The Bright Side of Life

I met an elderly woman at the pool yesterday.  My wife was swimming laps and I was reading Inheritance by Christopher Paolini.  The lady commented that it was a very big book I was reading—and it was.  I don’t usually feel too chatty when I’m reading (or writing for that matter), but for some reason I felt like talking to her.  Something about her told me that she had a story to tell, one that was real, unlike the world of dragons and magicians that I was in the middle of.  My wife could tell you that I generally prefer fictional stories—which is why I read and write YA and children’s fiction—but today I was happy to listen to this lady’s story.

She was at the pool because her seven-year-old grandson was swimming.  I could see him in the pool, splashing around, climbing out, jumping back in, asking for his grandma to “Watch me!  Watch me!”  And she did, with a lot of happiness and a hint of sadness in her expression.  The happiness was for him; I later found out the sadness was for him too. 

For some reason she felt compelled to tell me that her grandson lived with her—that she looked after him.  I didn’t want to pry, so I only commented about how active he was, but she plowed on anyway.  “His mom died,” the lady said.  “His father—my son—is an alcoholic.  So I look after him.”  She was a bit misty-eyed as she said it, but I didn’t think it was because of her loss, or her struggles, but because of the boy’s. 

She was a kind old woman, patient and loving, protective of her grandson—watchful.  Tragedy had struck, yes, and that boy had a hard life—she had a hard life.  But when I saw her face light up as she talked about what her grandson was learning in school and the different things they would do together, I saw a strength inside of her that was simply majestic. 

Perhaps this lady dipped into the realm of negativity sometimes, slipping into darkness and depression—I don’t know.  But I felt like overall she was able to focus on the bright side of life, the side where no matter what the hardships are you’re able to focus on the good in your life.

I want to live on the bright side of life.  I want the books I write to help my readers live on the bright side of life.  If I can brighten one person’s day today through my writing, or even just talking to them, then I can be satisfied when I close my eyes to sleep.

Here’s to the bright side.