As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, my son, Aaron, and I have been seeing lots of great comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
One of the many stand-up comedians we saw, yesterday, posed the rhetorical question, “Why did you have to build Edinburgh on ALL THE HILLS?”
I laughed out loud at that, out of recognition. As I’ve also mentioned in previous posts, I can get very tired negotiating hills, steps, and other elevations (because of my unusual heart).
But that’s okay. When I get tired, I just rest for a few moments, and then I’m set to keep going.
I experienced that yesterday, while Aaron and I were climbing The Scotsman Steps.
I have another association with today’s post title. At various points along my various career paths (tech writer, marketing writer, film student and teacher, advertising entrepreneur, social worker, psychotherapist, group therapist, and “change agent”), I’ve been involved in the very helpful exercise of identifying “peak moments.” In those exercises, you identify times when you’ve felt the most happy, engaged, and fulfilled, and then think about
- what contributed to those experiences and
- how you can bring more of those into your life, now.
If you want, you can read more about Peak Moments here, here, and here (sites I just found, with a quick Google search). Actually, according to that Google search, the more popular term is “Peak Experiences.”
Whatever we call them, I had one of those Peak Moments/Experiences yesterday, when a comedian I respect and admire very much, said to me, several times, in front of my 16-year old aspiring-comic son:
You are funny.
I have two photos of the speaker of those words, from his show, “Tomorrow” with Ron Lynch. Direct from the hills of Edinburgh, ladies and gentlemen, it’s ….
Ron Lynch!
Aaron and I were laughing, almost every moment Ron was up there on stage. We both agreed, after his performance, that he was the funniest person we’ve seen here.
Yes, we’re having lots of peak experiences, here at the Festival Fringe.
Thanks to Aaron, Ron, all the funny people we saw performing yesterday (in sketch comedy, stand-up routines, and improvs), and to you — of course! — for sharing these moments with me, today.
The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally 
It sounds like you’re really enjoying Edinburgh!
You are correct, sir!
Way to go Ann. Those steps are brutal for the fittest of us 😉
So happy you are so happy!
Val x
This comment made me feel fit and even happier, Val. Thank you!
Ron Lynch wins for his hats alone, Ann. Best hats I’ve ever seen on a stand-up stage, I do believe, the peak of comic headwear. For this man to tell you that you’re funny, well, you must be funny, my friend. Wow! Only peaks today, no valleys!
Another peak, thanks to this comment, Mark!
thank you, thank you, thank you for taking us along with you on your vacation!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this kind appreciation!
I’m glad you’re enjoying your Edinburgh holiday!
I am enjoying it; I’m so glad it shows! Thanks for this celebratory comment.
Hi ann, have you been to see ‘Potted Sherlock’ ? it was reviewed on the radio and sounded very funny. Glad you are having a good time.
I will try to see “Potted Sherlock” tomorrow. Thanks for the valuable tip!
I just found out that this is the only day “Potted Sherlock” is not playing, and we leave tomorrow. That is one of the few “valleys” of disappointment I’ve felt, during our stay in Edinburgh. I still appreciate your suggestion, very much!
And, check out the next post for a visual tip of the hat to one of my heroes, Sherlock Holmes.
hi ann, never mind! There must be so much to see at the festival. i hope that the journey home was safe and good.
It would have been great to see that, since I love Sherlock Holmes so very, very much. Thanks again for the valuable tip. And thanks for the other valuable tip, here: there was so much to see at the festival that I didn’t mind, at all. We are home, at this writing, safe and sound!
Thank you. My life has opened up to exploring so many new things as a blogger. Thank you for this post, as well as others, which have served to inform, educate, uplift and enlighten. After reading/listening to your recommended sites, I plan to do the “Peak Experience/Moments: exercise.
I so appreciate the way you let me know, so specifically, how you have found these posts helpful to you. You open up my life, too.
I am so in favor of finding and identifying peak moments, Ann. I hadn’t thought of that term before or really recognzed that this is important to me, but it is! You’ve given me some lovely things to think about today. A friend and I were emailing back and forth yesterday setting up some places we want to go together and a part of what she shared with me fits so nicely with what you’ve writen. I’m eager to share this with her. And I will definitely spend some time on the sites you’ve linked. I’m so glad you’re having a wonderful time. I was very close to my grandmother who was born and raised near Edinburgh. I just must visit someday! ox
Thanks so much for this lovely comment. It makes me very happy to read how you found this post helpful, and how it fits in with other connections. I hope you do visit Edinburgh, someday soon. ox back at you.
You don’t have to make the question rhetorical. Hills catch more rainfall causing water to flow down them into rivers so settlements can get freshwater. Hills also offer protection and limit the avenues of attack from invaders.
All of it makes for breathtaking views, or just simply taking your breath. 🙂
Yes, and we’ve seen evidence of all those things here, Swarn. Thanks for another great comment.
Glad to hear that you and Aaron are having such a great time Ann! ❤
Diana xo
Thank you, Diana! xxoo
I hope that you get to climb up the Salisbury Craig’s — it’s the cliffs that you access near Holyrood Palace. It offers the most glorious views of Edinburgh. And it just happens to be a most romantic place — my now-husband proposed to me at the top, overlooking Edinburgh Castle at sunset.
Thanks for sharing that wonderful peak moment, Elyse!
Keep laughin’ it up in Edinburgh! 😀
I shall do my best, RoSy!
There is nothing like laughter! I go for the adage, ‘a day without laughter, is a wasted day.’ Keep on gleefully laughing Ann. 🙂
Great adage! Great comment! Many thanks.
Rather peak parenting!
Rather kind of you to say so!
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