So. Is this your life motto?
(read it again, and answer me this…)
When you fall, are you willing to get up again?
Because no matter who you are or what you do,
you. will. fall. (can’t get around it)
Then what?
How do you respond to
negativity, heartache, disappointment, loss?
Pain, sorrow, fear, anger?
Do you give up and give in?
Or do you dig deep and dig in?
You choose.
(I choose.)
Think through this with me, if you will.
Are you choosing to be…
Anxious or anticipating the good?
Bitter or better?
Condemning or compassionate?
Distant or deeply connected?
Enraged or empathetic?
Fragmented or family-oriented?
Grumpy or gracious?
Hollow or hallowed?
Indignant or inspired?
Jaded or joyful?
Keeping count of wrongs or kindhearted?
Lackadaisical or loving?
Militant or maleable?
Negligent or never giving up?
Objectionable or optimistic?
Petulant or patient?
Quitting or quick to humility?
Rude or respectful?
Sarcastic or sweet?
Terribly unforgiving or tender?
Uncaring or united?
Venomous or virtuous?
Willful or warm to what will help?
Yelling or yielding?
Zero effort or spending zillions of moments
truly seeking wisdom,
healthy thinking, and
wise behavior that builds, repairs, and creates.
As a writer, we can choose a good mix of the negative
to create an interesting character the reader will follow.
And as a writer, we can choose the fresh perspective
for ourselves.
* Thup
Focus, Create, Repeat -- With Author, Writer, & Speaker Erin M. Brown, MA, MFA 
I hate the fall, but each time I get up – surprise! – I’m stronger…
Me too. It’s a love-hate relationship, isn’t it?
* Thup
Brilliantly, thought provokingly spot on. Loved your use of matching consonants!
Mind if I print it to share with a friend who doesn’t do FB?
Share Away!
Wow, Erin, I’m so impressed! What a fantastic job you did, not only using every letter of the alphabet, but with alliteration to boot! LOVED this! It’s so thorough, it can actually be considered a reference when fleshing out characters! Thank you 😀 😀 😀
*Thup
Falling down would seem part of a discovery and learning process, character building which brings us out of the down times stronger than ever. A positive attitude is so critical in those times. Wonderful post Erin!
Absolutely, Don…if we let it. When the foo of life comes at us, he ol’ “it makes you bitter or better” adage kicks in. I often think about that choice that we have — why some people give in to the bitter, and why others grasp onto the better. I have to believe that our choice-making ability has so many facets, so many factors, to why we choose the way we do. Multiple disappointments. Hurt. Pain. They all influence how we resound to falling down (and getting back up again).
By personality, history, and belief systems that people put into us at an early age, we either have the tendency to sink or swim.
But the best news is that we have so many resources around us. If we can simply point ourselves in the right direction and take a step, then keep taking steps, we have to get to where we are pointed. It’s a type of emotional physics. Take this moment, make a right, positive choice now, then keep making each moment positive choices. You’re less likely to leave the state. And if you do leave, simply step right back into the positive. Forget the last moment. Make this one the cool one.
Okay, sometimes we have to back up a bit, mend some smashed bridges, and then move forward again…but as you said, the falling down part leads us to discover the power that we hold to make the positive happen. One moment of positive, added to another…like dots side by side creating a line.
End of rant :).
I’m resonating with you.
* Thup (raising my latte to you this very moment)
Not a rant, Erin 🙂 Expounding on the point. All good stuff, gang 🙂
Great rant Erin…the best kind!