Friday, June 7, 2019

Fill 'er Up: Secret Subject Swap

Welcome a Secret Subject Swap. This month 8 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.

Secret Subject Swap, a multi-blogger writing challenge | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


My subject is: Is the glass half full or half empty? Discuss your thoughts on the subject.
It was submitted by: Jules of The Bergham Chronicles.

Half full? Half empty? Who cares, pass me the vodka and lets fill 'er up.

It's funny but I think I've talked about this subject before. But like many things, most things really, my perspective continually changes. Not the glass, that is what it is, but my view of it.

When I was young and responsibility free (well, for the most part), that glass was half full. In fact, even if it was half full, I may have seen it as completely full. "Ahhh, youth", you're thinking. But not so much. A lot of how we approach life is dictated by our innate personality. I am skeptical by nature, and I am extremely sensitive. My standpoint is skewed by thought, often overthought, and I tend keep my shield up to avoid hurt. So my view of that glass, or my naivete, if you want to call it that, was actually part youth but also part effort. I wanted to drink the kool-aid. And I did.

In the next chapter of life, when I was raising kids, that glass looked a bit different, sometimes on a daily basis. I tried to be positive, I mostly was positive, but it was frequently difficult, often damn near impossible. Add to the mix that I needed to prepare these kids for the real world, and that required, in certain circumstances, a good dose of realism if nothing else but for the sake of safety and their ability to navigate the complexity of  relationships. "Hope for the best but prepare for the worst" is a difficult tightrope to walk and I failed, btw. When PurDude went off to school hundreds of miles away, and was faced with all kinds of different people and difficult circumstances, I realized just how sheltered a life he'd led.

Nuances come with age. Well, with experience. It has to. No, you don't have to embrace cynicism, but those rose colored glasses tend to dim. I'm not talking about the inconsequential circumstances, those are easy. Because the investment in those situations are insignificant, in the scheme of things. Will my new recipe idea come out? Yes, that glass is half full, because I have little to lose if it doesn't.
 
Berry Cinnamon Refrigerator Bars. Mixed berries, flavored whipped cream and cinnamon crusted crackers come together in this refreshing refrigerator dessert. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #dessert
Berry Cinnamon Refrigerator Bars
Berry Cinnamon Refrigerator Bars. Mixed berries, flavored whipped cream and cinnamon crusted crackers come together in this refreshing refrigerator dessert. | Recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #dessert

But the current state of our country, our politics, has me thinking differently. It wears on you, realism. No matter how you want to, almost desperately need to, hold seeing that glass as half full. College Boy is a conspiracy theorist. He is persuasive, makes a good case, but I don't agree with all of his stances. I say he's a pessimist. He says he's realistic. I say I'm an optimist. He says I'm unrealistic. 

Ultimately it's immaterial, how much you believe in the foundation of your political system, trust those elected to have a moral compass and do what's right not for some but for all. Sometimes that glass is just undeniably completely empty.

But then . . .

The Red Sox are playing. They're down 4 - 1 and at bat at the bottom of the 9th inning. There are 2 outs and the batter has 2 strikes. I will not turn off the TV because he could, he could, hit a home run, right? And the 3 batters after him could too . . . that glass COULD be half full . . .

And just like that, I'm back.


Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:


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Berry Cinnamon Refrigerator Bars        
                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp strawberry extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 box cinnamon graham crackers

12 oz strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced
6 oz raspberries, rinsed and halved
2 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP Cinnamon Roll Vodka, can substitute water

Directions:
*Mix the strawberries, raspberries, brown sugar and vodka (or water). Set aside.

*Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and strawberry extract and beat until stiff peaks hold. Fold the mini chocolate chips into the whipped cream.
*Place 1/3 of the cinnamon graham crackers in a single layer into the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking dish. Break the crackers into whatever size pieces you need to cover the bottom of the dish.
*Spread 1/3 of the whipped cream mixture onto the graham crackers, followed by half of the fruit mixture, reserving the liquid from the fruit. Repeat with another layer of graham crackers, another 1/3 of the whipped cream and the remaining fruit. Top with the final layer of graham crackers and the final third of the whipped cream. Drizzle the top with the reserved liquid from the berries.
*Cover tightly and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight before cutting.
 

22 comments:

  1. Ahhh, the Red Sox bring out the optimist in you!
    Yes, I believe you had a similar topic not too long ago, because I'm pretty sure I used the following to comment back then:

    “People who wonder if the glass is half empty or half full, miss the point. The glass is refillable.”

    Or

    "My therapist set half a glass of water in front of me. He asked if I was an optimist or a pessimist. So, I drank the water and told him I was a problem solver."

    May your glass always be full enough for you to feel optimistic, Karen!

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  2. I've always been pessimistic about things. It drives my husband crazy. Thank God he is the eternal optimist and he helps lift me back up when I'm feeling like the world is going to hell in a hand basket. Your recipe sounds great----something cool to eat in this hot weather.

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  3. I say throw a little tequila in it and let's have margaritas! I'm usually optimistic (hubby says I'm gullible).

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    Replies
    1. OOOh, now I'm so in the mood for margaritas. And it's Friday too so . . .

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  4. Yessssss. Vodka!!!!!! Though, I'd prefer coffee.

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  5. I wonder how I will fair if/when my son and I have very different ideas on political issues. I've gotten pretty radically left as I've aged, but I'm responsible for his education and giving him hope while also being realistic, so I've tried to find some balance in how I talk about these things and avoid both "half full" and "half empty" ways of looking at the socio-political landscape, but all I can do is plant the seeds for him. I have no idea if those seeds will germinate and grow. I can't really drink much with my illness, but I might have to join you for some vodka if things go south. haha

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    Replies
    1. I hope they don't go south for you, but if they do, I'll keep a shot glass available with your name on it.

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  6. Most of us go through life with half a glass of whatever, but at times the glass gets a bit low and other times it is overflowing that is life

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  7. Aaaand baseball brings us back to normal. As it should.

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    Replies
    1. LOL, last year the Red Sox had me smiling all summer. This year so far it's been a struggle to see that glass as half full.

      Delete
  8. Anything with Heavy cream-I'm on board, great recipe. So You're a red sox fan-awesome!

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  9. Cant wait to try this recipe! It has berries, so it's healthy, right?

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  10. Sometimes I have to work at being an optimist but end up always looking on the bright side. During those moments when there is doubt, hubby contributes logic, which always wins. Worrying about something doesn't change it and sometimes I need that reminder.

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  11. Oh wow. When are you coming over?
    I've never been a half full person. As I age, I've seen too much of how history rhymes, and the current stanza we are in is scary. I guess that is what happens when you grow up among immigrants who suffered (and I do mean "suffered") through World War II. I hope baseball can save us. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree.
      I don't think baseball is powerful enough to save us, but providing a temporary respite works.

      Delete

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