My Glass if Half Empty...and That's a Good Thing

I'm sure many of you are familiar with that adage.  Some of us see the glass as half empty, others as half full.  If you're a half full type, you are supposed to be the more positive of the two thinkers, right?  I see it a bit differently these days.  Here's why...

Now this "glass" is a metaphor for many things.  It can be our life's work; it can be our material possessions; it can be our overall happiness with life.  Whatever you think the "glass" is doesn't really matter.  It's the attitude about the "glass" that matters.

 

If my glass is half anything, then I can assume that I don't have the other half, right?  It's missing.  Or maybe I never had it.  How do I get the other half?  If my glass is half full, it seems as though someone else has been doing the filling, and in turn, it is up to them to finish the job.  If my glass is half empty, it seems more likely that it is up to me to fill the rest.  (A purely pedantic exercise, I know, but hang with me.)

If this is the case, I prefer seeing the glass as half empty.  It gives me the responsibility of filling up the rest.  Furthermore, if I don't like what is in my cup already, I can change up the mixture.  50% of my glass may be rancid sewer water, but I can fill the rest with clear spring water. 

For now, I'll stop looking for the waiter, and I'll fill my half-empty cup from the tap in my kitchen instead.  It's not a mountain spring, but sometimes the best "water" is right under your nose.

She's Alive!

I have no good excuses for being absent from my blog for so long, other than the fact it was summer, and I decided to focus on my children instead of my writing.  (The last line should be translated as, I am a really lazy writer, and I don't need much of an excuse not to write.  Although my children are pretty good excuses, no offense to their loveliness.)

So what was I up to, you ask?  Or, rather, what was I doing that even remotely related to being a writer and being accountable to my writing self?  Well...

1.  I critiqued a lot.  I didn't write a lot, but I maintained my participation in a great short story critique group.  I got a lot of my older, filed away ideas critiqued by the group and therefore have an excellent jumping off point for my fall writing and submitting.

2.  I read a lot.  Not so much for children.  But for me.  A particular indulgence was continuing the books in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith.  I love Precious Ramotswe.  She's my hero and reading about her before I go to bed is like falling asleep in her "traditional"-sized arms.  You should really have a go at the first one if you haven't already.

3.  I vacationed.  This last one is not to be taken lightly.  Taking time to renew your mind and spirit is a major part of the writing experience.  At least, that's what I'm telling myself.

Did you do anything exciting over the summer?