Tag / optimism

by Janet

Optimism

I thought I’d piggyback on my previous post (Naivety) so that I could bring some positivity back to the game. When I talked about naivety, I wasn’t expressing my beliefs (I don’t walk around angry) – I was simply pondering the word, it’s meaning, and what the word means to me.

That being said, it went a wee bit against my grain, which is normally optimistic. I actually think that naivety and optimism may have a few things in common, so this was the perfect “O” word for tonight.

Naivety appears to be the belief that people or things are good (or safe) – because the naïve individual is not aware that anything contrary to “good” exists. They lack experience.

Optimism, on the other hand, may be it’s more experienced counterpart. An optimist knows that bad exists, but he or she still believes that everything is (or will be) good. They believe this ‘in spite’ of the knowledge that bad things (or people) exist – not because they don’t have a clue. That’s where discernment comes in.

The definitions I found for optimism are “hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something,” and “the tendency to be hopeful and to emphasize or think of the good part in a situation rather than the bad part.”

So… it’s pretty clear that optimism is not naivety. It’s about being deliberate. I’m pretty sure no one ‘chooses’ to be naïve – it’s like something we’re born with… something that escapes us as we learn about the world. But optimism appears to be a choice.

Anyway, I did an illustration for my thoughts on Optimism and I think it’s… OK. (I wish I could be more optimistic about it!) It’s not what I saw in my head but it will have to do. Perhaps if the girl were smiling it might be more convincing. Haha!

Speaking of things not looking like what we imagined… I went to my first painting class last night. Don’t ask me how, but I ended up with a canvas that was covered in lime green. Sopping wet with way too much paint. Every time I painted something I didn’t like I just brushed over the whole canvas and blended the colors together. So I painted A LOT.

I realized, while in bed, that what happened was the result of using a large brush. Of course you can’t paint details with a big brush… what was I thinking?! I’m used to my keyboard and mouse… not brushes! I’ve been… well… very naïve when it comes to painting! Now I know that bad painting exists (haha!), so I’m looking forward to trying again next week.

I’m making my way through the Alphabet Game a lot quicker than I’d intended because it’s giving me time to think before I go back to telling stories. I need to ponder more ideas on that end… and I’ll talk about it more when I write about the “P” word… (SPOILER ALERT!!)

………… Plot.

That’s about all for now. Thank you for reading or viewing, I hope you enjoyed something here!

I’ll see you soon!

by Janet

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Ok, so it’s not Brooklyn. But it’s symbolic. Thriving, in the midst of hardship, there it is.

New Life.

I wanted to do something to express my feelings tonight, and I do believe I’ve captured it. At the risk of sounding repetitive, my posts lately are echoes of what goes on in my mind, and I’ve been learning lately that sometimes “my mind” is not a good place to dwell. I’ve always loved my inner life, but it’s been chaotic and depressing in there, so I decided it was time to get out. For now.

I had to remind myself that my story is about recovery and growth. Yes, lately the world is on edge, and some crazy and often scary things are going on, but, as Gloria Gaynor so eloquently sang… “I will survive.” We will survive.

So, tonight I put on my happy music and thought about what this new chapter in my life was going to be about, and I decided it was “new life.” A time to recover from the darker (and sometimes boring) times, a time to grow some new wings and reach out into new territory… and a time to dance and celebrate.

Life is precious. Each morning a bright new day arrives, and – if you pay attention – you see life sprouting up in the most unusual places… like a tree in Brooklyn.

That’s about all for tonight. Thank you for reading… and I hope you enjoyed my art!

Until next time,
Peace & Love-

“There will come a time when you believe everything is finished; that will be the beginning.”

Louis L’Amour

by Janet

Treasure Fishing

One thing becomes clearer as one gets older and one’s fishing experience increases, and that is the paramount importance of one’s fishing companions.

I’ve had this image of some fishermen hanging out for a while now, and there’s something about it that I just love. That being said, I’ve gotten a little creative with the appearance of it—a sort of dreamy, double exposure effect—but I was just going with how it made me feel.

Now… I’m not here to insult anyone, or debate the differences between men and women (or people in general), and I don’t want to ruffle anyone’s feathers, but can someone please tell me why men always look like they’re having the time of their lives when they’re together?

These guys aren’t sitting around taking selfies, or worrying about how they look, they’re embracing the moment and all that it has to offer. I don’t know, maybe they’re actually arguing about who caught the biggest fish. Who’s to say?

Bragging may not bring happiness, but no man having caught a large fish goes home through an alley.

Anyway, regardless of what they may or may not be talking about, there is a vibe there that I want to reach out and grab. It’s something that you see when people fish together. Maybe it’s camaraderie.

I’m sure that I’ll always be part introvert, and that I’ll always LOVE and appreciate the peace that can be found in solitude, but with the extremes that have been thrown upon us during the quarantine times, I’ve developed a real fondness for companionship and camaraderie.

That being said, I’ve also realized that I dropped the ball on The Quarantine Project. It was difficult to keep up, because it was harder and harder to find excitement and meaning in the days of isolation. I’m thinking now that maybe that lack of busyness wasn’t meant for seeking out fun or excitement, it was meant to boost my appreciation of the valuable things that can easily get lost. Like the old song says, “Don’t know what you’ve got (till it’s gone).”

So, I’m going to keep adding to my collection. I’m going to put my focus on the new “appreciations” that I discover, and I hope that you will come along and join me… as I go fishing for treasure.

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.

Henry David Thoreau

Until next time,
Peace & Love!