On The Bright Side(s)...

Choosing To Look For Silver Linings

Photo by Ruan Richard Rodrigues on Unsplash

I woke up this morning with two black eyes.

Not the metaphorical kind—the real deal. Purple-hued, raccoon-style reminders of whatever exactly happened Saturday night. All I know is: gravity won. And I lost the round in spectacular, face-first fashion.

But here’s the thing: I feel better today than I did yesterday. That’s something. So I’m choosing to lean into that little victory and focus on finding more silver linings.

LESS SORE = MORE SOAR!

It’s funny how accidents and setbacks can shift your perspective.

Just a couple of days ago, I was stuck in the inertia of chaos—moving in every direction, but mostly just spinning in circles. My muscles were stiff. My mood was heavy. Uncertainty hung over my head like a dark cloud.

But this morning, even with a bruised and busted face staring back at me in the mirror, I caught myself smiling again.

Why?

Because the bruises and the stitches are signs my body is healing. My aches are easing and the fog is lifting—emotionally and physically. There's movement again. Forward, not just frantic. Momentum is just around the corner.

It’s all got me thinking about silver linings. And not the sugary-sweet, “everything-happens-for-a-reason” kind. But the hard-won, cracked-open kind. The kind you choose to see. The kind that sneak in while you’re busy licking your wounds and/or cleaning up your mess(es).

Here are a few of mine today:

• I can laugh again, even if it still hurts a little.

• I’m learning to rest—without guilt.

• I’ve been reminded how fragile and resilient I really am.

Healing isn’t always pretty, but progress is gorgeous.

So yeah, today I’ve got two black eyes and a bruised ego. But I’ve also got a clearer view of the good stuff. The small wins. The upward trends. The quiet resolve that builds when I decide not to be taken down by discomfort.

On the bright side(s)? There are many things to be grateful for and happy about.
I just have to be willing to look closer. Even when my eyes are black and blue.

Keep calm and carry on!
Clint 🌈✌️

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FOR YOUR (SUBSTACK) CONSIDERATION

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• Back to Broadway! (PalCinema, Television, & Music)

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• Kevin McPhee And The Peep Show = Part 1 (Sam Staggs)

• Kevin McPhee, Illustrator = Part 2 (Sam Staggs)

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FOR YOUR (YOUTUBE) CONSIDERATION

• Top 50 Stores That Don't Exist Anymore (WatchMojo.com)

• 25 Innovative Products From The 1980s That Failed Miserably! (America Before)

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ON THIS DAY = JULY 28

BIRTHDAYS

• 1866 = Beatrix Potter = English children's book writer and illustrator

• 1887 = Marcel Duchamp = French-American painter and sculptor (aka Rrose Sélavy) 🌈

• 1896 = Barbara La Marr = American actor and screenwriter

• 1898 = Lawrence Gray = American actor

• 1901 = Rudy Vallée = American actor, singer, and saxophonist

• 1907 = Earl Tupper = American inventor and Tupperware founder

• 1915 = Frankie Yankovic = American polka musician

• 1929 = Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis = American socialite and 37th FLOTUS

• 1931 = Darryl Hickman = American actor

• 1934 = Jacques d'Amboise = American dancer and choreographer

• 1937 = Francis Veber = French director and screenwriter

• 1940 = Judy Grahn = American poet 🌈

• 1947 = Sally Struthers = American actor

• 1958 = Sarah Schulman = American writer, activist, and historian 🌈

• 1960 = Yōichi Takahashi = Japanese illustrator

• 1969 = Alexis Arquette = American actor 🌈

• 1971 = Stephen Lynch = American singer-songwriter and actor

• 1974 = Elizabeth Berkley = American actor

• 1975 = Imke Duplitzer = German épée fencer 🌈

EVENTS

• 1866 = At the age of 18, Vinnie Ream becomes the first and youngest female artist to receive a commission from the United States government for a statue (of Abraham Lincoln).

• 1868 = The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution is certified, establishing African American citizenship and guaranteeing due process of law.

• 1932 = White Zombie, the first feature-length zombie film, directed by Victor Halperin and starring Bela Lugosi, is released in the US.

• 1976 = Kiss releases “Detroit Rock City” as a single.

• 1984 = The summer Olympics open in Los Angeles.

HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES

• Buffalo Soldiers Day

• National Milk Chocolate Day

• World Hepatitis Day

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PORTRAIT + QUOTES OF THE DAY

MARCEL DUCHAMP + “RROSE SÉLAVY”

“I have forced myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own taste.”
Marcel Duchamp

“Everything important that I have done can be put into a little suitcase.”
Marcel Duchamp