of the dryer filter? That's funny. I think...

    <<< PYDKIE >>> needs to know about that one. That sounds like something he would write about. But I see what you're saying. There's a certain sense of gratification involved in pulling it all out. Almost sounds like those people that like to pop pimples (I'm not one of them). ;o)

    I hear you loud and clear on the secret creativity... I can relate. I cannot explain what has come over me. It's foreign to me. I just know that I have tried to write one particular long story for over 10 years and it's been like pulling teeth. This story is different but the truth is, the theme is exactly the same. I cannot get away from this theme so something is telling me I have to get it out. That my life is stuck until I deal with this. So it's come to me completely unexpected and it feels just like a birth. And my goal is to write here every single day and if that winds up being too wierd for you or this thread, please tell me and I will start a new one.

    PS: To all you women artists out there... There is a BEAUTIFUL tape/dvd called "Giving Birth, Finding Form." I recommend that you listen to it before dying. It's worth it. You'll hear three women authors talking to an audience, primarily of women. They are all sitting in a church in Merin County, California. Alice Walker, Jean Shinoda-Bolen, and Isabelle Allende. They talk about their writing and realize, while talking, what they have in common and how it's common to all writers. They talk about everything. It's funny, mostly, but it's also sad sometimes. All of it makes you smile and think. Highly recommended. You can be a women somewhere in the world, not interested in writing, and you'll still love this tape.

  25. dreamtodreams
    Member

    My day was absolutely amazing. I was able to see a one year olds face light up with joy as she threw bread to ducks and fishes. It forced me to step back and remember to find joy in the little things in life. So I grinned and threw some bread to the ducks with child like glee.

  26. gigisanchez
    Member

    I've been on such a high and now I feel like the train that says, "I think I can, I think I can." Going to get past this hoop... Hopefully, I'll get to the point real soon where I don't have the time to even come here. Where I'll just be completely enthralled with what I'm doing.

    ps: Val, the secret is in not telling anybody what it is about.

  27. gigisanchez
    Member

    ...back on track

  28. absurdoldbird
    Member

    Enjoyed a cup of assam tea. Am about to enjoy my dinner (supper? Tea?) What else good today? Sunshine. Very warm. Saw a frog. Heard the Robin singing this afternoon.

  29. strawberryindigo
    Member

    There's a bit of a chill in the air so today I'm curling up with a good book and a hot cup of deep chocolate dreams.

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