Dear Mr. Bradbury,
Thank you.
Thank you for touching my heart and opening my eyes. For seeing me in ways I didn’t yet understand in my younger years. For showing me new worlds and new ways of seeing our world.
So many of your stories will be forever etched into my consciousness…
The tale of the man who drowned himself in the endless rain of Venus, “sitting on a rock with his head back, breathing the rain.”
The April witch, Cecy, who could flit from being to being but longed to fall in love, even if it meant giving up her powers.
The mechanical house dying after a nuclear holocaust, shadows of its family etched against its blackened siding, calling out the date and time to no one as it burned.
The Martian — the chameleon — who changed to be who others longed for and died in the maelstrom of their conflicting desires.
And the Rocket Man who died when his rocket fell into the sun, just when he had promised his family to stay home with them after one last trip.
Heart-breaking. Truthful. Painful. Gorgeous. Raw. Philosophical.
Your passionate commitment to envisioning the future has changed many lives for the better.
Your words made me think.
They made me feel.
I thank you.
Photo taken by Will Hart, used with permission under Creative Commons licensing
Very nice, Jenna. Would you please share some of the titles of the above stories? I just read my first Bradbury, and want to explore more. Your choices sound marvelous. Thanks!
JT, I’m so glad you liked the post and asked about the stories.
Let’s see:
The tale of the man who drowned himself in the endless rain of Venus, “sitting on a rock with his head back, breathing the rain.” — that’s from “The Long Rain” in “The Illustrated Man”
The April witch, Cecy, who could flit from being to being but longed to fall in love, even if it meant giving up her powers.
— “The April Witch” from “The Golden Apples of the Sun”
The mechanical house dying after a nuclear holocaust, shadows of its family etched against its blackened siding, calling out the date and time to no one as it burned. — “There Will Come Soft Rains” in “The Martian Chronicles”
The Martian — the chameleon — who changed to be who others longed for and died in the maelstrom of their conflicting desires. — “The Martian” in “The Martian Chronicles”
And the Rocket Man who died when his rocket fell into the sun, just when he had promised his family to stay home with them after one last trip. — “The Rocket Man” in “The Illustrated Man”
I didn’t realize I had already put so many of the titles into the post. I hope you read and enjoy them as much as I did.
Hi Jenna,
Just found you and have enjoyed your site. Do you recall the story about the children who were half alien, and didn’t know it until their parents were killed in a car crash? Don’t remember the boy’s gift, but the girl was a ‘sensitive’- but didn’t know how to control it. I identified with her as a child, and it has become more true with age. I am a sensitive; I can ‘know’ the future, know about people, and have been attempting to negotiate the wild ride of being an hsp, mensa, etc. I have filtered out most all the information, and focused on being a business intuitive, which is fun. I have a couple of patents I’m trying to sell, and have tried to find a ‘home’ for this gift. I can do it ‘at will’ for any industry. The challenge is, how to get to businesses! My ‘gift’ suggested going to Advertising Agencies, as it would be a ‘win-win’; they would gain loyalty with clients, offering R&D in new products and services. The would be new media sales for the products, and perhaps licensing fees. The agencies I’ve contacted either are embarrased to tell the management/owner where the ideas came from (can’t get to the CEOs; must go through sales management), or I can’t get to see anyone. It’s the most frustrating feeling-having a wonderful gift, doing nothing. I do help my local businesses, though- I’m an Ambassador for the Chamber of Commerce, and share with my town. Anyway, don’t know why I’m spilling all this out to you, but just want you to know you’re appreciated by the people ‘out here’! I saw some nasty blog remarks by ignorant people; I know you are smart enough to ignore them, but it was part of the impetous to write. Have a great summer! Janet in Central California
Hi Janet,
Thanks for your note! I don’t remember that story. Do you happen to remember the name? I tried goggling it and it sounded like it might be the Starman TV series? It sounds like something I’d like.
You may want to focus on working with businesses who are more open to the gift you have to share — small businesses, coaches, spiritual practitioners, healers, etc. It’s always tricky to find a good audience.
I haven’t seen any nasty comments for a long while, but I do make a point to ignore them. :)
Thanks for posting, Janet!