‘Look Both Ways’ is one of my favourite Australian movies. The worst-case-scenario imaginings of its main character, Meryl, are depicted in ghoulish animations, which are juxtaposed with the realistic elements of the unfolding storyline. It’s a wonderfully quirky and inspired way of bringing Meryl’s inner life to the audience and providing light relief to a film that has death at its heart: the director—the late Sarah Watt—was diagnosed with breast cancer during its making.
The film’s black humour resonates with me because, despite my scientific rationalist leanings, I think in much the same way as Meryl: worst-case-scenario is my oldest imaginary friend defensive tactic.
I hurt my back a few weeks ago, cleaning (yes, it’s bad for one’s health). I’ve never had back problems, and when my condition hadn’t improved after a week of intermittent resting, the bone-cancer-metastasized-from-the-bowel-cancer-I’ve-yet-to-be-tested-for-serves-me-right-for making-jokes-about-it thought crept into my head . A lot of magical thinking for someone who doesn’t believe in fairies and ghosts.
The benign reality—that sitting behind a desk for 8 hours a day and in a car for close on 2.5 hours a day has turned me into a blob (note the passive construction of that last sentence), and my core strength just isn’t what it used to be—finally popped into my blobby brain, and off I went to the gym swimming pool, where I spent some time running through water, shocking neglected muscles back to life. And my back is suddenly better. Magical, isn’t it?!
Snow Poles in Summer – Falls Creek, Victoria, Australia
For more entries to this week’s WPC, see The Daily Post.
Five favourites out of the entries so far.
Exploratorius (who can resist a good mystery?!)
Colder Weather (an ant’s perspective)
happyface313 (look up!)
autopict (things catch the eye)
Lucid Gypsy (horseying around)
Well that’s a relief!
Yes :-D
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Glad your back and you have bounced back!
Bodies are made for MOVING and STRETCHING and REACHING . . . but NOT for housework. ;)
I so agree, Nancy :)
I think we all go in for such thinking at various times in our life bb, and black humour saves the day for many of us. :)
Glad your back’s ok, xPenx
Thanks, Pen – yes, black humour is good :)
I have a similar thinking style – hahahaha – once I had to get a head scan for severe sinusitis and was convinced they’d find that brain tumour. Glad you are coming good after your back problem – a bit of exercise might help me too! And what the hell is a snow pole?
:-D – I think you’d enjoy ‘Look Both Ways’, if you haven’t already seen it.
I think snow poles are like flood poles in that they indicate the depth of snow, but they also have reflective surfaces and are often arranged so as to demarcate a road edge in snowy mountainous areas.
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We, most of us, don’t exercise enough – well, I know I don’t. Every good intention, but tomorrow’s always ANOTHER day, lol! Nice write, Bb. I must keep an eye out for that movie, haha. No, seriously!
Thanks, Adee – it’s so hard to get going on the exercise front, but once you do it’s really rewarding, and a lot of the aches and pains disappear (including the mental ones :-))
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It’s really hard to fit everything in – if you’re away from home for 10.5 hours every day how on earht are you supposed to fit in time for exercise? Well done for doing it and for recognising the positive impact it had! and thanks for doing the ping thing :-)
Thanks, Gilly. So true what you say – I have quit my toxic job, so now am madly job-hunting for something that doesn’t steal so much of my time. But am also now getting time to exercise, so am really enjoying it. :-D
glad to hear it isn’t more…and Gilly is right…fitting in everything can be hard work itself
Thanks, Jo. Sadly, the Lotto passed me by again last night, lol!
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BB, glad you are feeling better. Exercise in water is gentle and works wonders! Glad you got past your fears…we all have them…you aren’t alone in that…
Thanks, Sue :) Exercise works wonders on the mental front, too. We all struggle in some way, don’t we?
Yes, we do, BB. :-)
It’s hard to fit in the time to remember to take care of oneself. Glad you’re feeling better though.
Hello Tish :) Thanks for popping in and commenting here.
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Strange how our imagination is far more creative than the actual cause of our pain…glad it wasn’t anything serious.
The mind enjoys playing its tricks, Charles. Thanks.
I knew there was a reason I shouldn’t do housework! :D I got a burn on the top of my mouth a few months back (damn hot dinner) that took ages to go away and I though, ‘that’s it – mouth-cancer!’ One day I noticed it was gone and thought, ‘YAY! I was wrong!!!’ LOL – how embarrassing ;)
I’m so glad your pain was just muscular xxx
‘Look Both Ways’ is one of my faves as well ;)
It’s only embarrassing now that you’ve told, haha. Thanks, Dianne :-D
I love Aussie movies – I saw ‘Flirting’, ‘The Sum of Us’ and ‘Muriel’s Wedding’ when I still lived in South Africa, and just loved the mix of quirky humour and drama.
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It is magical. Exercise is so feel-good; I watched a news article about getting intensive care patients to exercise ether legs with a sort of bed-bicycle (I know, it takes some imagination) and trials show it has really helped the patients progress well.
Glad you’re feeling better :-)
Thank, Kate :-) Yes, it has so many benefits – sitting behind a desk all day is unbelievably detrimental to the human body.
I’d be laughing, except that worst case scenario connection hits close to home. I know you love to move, BB, and that’s a lot of sitting and a long commute. So that’s what your new job entails. As my mother-in-law likes to say, “This, too, shall pass.”
I’ve just quit the job I’ve been in for the last 16 months – clash of values/ethics was doing my head in, so am now job hunting, and have lots of time to exercise which is wonderful :-D But I also need to find a new job soon ;-)
And what’s happening with your poetry book? I’m looking forward to it very much, BB.
Hi Monica – I’m very fortunate in that a blogger and poet in England, with highly proficient grammar and punctuation skills, is currently editing the book for me. As soon as I have her completed input, I will publish it, and announce it on my blog :)
That is wonderful!
Oh, BB, that is a classic textbook beauty of a perspective picture. And the colours….wonderful….
Thank you, Kate :-)
magnifica immagine!
Grazie :)
I was wondering if you’re actually an Aussie, for a while … but when I came to these comments I found that you are not. You’re certainly one of the most recondite bloggers I’ve come across: what’s the reason for that ? Oh, never mind: entirely your business (of course !). :-)
Hi M.R. – as I’ve said on my ‘About’ page (which, I’ve just realised, has gone AWOL – must fix that), my reasons for blogging under a pseudonym are not terribly interesting – there are no dark secrets in the closet, nor am I some well-known public face living a double life! :-) but just don’t want my personal blog popping up in any searches around my professional life, so have not put my name to it. I’m was born and bred in South Africa, and have lived in Australia for the last 16 years. :-)
May I ask where ?
The Big Smoke – Sydney (same as you?)
Gosh. Yes: I live in Pyrmont …
beautiful :)