My new screen saver
This is going to sound maudlin, but I promise you, it’s not. I have a new screen saver. That’s to say, my new screen saver is wonderful. I have sometimes struggled to get images that were not pixelated to death, or fuzzy, or that gave me a headache after a few days.
But recently, mucking about with my PC, a photo of my brother, wearing a genuinely lovely smile, a grin which says, “I’m happy here, now” ended up as my screen saver image, and it is beautifully clear. Unusually, because my brother was oddly self-conscious, forever pulling faces when being photographed, playing the fool, this picture has his happy likeness to perfection. He’s wearing a red t-shirt with the legend, “Moved into a new flat – my neighbour has broadband wi-fi…”
As as IT expert non pareil, that fits him well…
The thing is, I can feel his joy motivating me. Pieter was an incredibly hard worker, obsessed, almost, with his projects which were legion and complex. And seeing him there, grinning, is all the motivation I need to keep working when I’m tempted to slack off. Not that I don’t rest, and not that he would have disapproved of a good time off. But knowing how much effort he put in, and knowing that his advice still motivates me (“write, because the only thing other people can’t do for you is write your books.”) it seems like a double dereliction of my intentions, to shut him away for the night without at least giving my projects a bit of quality time.
I don’t much like the expression, “quality time” but it works, when applied to my work. I can fritter time away playing computer patience, or I can watch Netflix, or I can spend lots of time on YouTube. But, since I enjoy writing, and since I want to write, I really should, when the opportunity suggests itself to me as I turn on the PC and there is my bro, encouraging me, saying, “Come on, girl, you can do this…” I will get my work done and I will finish what I set out to do. Thanks, bro!
Please share:
February 25, 2018 @ 9:49 pm
What a great surprise that was ! A gift, really. Unexpected and beautiful! Thanks for the post, including those last lines about making choices to do what we love to do! 🙂
February 26, 2018 @ 10:35 am
Thank you too, Elouise! 🙂 We find gifts in the most unexpected places, if only we have eyes to look. Bless you too! xx
February 26, 2018 @ 12:40 am
Now I am on the right page I can become a proper blogee.
February 26, 2018 @ 10:36 am
YAY! I’m sorry I’ve been difficult to get hold of, but I do spend a lot of time here, so no danger of me going very far. I hope you enjoy my posts, Paol. :-)) xx
February 26, 2018 @ 9:09 am
And so, this has proved to be an inspiring screen saver, not a sad one. He looked very happy there, Fran!
February 26, 2018 @ 10:38 am
Yes, I think he forgot to be self conscious, or he was simply too busy to care at that point. House renovations, dust everywhere, disasters at every hand and turn, and someone has a camera! Smile! Looks like it might have been his daughter who took the photo, or his older son. Smile! :-)) xxx