Do you bounce?
Remember when you were in school and you'd run out at recess and grab a basketball off the rack? You'd toss the ball hard against the asphalt, expecting a bounce back. Perhaps if you're uncoordinated like me, you even expect the ball to bounce back and smack you in the face. That's recess and half the fun.
And then the disappointment when the basketball just hit the ground with a sickening thump and stays there. The ball looks fairly normal but it lacks enough air to get back up after hitting the earth.
As writers, as people, we need bounce.
You have to know that when you hit and you hit hard, that you're going to come back up with just as much verve. People seem to think that you aren't suppose to mess up, that you aren't suppose to fail. That you shouldn't hit the earth every once in a while.
Everyone falls. Even Superman's ate dirt once or twice. And you aren't Superman.
You should expect it.
What you need is enough air, enough buoyancy, to come back in the face of your problems.
You need bounce.
Do you bounce?
You can't have a good recess without bounce. And I don't know about you but I need a little fun, a little recess. I need bounce.
My brother use to say it when hurt myself as a kid...'Can you bounce?'.
Sure, I can but will you?
T
I hope so. I'm not a quitter and so I would like to think I am...but who knows. Some days...
ReplyDeleteI dunno.
ann
Great post, Tirz. I must have some bounce because I'm still at it, but there are days I hit the pavement and I'm out for the count. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a great way of looking at it. I'd never thought of it like that before. And yes, I bounce :)
ReplyDeleteFunny you post this as one of my favorite mantras is "The harder you fall, the higher you bounce". Which is...kinda gross...if you just jumped off a buildi...nevermind. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe key Tony--is to be full of 'hot air' when you fall...you bounce higher.
ReplyDeleteExactly Jacqui. My brother loved his sport's metaphors.
CAT--I think we all go flat now ant then but it's nothing than an air pump can't fix. Hah.
Ann--we all have days when we're just done. LUckily those days are balanced by the days when you feel like your getting there.
T.
Very true. Boucing ability is very useful, as the odds are good in life you'll get knocked down many times. I think our "bounce" is the most wonderful thing about us people.
ReplyDeleteHey! Thanks for the comment. I took your advice--now have a "follow" button.
ReplyDeleteI love 'you should expect it.'
ReplyDeleteToo true!! Then it won't be such a shock. Because we will fail over and over and over.
Doo doo doo!!!
:)
Corra
from the desk of a writer
Yeah, people should expect the dirt in the face occasionally.
ReplyDelete