Tag Archives: appreciation

Pollyanna Takes Centre Stage

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Hello Dear Ones!

Who of you have seen the 1960 classic movie: ‘Pollyanna‘, starring Hayley Mills? It’s the tale of a young orphan who played the ‘Glad Game‘: engaging positively with her world as a method of coping with the challenges and sorrows of everyday life. Always a bright side to be seen, this youngster could find joy in the simple, the unique, the seemingly unimportant; always finding a positive twist to each and every encounter. The truly charming story-line worked well on the big screen. I am, however, of an age that allowed me the privilege of reading the original 1913 book ~ and the continuing series (by American author Eleanor H. Porter) ~ long before the movie was made. (Yes, I’m aging myself… but when one gets to a certain age, any stigma of age no longer holds significance!)

So, back to my attempt at a topic today. I proudly consider myself a Pollyanna… someone who lives by the Pollyanna Principle of being excessively cheerful. I learned back in my youth to play the ‘Glad Game’. This positive approach to life generates a way of seeing blessings everywhere when we take notice to appreciate the simple, the beautiful, the wondrous, the magical, and often times, the innocence in every situation.

Today, I still see the best possible outcome in most every experience or situation. There is always something for which to be grateful. Gratitude is the 21st century version of the Glad Game. Here’s a “for instance”:

Today, I misplaced my debit card. I retraced my steps to no avail. Checked pockets, hallway shoes, every location I had been. No success. I could have panicked. But no. I called the bank. No one had used the card since my last transaction, so they simply cancelled my card. I do have to go in to the bank in person to be assigned a new one. Do I consider this an annoyance? An inconvenience? Am I angry? No. I’ll get to meet my new bank manager tomorrow. The outing will add an additional few thousand steps to my exercise regimen. And, even masked, I’ll get to smile at other socially-distanced folks who, like me, miss the human connection in these most interesting of times.

Finding something positive in each challenge has its blessings. I have found mine and am looking forward to tomorrow’s outing.

If you play the Glad Game today, what joys and magic might you find in these challenging times?

In Light and Laughter,

Marcia

You Like Me! You Really Like Me!!

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Hi Folks:

So far as I know, Facebook was the first to introduce the concept of the ‘Like’ button to user posts and comments, and it’s such a good idea that it’s been adopted by others as well. Google+ uses the ‘+1’ button instead, but it’s the same idea. The folks at TED.com used to give users the ability to up vote or down vote another user’s comments, but they changed that policy so that only up votes are possible. The people at 50opx.com have both ‘Like’ and ‘Dislike’ buttons on the images displayed there; I suggested to them that they remove the ‘Dislike’ button but the choice is of course theirs.

Why is this so important? Well, in a pre-internet world (yes, I’m old enough to remember such a time), personal interactions were less frequent and more intimate. People waited days, weeks, even months sometimes to hear from a friend or loved one, and as such contacts were treasured. People exchanged long notes, thank you cards and more. Today we live in a much different world. Long letters are hardly ever written, thank you cards are almost forgotten, and even e-mail has become passé, especially among the younger generation. We’re swamped with ever more information, almost all of it short and almost all of it impersonal. The internet is largely considered anonymous and while on one hand that gives people the freedom to express their ‘true’ feelings behind that mask of anonymity it also distances the connections we have with those who are close to us in different ways. Internet friendships can be as strong as any ‘personal’ relationship, but without being face to face we lack inflection, touch and more. Apparently studies have shown that people are more likely to ‘trust’ links that their friends have ‘liked’, but I think it’s much more than that.

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He Says, She Says… When Dreams Do NOT Come True

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Hello, Dear Reader:

A desire arose within Marcia four weeks ago. An ad appeared in the employment section of the local newspaper requesting applications for a position Marcia had both the skill and the passion to tackle. She felt it a perfect job fit and a truly outstanding role. Thoughts of moving into this role had her excited! The added advantage of a more remunerative wage than her current position offered, plus medical benefits and other perks had her submitting her revised resume with a very wisely worded, professional cover letter.

She got an interview. In fact, she was the first to be interviewed by a 3-person panel. It went outstandingly well. Marcia felt she set the bar high for all other candidates being considered. As she had been taught and because it felt right, she then sent an e-mail to all 3 interviewers the day after the interview to thank them for their time, their expressed interest and the pleasure and privilege it was for her to have shared with them and learned from them during the process.

Due to a large number of qualified candidates and a week’s unavoidable absence by one of the interviewers, there was a two week wait to hear the results. By the  Thursday of the second week, Marcia thought (at Mike’s wise suggestion) to send a  “Thanks for taking the time to interview me, I’m still interested …” e-mail to each of the 3 interviewers. She was in the midst of composing this e-mail when the telephone rang. Continue Reading →

Being Green: Appreciating the Moment

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Hi Folks:

September is upon us and kids have finished their first week back at school… A short post this week, but in last Friday’s ‘Being Green‘ post I added a link provided by my nephew (in-law) about one person’s daily commute by bicycle, and how he stops every day for a moment or two, sometimes longer, on the bridge connecting north and south Edmonton in order to appreciate the world around him.  After posting that I received an e-mail from my nephew reminding me about our experiences at the provincial legislature grounds in Edmonton; we were there in 2003 when my niece and nephew-in-law were married.  It wasn’t something I will forget.

I’ve been to the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa on more than one occasion, and tossed a few coins into the fountain housing the eternal flame.  I’ve been to the legislative grounds in several other provinces as well, including the one here in Victoria, but none of them compare (in my opinion) to the one in Edmonton.  Why, you ask?  Well, simply because instead of the requisite fountain on the grounds (the fountain here in Victoria was surrounded by a 15-foot fence on Canada Day), the grounds in Edmonton have been made into a water park, including a huge fountain and a wading pool.  For the people, by the people, and of the people.  On the warm day in August that we were there, the entire grounds were filled with people playing in the water, having picnics in the shade, walking, reading, cycling, and just generally having fun.  There was a wonderful sense that the locals felt they had a right to be there, that this was created for them.  And so it was. Continue Reading →

Marcia’s Meanderings – Gratitude & Appreciation

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Hello Dear Ones!

“The day, water, sun, moon, night…I do not have to purchase these things with money.”
~Plautus

The above quote is such an inspiring one for me. It helps me to recognize the abundance of all good and wonderful things that there are in my life – ones I do not require money to purchase, yet that enrich my life immeasurably.

Here’s another quote with the same focus:

“We don’t want things, people, or events. We want the feeling we mistake them for.”
Cindy Teevens from Twitter

When I look around me at the people, things and experiences that bless my life, I can’t help but to be grateful. I am so appreciative of all the bounty and the beauty around me; so fortunate to have such incredible people sharing their lives and walking with me on this journey called life. Many of you I will never meet in person. You bless my days remotely via the internet – through Twitter and Facebook.

There are days when I’m feeling grumpy or frightened or angry or less than abundant or … and on those days it is so easy to see the dark side of life rather than the bounty and the blessings; to see the glass as half empty rather than full – one 1/2 with the fluid of your choice, the other 1/2 with air! It takes less time these days to get to a place of feeling better – that in itself is a true blessing! It used to take days, weeks; there was even a time when I went months in a state of despair. That was a world and a lifetime ago. I am grateful every day that those days are long behind me. (BTW: I used to spell grateful – greatful! After all I was filled with the greatness of wonder and appreciation!) Continue Reading →

He Says, She Says…

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Greetings, dear reader!

We watched ‘Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone‘ again on TV last night, and although we’ve seen it (several times) before, what always intrigues us is Harry’s transformation from the world of the mundane to the world of the magical, and even more that these two worlds co-exist.  Both Marcia and Mike have had many ‘magical’ experiences in their lives, and so this week we thought we’d talk about living a ‘magical life’.

Follow these links to read what He Says/She Says: Marcia’s View / Mike’s View.