Monday, January 30, 2017

Last Week #72 - So Much Can Change

I started this post just a couple days ago. So much can change in just a couple days. What I wanted to talk about was the Women's March and a bit of what I've written over the week, but I didn't know what was going to happen. I didn't want more to be happening. I wanted to talk about how inspirational watching the Women's March throughout the U.S. and around the world was, and that it gave me hope. Hope that the U.S. and their new regime won't stop the world from moving forward, that one day we might have equality for all. Maybe I'll be able to go on vacation to the U.S. again and feel safe. Then, before I could post this, things changed again.

There's a ban on Muslims. I know he's saying it's not a "ban", that it's only particular Muslim countries, but that's just semantics. When this ban came down and a halt on refugees began, I was proud to be Canadian, as I saw my Prime Minister open our country to all those that were turned away. That we were saying, Welcome to Canada. As I watched all the protests at airports spreading across the border, I wondered when the people would be heard. I hoped that the people could get through to their leader.

Then things changed again. There was attack at home, on Canadian soil, and I'm having a difficult time with it. My father-in-law, who grew up in Quebec City, and would ride his bike by this same mosque every day, is deeply saddened and troubled. He thought the world was moving forward, we thought that Canada could be a safe place for everyone. I won't be quiet about this. I can't be. This hurts now. At a time when I thought people could be better, this happens. I know people can be better. 

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Random #90 - Keeping Quiet

I don't talk a lot about my beliefs on either of my blogs. It pops up here and there, if I'm talking about parenting or wanting the same opportunities for both my daughter and my son. I might have more in the beginning of my blogging life, but I have shied away from it over time. Part of the reason is that I'm a little scared of the Internet. Too many times, I see people being bullied and trolled online. The idea of it fills me with anxiety.

Years ago, when I first joined Twitter, I made what I thought was an innocuous comment about Hemmingway and drinking and writing. Then someone who was a new follower replied to me and we had a brief exchange in which she ended up telling me how awful drinking is. While yes, excessive drinking is bad, I'm a wine lover. I even feel weird admitting that. More and more now, I'm seeing things in the world happening, that is giving me a different kind of anxiety, a fear about what is doing to happen in the world moving forward. Though it still makes me tense, I feel like I should be more vocal. How am I going to handle this, how loud am I going to be moving forward? I don't know. I just don't feel like I can be quiet.

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Last Week #71 - Images In My Head

It's been a busy start to the New Year. I had been feeling out of sorts, but I think I'm feeling a bit better. I think part of that is the holiday craziness is over. I've been able to decompress a bit. Not as much as I'd like though... I think another part of me feeling better is what I've read so far this year. I've already finished two book! The Queen of The Tearling and Can You Keep A Secret, not exactly similar, but both had me hooked. They had plots that kept me engaged and I was emotionally attached to the characters. I've also felt more like blogging, which has been on the decline lately. If I'm reading and blogging, that usually means I'm writing more.

Which brings me to the crux of this post, what did I write last week? Well, actually, not much. A few sentences, a short scene, but the story has been playing in my head. Things I want my MC to do, what I want her to say, how she is going to feel. I feel like the wind is shifting and the story is going to be blown about a bit, but it is also going to make it to the page.

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Quote #70 - TS Eliot

“For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning."

Little Gidding ― T.S. Eliot