I LOVE this photo Tamara found from her friend Deann. I speaks perfectly to what I want to share today. Yes we are talking Snark but practicing kindness along the way is the way I plan to roll!
Suddenly a sound byte from the old I Love Lucy show is playing in my head… “Lucy, you got some splainin to do.” I mean, what is a Bliss pushing, Joy seeking gal like myself doing picking a virtue like SNARK as one of my habits? You see, the thing is, while I do generally believe in keeping an upbeat and positive frame of mind, there are things that piss me off.
I could, I suppose, stuff all those feelings, smile a lot and think happy thoughts but the funny thing is, that just doesn’t resolve anything. The reason is, when something irritates there IS a reason. Think about it. You catch yourself being irrationally upset about something, in my case let’s say a woman complaining about a paper straw in the elevator.(<– go there to get the whole back story if you are interested!) I just can’t let it go. I am over the top annoyed that people still don’t get that we are causing great harm on this planet with the amount of plastic we toss around and it is this “annoyance” which brings to light that I want to do something about it.
I wager a guess you have SOMETHING that get’s you hot under the collar.
January was there in her marriage:
Truth of Our Dwindling
by January Handl
I didn’t create this monster
that looms between us,
I just said its name out loud.
I didn’t hammer on the foundations
of our love together
I just pointed to the
hairline fracture that
snaked down the middle of it.
I didn’t withdraw my interest
in this unknown venture
I just voiced the sensation
of the drifting apart
in the wide ocean of our lives.
When you accuse me of seeking
the end of things as we know it
I have to reflect that
you
have been seeking it in silence
for longer than I knew.
I have to be the one to
open wide the chasm in our hearts
and shout until my throat dries
in guttural sobs that
acknowledge the pain of parting
I am the instrument through which
the truth of our dwindling
tether finds a way to shine
as brightly as we did when
we knew we were for each other.
Yes, things stop working or are inherently broken and sometimes it is the less than generous emotions that get to the party first. This week I’m talking Snark.
Snark – Giving a voice to the the feisty, straight talking beacon of authenticity within us.
I believe when we are feeling Snark-y it is because we have something to say, a stand to take, resolve to form. Snark can lead us to our truth.
How will YOU be shining your truth this week? Will you let your Snark fly?
(P.S. If you like what you’ve read here please use one of the sharing buttons, over there to your <– left and tell your friends! Thank you!)
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Tamara and January are here each Monday to help set the mood for the week!
Tamara Magnitsky
Tamara Magnitsky, a child of the wild blue yonder,
has been an ardent student and advocate for poetry, photography and excellence in general.
She is the mother of a 6 year old daughter and a beloved wife.
She can be found most days.
Bio written by Cary Brosius ~Tamara’s husband 🙂
January Handl
January Handl is first and always a mother, has been a preschool teacher and parent educator for 25 years. She is currently the Director/head teacher at Gazebo Park School, and lives at Esalen Institute in Big Sur. She lives simply in awe of existence.
She calls her photo “hot tub bliss” 🙂
I like idea of finding positive ways to letting off some steam, and not glossing over what really hits us. I wasn’t sure how I’d like Snark week, but I think I will! ;o)
Tracy, I knew SNARK was a leap for this site, but I wanted to stretch the boundaries. I’m glad you think you like it!
Well, I have decided to live in the moment, in the day. I’ll deal with tomorrow when it happens. I’ve done a fantastic job of giving my power away and in doing so I’ve allowed people to make judgments about me that are BS and so I’ve created boundaries and instead of worrying about what they’ll say about me tomorrow, this weekend, at Christmas – I’m going to appreciate my day today.
This is the best way for me to get in a space to practice kindness towards the people who haven’t been so kind to me. A friend reminded me to say nice things about them instead of the nasty things – that’ll be fun, because at first, it’ll be challenging, but I know it’ll become easier over time.
Great post!
Thank you Kimberly! Your ideas for shining YOUR truth are awesome! Please report back and let us know how it all goes.
“Snark – Giving a voice to the the feisty, straight talking beacon of authenticity within us.”
Love this line!!! And it’s what my family’s been saying about me all my life 😉
Thanks! And that is why you are the perfect guest blogger for the week. So excited that you are going to be the “official SNARK correspondent” around here. I’m really looking forward to your contribution!
Scene: Loud woman chomping peanuts next to me on plane then getting reminents out of her teeth with her finger then proceeds to clip her nails. My response spoken after a deep calming breath: “Ahhh – a mile high manicure- never thought of one of those! “. FOR A REASON!!
It turned out she just lost her mother and was on way to clean out her childhood home. As my shirt shows in the picture – I have to literally wear it on my chest somedays, but YOU JUST NEVER KNOW and to have a platform of Kindness makes the Snarky moments- work.
Thank you so much for your contribution here today Deann. I LOVE the photo and what you have to say here. You are so right, you just never know what might be happening in another persons world. I’m also thrilled that you stopped by Bliss Habits!
I know of two forms of snark in my life. The snark that is the joyous pairing of wit and sarcasm. The snark that’s a passive Agressive attack when I’m afraid to stand fully behind the possible hurt behind a jest.
Lately I’ve been very guilty of the latter as a means of protecting myself. The attack though is so pitiful in its definition to me. Snark can be so beautiful, yet I’ve resorted to cheap back handed comments. I haven’t been very kind and need to get back to that
Alycia, Thank you so much for sharing this! It is really easy to take snark too far. A little kindness does make a huge a difference!