Roads to Joy

It’s no wonder that the seeresses of old used a crystal ball to peer into the future. The reflection of the blue sky beyond the clouds in our glass conservatory table this morning seems to offer a new perspective to the dawn.

New perspectives seem to be an incredible stimulus. I know one writer who likes to delve back into their books when a new reader tells them where they’re at in this or that story. It must be a bit like gaining a new insight, as the author imagines themselves in the new reader’s thought processes. Did this idea work, or that one maybe? Has that throwaway harbinger caused a sharp intake of breath, or did it pass by unnoticed? Are they traipsing merrily along the garden path, or is the journey merely a cliché to a world-weary traveller?

But when the reader proffers their own take, examining the story, then the real extrospection begins. Examining the story from someone else’s perspective can be daunting, but if the response is fulsome and warm, then something like joy might be triggered in the author’s mind. A kind of seductive dance perhaps, as the hypercritical demon on one shoulder remonstrates with the gladsome angel on the other. ‘They’re only saying that to make you feel good,’ juxtaposed against ‘They really love it!’ Even that interplay is better than being ignored, of course. I guess it’s the joy of being listened to.

Meanwhile, the morning has turned grey and misty, and rain is falling. Soon Kali will be yowling for her breakfast. A second coffee would be good too. But never mind the intermittent dreek and drudgery. There are so many intriguing possibilities for joy ahead. Just yesterday I was given two further work-arounds to resolve the nagging issue of my laptop screen, which cannot cheaply be fixed. I’m writing just now with a mirrored iPad propped in front of my faltering display, which works a treat except that the view is very small. An alternative, driving a large monitor through a USB-C adapter to an HDMI connection, is on the cards for a bigger picture. The combination of iPad mobility, and a static large screen to extend the work station, might be more convenient than my current strategy of constantly setting up a nano-projector whose slightly fuzzy display I’ve been peering at on a blank wall. One way or another I should be able to work.

It’s a great feeling to be optimistic about the day awakening, however temporary in its blue brightness, before us.

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