an upward spiral

The day after Christmas...a good morning to all

Good morning everyone. I am imagining that we all have some stories to tell today! I went to bed at 6:45 and slept until 7 a.m., and that is why this post is so late in coming out.

I could see some progress in myself this year; in how I felt about “mistakes”, that in the past would have emotionally floored me. Saturday night, after we returned home from my brother’s party, and ate another big dinner, I recommended that we watch, Home for the Holidays, (with Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr.). I happen to think that this movie is a hoot. The family is nuts and incredibly dysfunctional, but it is all somehow ok in the end.

Nobody here liked it. My son Matt thought it was depressing. Jack, who has watched it every year with me, finally admitted that he has never really liked the character that Robert Downey Jr. plays. Then my son Tom said, “Well, I couldn’t relate to it.” After the temporary deflated feeling of guilt, for making everyone watch a depressing movie on Christmas Eve, I realized that it really was a huge compliment. My holidays, as a child, were fraught with anxiety and tension. The household portrayed in this movie would have been a step up for me. My children couldn’t identify with the craziness. They actually like coming here for Christmas and holidays.

I decided to focus on this, instead of what I didn’t do right. There is always a kernel of good, of light, of Spirit in every dark, difficult situation. I can feel that when I choose to turn away from the negative, self-condemning and critical thoughts, and to look for the good, that the positive feelings and experiences will start to grow too, I will begin to feel better, and life will respond in kind.

“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping-stone to greatness.” Oprah Winfrey

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Big mistakes on the path to greatness

A good party

There was a dinner for the artists, following the show on Sunday. Before dessert was served, the chef came out to talk with everyone and relax for a few minutes. The food was so good, and we were so appreciative, that we were happy for the opportunity to tell him. He sort of took it in stride but said, “Thank you. I have had some disasters too, and that is important.”

I was curious to know why he thought that was important. He said, “To do something truly great, you need to get really out there into unchartered territory. If you don’t make big mistakes once in a while, you aren’t going to be great either.” Every fiber of my conscious mind wants to not make mistakes.

I don’t know if you were a fan of the Mary Tyler Moore show or not, but one of the things that she did not do well were parties. Her parties were always flops (at least that is what I recall). How brilliant was that?  To actually develop this part of a T.V. character to help the rest of us with our fears of not being popular, liked or complimented. “What if I threw a big party and nobody came? or I showed my work, and people didn’t like it, or I wrote a blog post and it was awful?

What if I could say, “Wow, I must really be on the track to greatness! That piece was a huge flop!”…just the thought of this makes me grin…just a little.

“It is better to be high-spirited even though one makes more mistakes, than to be narrow-minded and all too prudent“. Vincent Van Gogh

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