How silent movies and recorded stories led me to count my blessings
Christmas is a season for counting our blessings so I thought I’d share with my readers how recent experiences led me to appreciate mine.
Recently I watched, and very much enjoyed, a silent movie. This reminded me that there are many people who would not be able to enjoy a silent movie. For some this is merely a matter of taste, of disliking the exaggerated acting that is a convention of films without speaking.
However, there are many people who are unable to enjoy silent movies for a reason that is much more serious: they are blind.
My vision is imperfect. Indeed, my nearsightedness was a factor in my failure to learn to drive a car when I was young (itself something of a handicap in many parts of the United States). My vision is to a large extent corrected by my contact lenses (although I would require a new prescription were I again to try to learn to drive). As frequently happens when people age, I have also grown farsighted so I usually wear glasses to read.
Nevertheless, for most purposes I see well enough – and I certainly enjoy the gift of sight. It is one that many people lack.
I very much enjoy listening to recorded stories. Many people cannot because they are deaf.
Sight and hearing are senses that people usually take for granted but those of us who possess them ought to count them as great blessings.
My walk is often awkward because one of my legs is a bit shorter than the other. I also suffer from chronic lower back pain. But the fact remains that I DO have legs and I CAN walk – there are many who are not so fortunate.
Watching a silent movie and listening to a CD led me to count my blessings and then to write this blog about them. I hope it will inspire my readers to be grateful for what THEY have.
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Stumble It!
December 24th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Yes it is good to count one’s blessings. Some of us only need one hand.
I too am short sighted, far too overweight with legs that can get me a full hundred yards before needing a long sit down and a similar painful back.
But, be that as it may, I have had a year blessed by some fine insights, interesting things to contemplate and some enjoyable conversations, from a strange, inadvertently obtuse, shortsighted, short legged lady with a bad back and a remarkably flat sense of humour that she does not realise sparks some modest but quite real affection.
Have a good Christmas Denise, m’dear. You may experience all your organic disablilities but what I vicariously experience on my screen is a really lovely woman with a fine spirit and a good heart, a genereous nature and a enquiring mind. I have benefitted from all of them. I think I have come out ahead and need to use the fingers on my other hand for once !