I saved your first essay from a year ago and love and appreciate rvery word of this. I've been working on a post about writing while the world is burning prompted by a note from a Ukrainian friend whose family remains there. I will share this as part of that post. Thank you Alex.
This was such a beautiful post. Heartfelt, but still appropriately funny. Such a tough balance to strike. It was also very cool to see pictures of your family!
It is always hard to take in how horribly we can treat each other, often justified by some small, inconsequential "difference". It is the very worst of being human I think. Your writing is great.
thanks a lot Mark. I agree its hard and it often feels so cliche to even talk about, like 'yea we all know ppl suck' but that's the cynic in me talking and I try to fight that cynic daily and writing often helps as does corresponding with good peeps like you
When ppl carry on about differences, I always like to say my cocker spaniel and I share 82% of our DNA, stop worrying about stupid stuff that doesnt matter
Beautiful. I love reading about your family and you're right, there's no use wringing our hands over our privilege. Makes me think of a Danish saying my family over there taught me: "It's like sticking your tongue out an open window".
I'm a relative recent reader (from Europe) and your earlier article also made a big impression on me.
Allow me to share this, that a Ukranian neighbor (she fled, her parents and cat are still back home) sent me. (I now and "talk" to her - with a bit of a language barrier - and donated food and warm blankets to a cat/dog shelter the other day when they had a truck driving eastward. )
It's a 60-minute film from a famous journalist in Ukraine. English subtitles. At the end, I couldn't watch it anymore (Bucha), but I thought it was a must-see. Very interesting and harrowing and impressive, and more. Heart-breaking that this awful war is still going on in our world, on my continent. Please accept my ❤️ for you and your family. And please, do listen to the birds chirping while 'walking' to Odesa; I hope people in Ukraine will soon get spring sounds too. Without mortars and crying and all the sounds of pain.
This was a great article. Good work, and a good message.
I wrote a story myself about humor and war at the outset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and have since written a similar follow up. I’ll share the original piece here.
hey Daniel thanks for sharing I really dug that! My fav lines...lol
> As Cary Elwes said in The Princess Bride when he was playing Westley, who was playing The Man In Black: “Life is Pain. Anyone who says any differently is selling something.”
Despite the great wisdom of the ‘not left handed either’ swordsman, many refuse to accept the reality of the situation that is life, avoiding the truth to hold on to an imagined happiness. We can think of pain as anguish in which to wallow, or we can think of pain as simply the irony of life. Something to be laughed at, then faced head on.
Not particularly surprised by your own origins as this dreadful needless horror of destruction, dislocation, and challenge unleashed on and in Ukraine has brought a uniquely resilient, tough, survival-wired people (humor in face of suffering) to the forefront of Global consciousness.
The poignancy for me with this awful disruption heightened when i read a piece a few years back by the excellent writer/journalist Michael Paterniti about a Ukrainian "giant" rumoured to be largest man on earth. The description of the countryside somnolent and radiant with fruit trees and autumn shadows mixed with the bittersweet tale of a freakishly built human who longed as we all do for love, for peace, for acceptance, served as a vulnerable context toi what Putin and his criminal oligarchy have wrought.
All Ukrainians are such giants who have never given up hope and ex-patriot or not, fight the good fight with whatever weapons are available.
Thanks for sharing this, Alex. The last game studio I worked for was based in Ukraine, so I got updates from Kiev. The war is devastating and tragic. I just donated to Voices of Children, too.
Your writing changes when you write about your grandparents and your parents and your childhood. There is tenderness and compassion and despite whatever turmoil exists in the story you are relating, still a great sense of comfort and security that is only found in the people who are home to us. I love reading the stories of Alik, Emma, and your parents. Hard working love brought you here. We are grateful. ♥️
that's so beautifully put Linda thank you for sharing....I often worry that I'm writing too much about family and people are getting sick of it so I gotta do something new blah blah blah so its nice to be reminded that the familial well is infinitely eep of deeply infinite stuff lol i know that makes no sense but also maybe it does?
“...no matter how bad things get, we will still laugh, because when we laugh, we stay alive.” 🙌 THIS.
Thank you man
dear alex,
i love you and thank you for this.
i really like "But still, I bother."
and "we might as well enjoy a strudel or two."
and "She would laugh and for a moment her heart would be free."
and the rest of it.
thank you for sharing, friend.
love,
myq
thank you as always brother for reading and being you and also the rest as well
I saved your first essay from a year ago and love and appreciate rvery word of this. I've been working on a post about writing while the world is burning prompted by a note from a Ukrainian friend whose family remains there. I will share this as part of that post. Thank you Alex.
wow thank you Elizabeth please let me know where I can read that post too!
Alex, here you go:
https://elizabethmarro.substack.com/p/stories-for-when-the-world-is-burning
Truly.,,I look forward to everything you write. Thank you for the laugh that put an ache in my heart 💔
❤️❤️❤️ that’s so kind thank u
The best upside of suffering has always been a great sense of humor. That's why spoiled little rich kids can't take or tell a joke.
hahahaha
You didn't ask for a joke, but I'm giving you one anyway.
-Knock, knock.
-Who's there?
-Bear.
-Bear who?
-Bear.
My son (guess his name) thinks this is the most hilarious bit in the history of the ever ever. He's kind of not wrong.
this is andy kaufman level comedy. brilliant. iconic. original. subtle and yet bold. Would he mind if I performed it?
Use it in good health.
Mazel
This was such a beautiful post. Heartfelt, but still appropriately funny. Such a tough balance to strike. It was also very cool to see pictures of your family!
thank you so much Jillian!!
It is always hard to take in how horribly we can treat each other, often justified by some small, inconsequential "difference". It is the very worst of being human I think. Your writing is great.
thanks a lot Mark. I agree its hard and it often feels so cliche to even talk about, like 'yea we all know ppl suck' but that's the cynic in me talking and I try to fight that cynic daily and writing often helps as does corresponding with good peeps like you
When ppl carry on about differences, I always like to say my cocker spaniel and I share 82% of our DNA, stop worrying about stupid stuff that doesnt matter
Beautiful. I love reading about your family and you're right, there's no use wringing our hands over our privilege. Makes me think of a Danish saying my family over there taught me: "It's like sticking your tongue out an open window".
hahaha i love that saying definitely gonna steal that!
I'm a relative recent reader (from Europe) and your earlier article also made a big impression on me.
Allow me to share this, that a Ukranian neighbor (she fled, her parents and cat are still back home) sent me. (I now and "talk" to her - with a bit of a language barrier - and donated food and warm blankets to a cat/dog shelter the other day when they had a truck driving eastward. )
It's a 60-minute film from a famous journalist in Ukraine. English subtitles. At the end, I couldn't watch it anymore (Bucha), but I thought it was a must-see. Very interesting and harrowing and impressive, and more. Heart-breaking that this awful war is still going on in our world, on my continent. Please accept my ❤️ for you and your family. And please, do listen to the birds chirping while 'walking' to Odesa; I hope people in Ukraine will soon get spring sounds too. Without mortars and crying and all the sounds of pain.
https://youtu.be/EhssmUtN874
hi annosjka! thanks so much for sharing I am definitely going to check this out
Alex,
This was a great article. Good work, and a good message.
I wrote a story myself about humor and war at the outset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and have since written a similar follow up. I’ll share the original piece here.
https://www.danielkherndon.com/when-is-too-soon/
hey Daniel thanks for sharing I really dug that! My fav lines...lol
> As Cary Elwes said in The Princess Bride when he was playing Westley, who was playing The Man In Black: “Life is Pain. Anyone who says any differently is selling something.”
Despite the great wisdom of the ‘not left handed either’ swordsman, many refuse to accept the reality of the situation that is life, avoiding the truth to hold on to an imagined happiness. We can think of pain as anguish in which to wallow, or we can think of pain as simply the irony of life. Something to be laughed at, then faced head on.
Not particularly surprised by your own origins as this dreadful needless horror of destruction, dislocation, and challenge unleashed on and in Ukraine has brought a uniquely resilient, tough, survival-wired people (humor in face of suffering) to the forefront of Global consciousness.
The poignancy for me with this awful disruption heightened when i read a piece a few years back by the excellent writer/journalist Michael Paterniti about a Ukrainian "giant" rumoured to be largest man on earth. The description of the countryside somnolent and radiant with fruit trees and autumn shadows mixed with the bittersweet tale of a freakishly built human who longed as we all do for love, for peace, for acceptance, served as a vulnerable context toi what Putin and his criminal oligarchy have wrought.
All Ukrainians are such giants who have never given up hope and ex-patriot or not, fight the good fight with whatever weapons are available.
wow thank you for this rec I just started reading this and its so so good! https://www.gq.com/story/lenoid-stadnyk-tallest-man-russia-200503
that guy paterniti is friend of my sister lily in maine (both of whom can write rings around pretenders like me heh)
Thanks for sharing this, Alex. The last game studio I worked for was based in Ukraine, so I got updates from Kiev. The war is devastating and tragic. I just donated to Voices of Children, too.
wow dang yea its crazy thinking about the depth of life that every person over there is having right now. thats awesome you donated too man thank you
Your writing changes when you write about your grandparents and your parents and your childhood. There is tenderness and compassion and despite whatever turmoil exists in the story you are relating, still a great sense of comfort and security that is only found in the people who are home to us. I love reading the stories of Alik, Emma, and your parents. Hard working love brought you here. We are grateful. ♥️
that's so beautifully put Linda thank you for sharing....I often worry that I'm writing too much about family and people are getting sick of it so I gotta do something new blah blah blah so its nice to be reminded that the familial well is infinitely eep of deeply infinite stuff lol i know that makes no sense but also maybe it does?
"But still, I bother" is a lovely line. I, too, think of the babushkas first.
thank you Christian that means a lot 🧡
💙💛
🧡