Introspection
A Good Day
On January 25, 2023 by Speranza
Earlier in the week, I gave myself permission to do whatever I liked. This is advice I frequently dole out to friends but rarely follow myself. I was free to squander time without paying heed to that mean inner voice which is poised and ready at any time of day or (especially) night to remind me that I should be more productive.
Or more attractive. Or more physically fit. Or more assertive. Or more of a risk taker, depending on the day.
But on this day, I allowed myself some simple, spontaneous “sparkles” one after another – fun, random things that seem too frivolous to happen regularly but really, why not? And we’re not talking white water rafting here or jumping out of a plane.
Just tiny pops of languid reading and relaxing.
Nostalgia
Reel-to-Reel
On August 6, 2021 by Speranza
I’m sure that there is a name for that strange component of our brains that maintains a special vault for certain feelings or thoughts and then trundles them forward for examination sometimes quite unexpectedly. I most often experience this via my sense of smell: one minute I could be hurtling along, making a grocery list in my head – broccoli, yogurt, tinned tomatoes – and the next minute, the sweet smell of clover, a distinctive floral note I always associate with British summer is carried to me on the breeze and suddenly I’m sixteen, lying in the long grasses slow kissing a boy with eyes the colour of river pebbles. And yes, my stomach flips over a little bit just for a second or two then it’s gone.
Tales from the Public Library
The Time Tunnel
On January 23, 2021 by Speranza
I’ve worked in public libraries both in Canada and the Isle of Man for more than half of my life – so needless to say, I have seen some … things. Working with the public in any capacity is often challenging but at the library, I believe the true stress comes with constantly having to alternate between positive and not so positive situations: helping two likeable, intellectual older women choose fiction titles; angry curmudgeons demanding addresses for subsequent angry letters they intend to write; a shy toddler sliding a drawing of a lovely pink dragon across the desk; and then a clearly agitated person demanding assistance in locating his brother who, he informs me is a headhunter now. And the crumpled magazine picture he shows me of his ‘brother’ holding a spear is clearly more of a, shall we say, traditional headhunter, and not the Human Resources type you may be thinking of.
And of course he doesn’t know his name.
Art for Art's Sake . British Stuff . Collecting . Frasier . The General
A Clean Break
On November 26, 2020 by Speranza
I always enjoy my house being clean but I’ve never been able to become excited about the process or to schedule reminders connected to doing certain things. (And I have known these people – though not well, perhaps tellingly.) They have laminated sheets and clipboards; Sunday morning stove scrub-downs and allotted days for vacuuming and laundry. I do not aspire to be part of this group.
Art for Art's Sake . Being A Girl . Nostalgia
Kitschy, Kitschy, Eeuw …
On July 19, 2020 by Speranza
I was recalling the 1960s “rec room” from my early childhood today and feeling a pang of empathy for that small girl, who was so proud of the questionable family touches that I felt sure elevated our home to another plateau of grooviness …
First, there was the purchase of a new Naugahyde couch, (“but what is a Nauga,” I questioned repeatedly, wondering what this unknown animal could be like.) The colour alone – a startling shade of Flaming Apricot – should have been the tip-off here and its slippery, unyielding cushions were as cold and rigid as a cemetery bench. But I loved it nonetheless and any rogue Cheeto dust remained undetected.