A grateful young Fin

Hello, and welcome to the first Friday Fiction. One of the things I have been meaning to do for a while is go through my old creative writing notebook and transfer anything valuable to my laptop for safekeeping. It was the notebook I used for my first creative writing class back in the day. Depending on where you fall on the keepsake of old clutter, you may or may not think this is a good idea. The thing is, I can’t seem to part with the notebook just yet. I thought it would be fun to share bits and pieces from that little notebook of mine. Shout out to the beautiful Waterford Youth Arts for the facilities they provide. They changed my life. Here it is. If you ever wondered what 16-year-old (can’t say for sure what age I was actually) I was grateful for, then read below.

I can gladly say that I still value these things in a less cringy way.

“10 things I am grateful for:

1. Friends

2. Family

3. Music

4. Art

5. Drama

6. Writing

7. Film

8. Italian Food

9. The word “awesome.”

10. Pepsi”

And now for the after-game analysis:

1. Friends – I still value my friends very much. I love all of them dearly. Do I still have all the friends I had at 16 now? No. Does that matter? Not really. I wish them all the best—even him.

2. Family – I love my family more than anything. Correction: I love my dog more than anything. Family is a painfully close second. They are always there for me; I love each of them for their qualities.

3. Music – When I wrote this, I hadn’t gone to my first proper concert yet (Foo Fighters at Slane Castle, in case you were wondering). I love music. I love how it makes me feel. I never really picked up an instrument and learnt to play. That doesn’t detract from how much music has influenced me and still does. I’m going to see Iron Maiden this summer. Fun fact.

4. Art – Art is an all-encompassing concept. Creativity would be another word, I suppose. I can’t draw to save my life. But art and creativity saved mine. That’s very cringy, indeed.

5. Drama – I have been known to tread the boards. I have been acting since I was ten years old. I have even been on Fair City. Drama is an art form; we now know how I feel about art.

6. Writing – You are reading this, aren’t you?

7. Film – Going to the cinema is always an excellent time for me. I haven’t gone yet this year, and I am itching to do so. Watching films only fed my want to tell my own stories.

8. Italian food – I have said it would be Italy if I had to live in another country. I love pizza and don’t mind a pasta dish from time to time. Don’t get me started on garlic bread. Not a wine drinker, though. There’s a curveball for you.

9. The word “awesome” – I don’t use this word as much anymore as a 27-year-old man. I did go through a period (evidently about ten years ago) of saying it a lot. Again, very cringy. I like the word. I still use the word from time to time. Am I grateful for it? That’s a stretch.

10. Pepsi – I am a Pepsi guy. I will drink Coke if it is offered or Pepsi isn’t available because I’m not a scumbag. I prefer the taste of Pepsi. Yes, it is different. Pepsi all the way. Again, writing this at 16 and not drinking until I became of age (no shade), Pepsi was my drink of choice at any social gathering with the friends previously mentioned. Some of whom I still talk to today, as previously mentioned.

That’s enough light reading for you today. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and I will see you back on Monday for some moaning. About what? I haven’t decided yet.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for your time.