In response to A New View of Losing Years of Work, a reader named Ann sent us this perfect cartoon and commentary:

I’m not sure this link* will take you to the place I intend. I want to link you to the cartoon that shows a man tied to a chair while masked men steal his tv. It’s another attempt to see the possible positive side of an unplanned and involuntary loss of “stuff.”

It also reminds me a response to the old question “Is the glass half full or half empty?

Answer: “The glass is always totally full: half with liquid, half with air.

Just think of all the air you can fit into your glass when you get rid of the liquid! Of course, this is all easy for me to say as I sit here with all my “stuff” firmly in place.

glass half full illustration

I have never heard that wonderful answer.

A few days later, Ann sent an addendum, commenting on my statement that “I might have nothing to show for years of writing, thinking, finding, corresponding, designing”

I’d like to remind you that you’d still have a lot to show for your years of work: friends you’ve made, changes you’ve made to your life and abode, memories of the posts, the knowledge that you have improved and inspired other peoples lives. A few days ago I used “What’s not wrong?” in a conversation with a friend who was having a meltdown. Thank you for that post, and for so many others that I have used to improve my life. And remember, throughout most of the history of human beings we have lived, and thrived, without physical and digital archives.

Editor’s note: the cartoon is from the New Yorker’s great January Cartoon Issue. We found it and printed it above.

Thanks Ann!

If you’ve found illumination, joy, or inspiration in this post, please consider supporting Improvised Life. It only takes a minute to make a secure donation that helps pay our many costs. A little goes a long way towards helping Improvised Life continue to live ad-free in the world.

Support Improvised Life ♥

2 replies on “Why The Glass is Always Totally Full

  1. I wholeheartedly agree with Ann. Your site is the sole luminous place I’ve found in an otherwise bleak wasteland of Internet frivolity. I was discussing Improvised Life yesterday with my partner actually, trying to find words to describe how your musings have be so life-changing for me, and that a daily visit to I.L. has been vital in keeping my morale and creativity up and active. I teared up a bit at that thought of all that wonderful content being gone forever, to the point where I thought of begging you for a book (paper or even digital/printable) of some of your site archives – which I would purchase at least 20 copies of for myself and for gifts, and feverishly pester everyone I know to do the same.

    I was heartened, however, at the thought that you would keep on posting content regardless – and that lost archives wouldn’t mean we’d lose your wonderful eye for the inspiring.

  2. Such strangely perfect timing. I’ve just been mocking up some books, wondering whether to sell them the traditional way or try publishing them myself. That was one of the reasons it seemed so important to have the site be there for agents and publishers to vet. So stay-tuned. There are so many themes coursing through the content = MANY book ideas. Thank you deeply for the push and affirmation.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *