The Bright Life

The Bright Life

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The Bright Life
The Bright Life
Being dropped on my head may have changed my perspective
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Being dropped on my head may have changed my perspective

a lesson from the playground

Donna McArthur's avatar
Donna McArthur
Feb 09, 2025
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The Bright Life
The Bright Life
Being dropped on my head may have changed my perspective
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The first time I remember being scared that day was when the words were waving around on the page - they just wouldn’t sit still. I asked the kid in front of me where we were in the story, and he pointed. I put my finger on the page to hold my spot but as soon as I looked down those pesky words seemed to jump higher.

My heart pounded.

It was almost my turn. We were reading aloud to the class and, befuddled, I kept running my eyes around the page of a story I had read many times. Me! One of the best readers in Grade 5 (that’s Canadian for fifth grade) could not understand the words. What the hell?

Me, at the lake, admiring the gorgeous ice sculpture which, thankfully, did not fall on my head. 📸J Swallow

My heart pounded.

My turn was coming. Those words kept wiggling about, not keeping their position on the page, and when I glanced up the windows were a little wobbly too. Was I drunk? No, I wouldn’t be drunk in English class for about five more years so that wasn’t it.

My heart pounded.

My be…

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