We recently saw a play here where one actor basically told his life story – which was fraught with difficulties. He recalled how as a child, he made lists of what he called “Brilliant things” – things that stood out, were brilliant, gave him joy. It helped him survive a very difficult childhood. As he grew, he kept adding to the list. His goal was to have 1,000 brilliant things by the time he was a “grown up”. He had several thousand. An interesting feature of the show was that before it began, he circulated through the audience asking people to take random slips of paper and agree to read them in the play. It was a small theater and every attendee had a “role” in the play. He would randomly stop and ask a few people to read what they had in their hands aloud. His “brilliant things” were numbered. He just randomly called out numbers and the audience member with that number, read theirs out loud.
Anyway, the idea caught our fancy. And so, we have started making our own list of “Brilliant Things”. We each add one each night at supper. It’s kind of fun. Perhaps you’d want to give it a try. Here’s a sampling from our list so far;
The smell of library books.
Completing a task.
Singing in church.
Warm soup on a winter night.
When the sun comes out after it’s been raining
Denver omelets
A hot shower.
Falling asleep promptly.
Lunch with a good friend.
Breakfast!
A good movie
Helpful service people
A reliable medical system
A new book to read.
A surprise package in the mail
An unexpected, pleasant conversation with a stranger
A sunny day in February
Pleasant feeling after a work-out.
Sunrise over the hills each morning flooding the room with light.
Attending a wonderful cultural event.
Having a meal at a restaurant on the water.
A grandchild’s laugh.
A sleeping baby.
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