Thank you so much! I guess my wording was off in this one! I meant that this year I am turning 43... not until June. Ah! The joys of self-editing. I do appreciate you reading and commenting on my posts. Thank you!
Being inspired to be better by a fictional character, or having that character hold you to a higher standard is an excellent idea. Especially if it helps you make decisions on at least the small things.
I read a different genres of fiction than you do, though. But I've often told people that Michael Connelly's Detective Harry Bosch has always reset my moral compass to due north by the time - hell, even while reading - I finish one one of the novels in that series. Then almost immediately, at my so-called 'side-gig', something happens to whack it way back off kilter. I have read almost all of the Bosch books, but am still saving 'The Waiting", as I fear it may be the last. But, in consolation Harry Bosch's torch may have been passed to Renee Ballard.
It's funny that I read this post today though, because I had just been thinking to myself, that if someone asked me what faction or role I would best fit in my beloved Warhammer 40,000 universe, today I would have had to say 'Commissar', but that might be because I am currently reading a Gaunt's Ghosts novel. My side-gig is a graveyard shift security one in downtown Toronto. Sometimes things happen. I would like to think that I would have the wisdom and forbearance of Dan Abnett's Ibram Gaunt, but unfortunately I think I often do not, and that brings us full circle to that 'moral compass' thing. I really WANT to keep it due north, but it is not easy.
As to the walking, here in downtown Toronto, it is the opposite. I feel like I am walking with purpose, and so many people around me are on the sidewalk glued to whatever is going on in their earbuds. I am old enough to have had to make a conscious shift from assuming that a person talking to somebody not present is mentally ill to their being on a phone call! But some are so oblivious, and also so self-centered that they care nothing of the obstacle that they often become, or simply walk straight at you as if you are not there, and the person on the other side of their device is. I have been very close to just dropping a shoulder into someone soooo many times.... ut so far, I have kept managing to step around.... So far.
It's funny how no matter what we genre we read we feel connected, but walking in a crowd can make us feel disconnected from the people passing us by. Everyone lost in their own world not stopping to take in their surrounding.
My husband loves reading the Bosch books. He has been working on building his collection with used library book and one has the newest Bosch book to go. Did you watch the tv series? He enjoyed that as well.
It's been years since I was in Toronto. I remember going to see The Phantom of the Opera there as a teen. There were so many homeless teenagers. I had never seen people living on the streets before and those images have stayed with me.
Do you get to read at your security job?
I like to think that fiction inspires us to align more with the protagonist and calls us out if we start acting a bit villian-ish.
I hope you have a wonderful walk with the sun shining and people smiling as they pass you by.
No, I don't read on my shifts. That is something I have to do on my own, uninterrupted time. Usually, when things happen, they happen fast. But I also handle late-night check-ins and last minute sales, so it can be pretty busy. But when things quiet down, I usually watch movies or TV series on my laptop. I am actually on duty right now as I write this response.
Yes, there is a big homeless and drug addiction problem in Toronto. And I don't even know the city that well, being originally from Winnipeg. I know this is not the place to be political, but if I understand the situation correctly, it is the legacy of decades of right-leaning governments slashing healthcare spending
I have watched the TV series, and thought Titus Welliver was the perfect choice for bringing the character to life. But the last season of Bosch: Legacy is streaming now, and again, because it is a conclusion, I am probably going to put it off for a while..
Hello, and happy 43rd rotation around the sun! Love this post, but just wanted to add that the quote, "There is no greater agony ... " is actually from Zora Neale Hurston (Dust Tracks on a Road), and is often misattributed to Maya Angelou. See clarification here: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou
Happy birthday - and good luck with the launch of your new series. I look forward to reading your posts!
Thank you so much! I guess my wording was off in this one! I meant that this year I am turning 43... not until June. Ah! The joys of self-editing. I do appreciate you reading and commenting on my posts. Thank you!
Being inspired to be better by a fictional character, or having that character hold you to a higher standard is an excellent idea. Especially if it helps you make decisions on at least the small things.
I read a different genres of fiction than you do, though. But I've often told people that Michael Connelly's Detective Harry Bosch has always reset my moral compass to due north by the time - hell, even while reading - I finish one one of the novels in that series. Then almost immediately, at my so-called 'side-gig', something happens to whack it way back off kilter. I have read almost all of the Bosch books, but am still saving 'The Waiting", as I fear it may be the last. But, in consolation Harry Bosch's torch may have been passed to Renee Ballard.
It's funny that I read this post today though, because I had just been thinking to myself, that if someone asked me what faction or role I would best fit in my beloved Warhammer 40,000 universe, today I would have had to say 'Commissar', but that might be because I am currently reading a Gaunt's Ghosts novel. My side-gig is a graveyard shift security one in downtown Toronto. Sometimes things happen. I would like to think that I would have the wisdom and forbearance of Dan Abnett's Ibram Gaunt, but unfortunately I think I often do not, and that brings us full circle to that 'moral compass' thing. I really WANT to keep it due north, but it is not easy.
As to the walking, here in downtown Toronto, it is the opposite. I feel like I am walking with purpose, and so many people around me are on the sidewalk glued to whatever is going on in their earbuds. I am old enough to have had to make a conscious shift from assuming that a person talking to somebody not present is mentally ill to their being on a phone call! But some are so oblivious, and also so self-centered that they care nothing of the obstacle that they often become, or simply walk straight at you as if you are not there, and the person on the other side of their device is. I have been very close to just dropping a shoulder into someone soooo many times.... ut so far, I have kept managing to step around.... So far.
It's funny how no matter what we genre we read we feel connected, but walking in a crowd can make us feel disconnected from the people passing us by. Everyone lost in their own world not stopping to take in their surrounding.
My husband loves reading the Bosch books. He has been working on building his collection with used library book and one has the newest Bosch book to go. Did you watch the tv series? He enjoyed that as well.
It's been years since I was in Toronto. I remember going to see The Phantom of the Opera there as a teen. There were so many homeless teenagers. I had never seen people living on the streets before and those images have stayed with me.
Do you get to read at your security job?
I like to think that fiction inspires us to align more with the protagonist and calls us out if we start acting a bit villian-ish.
I hope you have a wonderful walk with the sun shining and people smiling as they pass you by.
No, I don't read on my shifts. That is something I have to do on my own, uninterrupted time. Usually, when things happen, they happen fast. But I also handle late-night check-ins and last minute sales, so it can be pretty busy. But when things quiet down, I usually watch movies or TV series on my laptop. I am actually on duty right now as I write this response.
Yes, there is a big homeless and drug addiction problem in Toronto. And I don't even know the city that well, being originally from Winnipeg. I know this is not the place to be political, but if I understand the situation correctly, it is the legacy of decades of right-leaning governments slashing healthcare spending
I have watched the TV series, and thought Titus Welliver was the perfect choice for bringing the character to life. But the last season of Bosch: Legacy is streaming now, and again, because it is a conclusion, I am probably going to put it off for a while..
Enjoy your own walks!
Hello, and happy 43rd rotation around the sun! Love this post, but just wanted to add that the quote, "There is no greater agony ... " is actually from Zora Neale Hurston (Dust Tracks on a Road), and is often misattributed to Maya Angelou. See clarification here: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou
Thank you so much for letting me know! I will fit who it’s attributed to. ❤️
Books began their influence on me back when I was a child and continued into adulthood and still do so. I’m grateful they’ve always been there.
Nice post