The mist lifted and for a good bit of the day the sun came out and the temperature reached 20℃ which, for Lewis, is very warm indeed. Of course it's never as simple as that and we had a force 3 to 4 wind to keep us on our toes. Nevertheless I spent much of the afternoon in the garden in shorts - much to the delight of the clegs (horse-flies) which seem to be around this year in much greater numbers than usual.
Jaz is back in Blogland with her blog re-named Treacy Family and her Thankful Thursday post. Jaz, you may recall, was the person who originally wrote Thankful Thursday posts and inspired me to do the same.
I've always had a natural tendency to play the Glad Game but I'm not sure sometimes what the difference is between that and simply being naturally thankful for things.
I remembered this evening that I had, at one time, writing a piece on the Glad Game and Pollyanna but I couldn't find the post. I had, however, and it appeared in A Hebridean in New Zealand in a Thankful Thursday post on 2 December 2010. Really? I was writing Thankful Thursday posts that long ago?
Pollyanna is a best-selling novel by written in 1913 by Eleanor H. Porter. Pollyanna's philosophy of life centers on what she calls "The Glad Game", an optimistic attitude she learned from her father. The game consists of finding something to be glad about in every situation. It originated in an incident one Christmas when Pollyanna, who was hoping for a doll in the missionary barrel, found only a pair of crutches inside. Making the game up on the spot, Pollyanna's father taught her to look at the good side of things—in this case, to be glad about the crutches because "we don't need 'em!" [Wikipedia]
So my 'Thankful' today is a repetition and is of my thankfulness that I learned about the Glad Game. That and 'Don't Sweat The Small Stuff' which Marcel aka David introduced me to about 9 years ago have, for many years now, helped me through lots of taxing situations.
The glad game is one of my go tos for sure!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, Jaz, it's so very 'you'.
DeleteI'm pretty sure I used to have a copy of the Pollyanna book (in Swedish) but I don't think it was one of those I read repeatedly as I don't have any clear memories of the story as a whole. I also still can't remember what the Glad Game was called in the Swedish translation (even if I've "played" it often enough without calling by any particular name). I don't have the printed book any more but I've downloaded it in English to my Kindle among several other classics, to be re-read some time when I feel in the mood. Maybe the reminder in this post just put it forward in the line a bit :) I don't think I've ever seen a film or TV adaptation of it.
ReplyDeleteThe 2003 ITV TV film version of Pollyanna starring Amanda Burton as Aunt Polly and Georgina Terry as Pollyanna reigns supreme in my opinion Monica.
DeleteThe Glad Game is another way of being thankful, and I like it.
ReplyDeleteWe all have so much to be thankful for.
I'm glad/happy/thankful that Jaz is back in Blogland too.
Yes Virginia the very name of your blog, of course, sets you well on the path to daily remembrance of thankfulness.
DeleteAlthough knowing of Pollyanna, I have never read the book myself. Regardless of that severe lack in literary education, I have "always" (how realistic is that, I wonder) felt gratitude for many small and some really big things in my life, and I can not imagine that to change anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteYes, Meike, over the time I have been following your blog I have been very aware of your positive attitude which, given all that you have had to deal with, must have made the difference between sinking under its weight and swimming to the bank and the life you now have.
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