Daily writing prompt

What is your mission?

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Don’t have one, which isn’t to say I don’t have a list of things I’d like to get to. I realize it’s only a writing prompt, but in terms of some higher order purpose in life, I can feel my blood pressure rise when a question like this is posed.

Short answer is, I don’t know. A longer response might entail an enumeration of what I’ve aready done during my working years, set alongside my current desire to call my own shots and do what I want to do. For a while, at least.

A mission is currently low on the priority list. The word itself strikes me as cliche, and it exhausts me.

This question implies some sort of obligation on my part– an obligation to be useful, to make this world a better place… and all that. I guess what I’m saying is that my plate is full enough tending to my marriage, our growing family, yardwork, and an occasional project or two. Anything beyond these I gladly relinquish to someone with more energy and a better attitude.

Daily writing prompt

What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?

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A friend’s father used to say that he was going to live to be 100. An honorable goal, I guess. I don’t know his reasoning for setting it, or if he made it that far. And I’m not sure to what extent sheer will plays a role in length of days.

Living a very long life so as to postpone death is one thing. Living a very long life that still means something to somebody is another. The usual conversation on this topic goes something like, “I’d have to still enjoy a quality of life. I’d still want a certain autonomy, the capacity to function and interact, and not be a burden on anyone…”

A cold take on things might get one thinking that if we stick around long enough, we do become burdens. We take up space and deplete resources that could be used by someone younger and more vital. Of course, vitality is already no longer the sole possession of the young.

If my longevity came at the cost of burdening or outliving friends and family, then I’d have to say no to this. If we as a species are at a point where we could support longevity across generations, then maybe.

It seems that a long life is still something of a happy accident or a curse, a combination of lifestyle choices, dietary habits, genes, and the motivation that comes from a fear of death as an unknown. It makes sense that we hold onto what we know for as long as we can.

Daily writing prompt

What could you do differently?

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Lots of things, I suppose. I could be less cynical, more adventurous, less fearful of failure, more observant, a better listener, more frugal, more interested. Somehow, more fun to be around.

Yikes.

Daily writing prompt

If you had a freeway billboard, what would it say?

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The very first thing that came to mind was “Wake up and smell the coffee!” Bold, black lettering on a white background, no adornment. For some, it might serve as a reminder to head to the nearest Starbucks or Dunkin’ or some other favorite coffee stop. For others, it might be received as a conversation starter, a prompt all its own. Or maybe derisively sneered at in puzzlement.

If it was mine to use on a regular basis– and it was one of those digital models– I’d have to line up a daily bit of insight. If it was a more traditional board where someone had to climb up and “change the wallpaper,” it might be a weekly offering of some nugget of wisdom, maybe a short joke or something open-ended that would keep folks watching for a follow-up.

If it was mine to use only once, that would demand more thought. A freeway billboard is likely to be seen by thousands of people on a daily basis, if it’s located in the right spot. So, whatever went up would have to be concise, readable without being a distraction, and thought-provoking. Maybe a picture, no words. A picture of a flower growing in the middle of a paved road. I’ve always liked that image, for some reason.

Maybe something like, “If you find something beautiful in someone, tell them.” Or “Opinions don’t define your reality.” Or how about one from Albert Einstein: “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”

Daily writing prompt

Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?

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Hard to quantify, but maybe it’s still somewhere in the vicinity of 50-50. I spend a fair amount of time fixated on climate ills, the seeming intractability and ineptitude of certain leaders of government, and what this all means for our future.

But I can also pivot and take a trip down memory lane anytime I look at our digital picture frame or talk with my brothers in our weekly Zoom session, and pretty much anytime I decide to listen to music. My preferences are for artists from the late 60s through the mid- to late 70s, though I might have a few favorites from somewhere in the 80s.

It has been something like a switch being flipped since I hit the 70 mark. I’ve been doing more evaluating, more soul searching and assessing. More reminiscing, more coming to terms with the fact that there’s much less of life in front of me than behind, anymore.

Yet somewhere in the midst of all this, I try to navigate the present, which is where I’d prefer to focus my energy, but which isn’t always easy. This is where a certain sense of urgency resides, though– in the here and now.

Daily writing prompt

What is the greatest gift someone could give you?

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Honestly, a couple of million dollars. That would ease certain burdens and take a few chronic worries off the table.

Taking a step back from that pipedream, I’d have to say the gift of a new mindset. I don’t particularly like the one I currently have, and wish someone could give me a few tools to help me process my cynical and often dour outlook on the state of the world. I don’t compartmentalize very well, can’t understand how people even do that.

So… resilience, creativity, serenity, maybe a more robust sense of humor.