Where would we sloggers be without our writers?! Flitting the world, reporting back what they see--what we COULD see if we... if we could... only...
If you're not the lead dog, you're just looking at someone else's furry rear-end all day every day. BUT (forgive the pun) if that butt ahead has a READING stand with an OPEN BOOK on it??... we could go ANYWHERE our writers take us! To whatever extent they know us and help us... ...they will be judged. Thank you--and the inimitable Jenna--for taking us along! (Sahalie-level INSPIRATION: enclose a packet of air freshener with every book...)
I love me a good Patriotic Pollyanna…lived in the PNW for a bit. Graduated from Gig Harbor High School. Still have family in the area. Beautiful place. Happy to know you Chris Creamer (could also be Chris Dreamer…)💗. And, FWIW, I think your frontal lobe is just fine.
Acknowledging someone's worth every day goes a long way towards making a better world. Saying "Thank you" is underutilized in acknowledging everyday gifts others provide usually offhandedly. "Thank you" makes them recognize their contribution to you and raises their recognition of themselves as a positive influence with others. "Thank you" seems small but it is huge!
Thanks, Jenna, for introducing me to Chris! Chris, the books you mention as your influencers? Me too! The world needs more Pollyanna patriots! I'm off to buy your book and explore your Substack. 🤩
The pacific northwest is indeed beautiful (as are many places in the USA).
The idea of enjoying dreaming up ideas is wonderful. Life is in our dreams, they don't need to become reality. It's very enjoyable to weave our dreams into snippets of our reality, but the journey is what is rewarding, not arrival at the destination.
Well said, John. I am definitely on that journey to appreciate the process and let go of the outcome!
I have been on a quest to "name" my garden! I think I am going to name it, "Kat's Optimistic Experiment." It has been a wild and crazy journey of love, disappointment, joy, and most importantly, learning new skills. Skills that i can never master!
"Mastery" is that goal that is *always* one more step away! Reach for it, but know that you'll never get there!
I'm sort of there with my cooking. Sometimes meals turn out amazing, but I'm still capable of producing a mediocre meal!
I like Chris's vision of a "road trip". Rediscovering America by traveling appeals to me. It doesn't need to be a single massive trip. In the meantime, I keep cranking out my articles to keep everyone's mind engaged.
I like that very much, John. Very realistic for me to always pursue "mastery," knowing that it's always one step away!
Cooking is another endeavour that requires patience and focus. I made this traditional Hungarian beef stew that was sublime. The flavours were perfectly in balance with an intensity that was so pleasing to the palate.
You are reminding me to experiment more with cooking!
Oh yes, cooking can be very interesting and rewarding experiments! (I'm planning another cooking experiment this evening - based on "boiled potatoes").
Years of teaching children how to be with horses,and,horses how to be with me,that was the biggest lesson. One I learned,and,tried to pass on. There is always something that can be learned. Every horse and every person,and,every day,is different…..enjoy the ride…
Fellow Pollyanna Patriot San Antonian and world traveler. I lived in the Philippines for 2 years and Japan for a year, so I could totally relate to that story too. Also I totally agree with the hill you would die on. Your book sounds like a glorious one to read and add to my book shelf. 💕
The TOTLA universe- a place I too seek to create and find. Pollyanna is a name I’ve been called. It was said with derision, I accepted it with pride. That didn’t set well with the giver! 🤪 Authentic is a state of being we could all aspire to.
I’ll be reading your stack. Thanks for being you!<
Wow, Chris' writing is a real find! Thank you Jenna for bringing it to us.
Chris, have you ever read "Why I Hate Canadians"? Seems like there's overlap with that authors' life story and yours. I found my copy in a local used bookstore. 2 bucks...which makes me like the book even more.
Chris is inspiring me to write more! Not that I have illusions about writing as well or as thoughtfully (ok maybe a little delusional there!).
Spoiler alert: the author of "Why I Hate Canadians" doesn't hate Canadians.
Another tiny spoiler: the book gave me an inspiration for an RV road trip. Cross the US at the Northern border, crisscrossing back and forth to visit the towns and cities that have a sister/brother right across the border. Experience the similarities and the differences! Haven't done it yet...we need to ramp up to that level of being on the road!
I’m a huge fan of road trips and I love your idea of crossing the US at northern border and cris-crossing all the sister-brother cities/communities! Be sure to post along your way! 👏🏻
You are awesome Chris! Cheers for making your dreams a reality! It's great to virtually meet other Pollyannas like Jenna and crew!
Thanks for sharing this beautiful quote:
“The artist's journey is the passage by which we re-invent ourselves as ourselves. We discover the self that was slumbering inside us or in chains, waiting to be awakened and emancipated. In re-inventing ourselves as ourselves, we find ourselves for the first time.”
-Stephen Pressfield, author of The Artist’s Journey: The Wake of the Hero’s Journey and the Lifelong Pursuit of Meaning
Great to meet a fellow traveler. I just purchased your book and am looking forward to being transported into your world . It’s wonderful for me to be in this neighborhood of intelligence and conscious thinking. Jenna has created a space for thoughtful and sometimes serious and sometimes very humorous dialogue for which I am grateful.
Bravo, Chris! You are my kind of peripatetic adventurer; traveling the world in search of purpose and meaning. Seems you have found yours, embracing your optimistic and patriotic Pollyanna ;)
“The artist's journey is the passage by which we re-invent ourselves as ourselves. We discover the self that was slumbering inside us or in chains, waiting to be awakened and emancipated. In re-inventing ourselves as ourselves, we find ourselves for the first time.” THIS IS THE "MONEY SHOT"! Thank you for this quote. It's a quaint description of love and hope. It's true for all of us in this quirky and loving outlier group of misfits!
Thank you, Chris for sharing your life and patriotic optimism! Thank you for reminding me that I purposefully immigrated to this grand experiment 30 plus years ago and I intend to remain hopeful. Blessings.
Greetings, Chris! Thanks for sharing your story and inspiration. I love the term ‘Pollyanna Patriot’!!
Hubby and I often travel with a camper and have been all over this country (including Dripping Springs-one of our favorite areas!).
We often say the MSM and other powers that be try to keep us divided and locked in hate and judgement but if you actually get out IRL, 95% of the time you meet lovely hardworking decent people.
Hail, Chris! Well-met!
Where would we sloggers be without our writers?! Flitting the world, reporting back what they see--what we COULD see if we... if we could... only...
If you're not the lead dog, you're just looking at someone else's furry rear-end all day every day. BUT (forgive the pun) if that butt ahead has a READING stand with an OPEN BOOK on it??... we could go ANYWHERE our writers take us! To whatever extent they know us and help us... ...they will be judged. Thank you--and the inimitable Jenna--for taking us along! (Sahalie-level INSPIRATION: enclose a packet of air freshener with every book...)
Capital idea, David! (Sahalie-level INSPIRATION: enclose a packet of air freshener with every book). It would fill the mailbox with essence of NW fir.
You know, Ron, your mere mention goes a long way to filling the nostrils!
Frame 1
Man: “I tied beef bones around my sled dogs’ tails for the Iditarod.”
Man’s thought bubble: dogs lined up at the start.
Frame 2
Boy (closeup): “How did that go?”
Frame 3
Man: (silence)
Man’s thought bubble: all dogs on the ground, leg high, head going for the beef bone.
(Way better, thanks.)
The "What's a Hill..." section is so beautiful to me. I would like Chris AND Jenna to both be my neighbors!
Yes, they would make wonderful neighbors wouldn't they?
We shall all have to continue to build our virtual neighborhood!
I want an invite to the poker game! :)
I love me a good Patriotic Pollyanna…lived in the PNW for a bit. Graduated from Gig Harbor High School. Still have family in the area. Beautiful place. Happy to know you Chris Creamer (could also be Chris Dreamer…)💗. And, FWIW, I think your frontal lobe is just fine.
Gig Harbor. That’s as about as beautiful a NW setting as you’re going to find!
It’s grown up A LOT since I graduated…I visited last summer. Still charming, though ;).
Acknowledging someone's worth every day goes a long way towards making a better world. Saying "Thank you" is underutilized in acknowledging everyday gifts others provide usually offhandedly. "Thank you" makes them recognize their contribution to you and raises their recognition of themselves as a positive influence with others. "Thank you" seems small but it is huge!
A Simple Thank You goes A Long Way.
Thanks, Jenna, for introducing me to Chris! Chris, the books you mention as your influencers? Me too! The world needs more Pollyanna patriots! I'm off to buy your book and explore your Substack. 🤩
Chris, it is wonderful to be introduced to you!
The pacific northwest is indeed beautiful (as are many places in the USA).
The idea of enjoying dreaming up ideas is wonderful. Life is in our dreams, they don't need to become reality. It's very enjoyable to weave our dreams into snippets of our reality, but the journey is what is rewarding, not arrival at the destination.
Well said, John. I am definitely on that journey to appreciate the process and let go of the outcome!
I have been on a quest to "name" my garden! I think I am going to name it, "Kat's Optimistic Experiment." It has been a wild and crazy journey of love, disappointment, joy, and most importantly, learning new skills. Skills that i can never master!
"Kat's Optimistic Experiment" - I love it! 🤣
"Mastery" is that goal that is *always* one more step away! Reach for it, but know that you'll never get there!
I'm sort of there with my cooking. Sometimes meals turn out amazing, but I'm still capable of producing a mediocre meal!
I like Chris's vision of a "road trip". Rediscovering America by traveling appeals to me. It doesn't need to be a single massive trip. In the meantime, I keep cranking out my articles to keep everyone's mind engaged.
I like that very much, John. Very realistic for me to always pursue "mastery," knowing that it's always one step away!
Cooking is another endeavour that requires patience and focus. I made this traditional Hungarian beef stew that was sublime. The flavours were perfectly in balance with an intensity that was so pleasing to the palate.
You are reminding me to experiment more with cooking!
Oh yes, cooking can be very interesting and rewarding experiments! (I'm planning another cooking experiment this evening - based on "boiled potatoes").
Yummmmm! Hungarian stew…
It is definitely”the journey,”in most everything…
Years of teaching children how to be with horses,and,horses how to be with me,that was the biggest lesson. One I learned,and,tried to pass on. There is always something that can be learned. Every horse and every person,and,every day,is different…..enjoy the ride…
Fellow Pollyanna Patriot San Antonian and world traveler. I lived in the Philippines for 2 years and Japan for a year, so I could totally relate to that story too. Also I totally agree with the hill you would die on. Your book sounds like a glorious one to read and add to my book shelf. 💕
The TOTLA universe- a place I too seek to create and find. Pollyanna is a name I’ve been called. It was said with derision, I accepted it with pride. That didn’t set well with the giver! 🤪 Authentic is a state of being we could all aspire to.
I’ll be reading your stack. Thanks for being you!<
Fun read. I couldn’t be more in agreement with your description and opinion on MSM and Jenna.
I bought a copy, Chris. Not just because Jenna featured you, but because I read the sample on Amazon. It's good!
Thanks, Tim. Hope you enjoy!
Wow, Chris' writing is a real find! Thank you Jenna for bringing it to us.
Chris, have you ever read "Why I Hate Canadians"? Seems like there's overlap with that authors' life story and yours. I found my copy in a local used bookstore. 2 bucks...which makes me like the book even more.
Chris is inspiring me to write more! Not that I have illusions about writing as well or as thoughtfully (ok maybe a little delusional there!).
Cheers!
Thanks! I’ll definitely check out "Why I Hate Canadians.” And, what you said. I find some folks almost embarrassed by a hearty ‘Thank You.’
Spoiler alert: the author of "Why I Hate Canadians" doesn't hate Canadians.
Another tiny spoiler: the book gave me an inspiration for an RV road trip. Cross the US at the Northern border, crisscrossing back and forth to visit the towns and cities that have a sister/brother right across the border. Experience the similarities and the differences! Haven't done it yet...we need to ramp up to that level of being on the road!
I’m a huge fan of road trips and I love your idea of crossing the US at northern border and cris-crossing all the sister-brother cities/communities! Be sure to post along your way! 👏🏻
I also have the Texan Pollyanna gene. 🙋♀️
This is awesome. Two bad asses in one post! 😊 #badasses 😜
You are awesome Chris! Cheers for making your dreams a reality! It's great to virtually meet other Pollyannas like Jenna and crew!
Thanks for sharing this beautiful quote:
“The artist's journey is the passage by which we re-invent ourselves as ourselves. We discover the self that was slumbering inside us or in chains, waiting to be awakened and emancipated. In re-inventing ourselves as ourselves, we find ourselves for the first time.”
-Stephen Pressfield, author of The Artist’s Journey: The Wake of the Hero’s Journey and the Lifelong Pursuit of Meaning
Great to meet a fellow traveler. I just purchased your book and am looking forward to being transported into your world . It’s wonderful for me to be in this neighborhood of intelligence and conscious thinking. Jenna has created a space for thoughtful and sometimes serious and sometimes very humorous dialogue for which I am grateful.
Bravo, Chris! You are my kind of peripatetic adventurer; traveling the world in search of purpose and meaning. Seems you have found yours, embracing your optimistic and patriotic Pollyanna ;)
“The artist's journey is the passage by which we re-invent ourselves as ourselves. We discover the self that was slumbering inside us or in chains, waiting to be awakened and emancipated. In re-inventing ourselves as ourselves, we find ourselves for the first time.” THIS IS THE "MONEY SHOT"! Thank you for this quote. It's a quaint description of love and hope. It's true for all of us in this quirky and loving outlier group of misfits!
Thank you, Chris for sharing your life and patriotic optimism! Thank you for reminding me that I purposefully immigrated to this grand experiment 30 plus years ago and I intend to remain hopeful. Blessings.
Greetings, Chris! Thanks for sharing your story and inspiration. I love the term ‘Pollyanna Patriot’!!
Hubby and I often travel with a camper and have been all over this country (including Dripping Springs-one of our favorite areas!).
We often say the MSM and other powers that be try to keep us divided and locked in hate and judgement but if you actually get out IRL, 95% of the time you meet lovely hardworking decent people.
Look forward to checking out your books!