Thunderstorms. I think I’ve just outgrown the fear and understand them better. Anymore and for quite a while now, I’ve found them intriguing and awesome, but still something to be respected. It’s not wise to be cavalier when lightning is involved.
Tag: dailyprompt
Perspective Shift
I think it takes a certain fearlessness, a bit of determination, and finally just saying to oneself that you can’t live your life fearing mistakes or a cold shoulder. No one is perfect, and the ones who look like they are have taken a few falls along the way, have put in the time and effort, and have simply decided to engage rather than withdraw.
It sounds a bit clinical, but there is trial and error involved, whether it’s learning a skill or simply interacting with other people. A certain level of trust begins to replace fear and suspicion, and confidence grows. One also hopefully learns that a good mentor is a gift, and that losing or failure are definitely not the end of the world.
It’s the old cliche about putting oneself out there, and being mindful of an Albert Einstein maxim: “Failure is success in progress.”
Truth Be Told
I initially joined WordPress because I felt I needed an outlet for the observations and opinions rattling around in my brain. I wasn’t giving much thought to having people who, on a regular basis, actually read what I wrote.
But there is something wondrous, something rewarding and seductive about publishing entries that people from all over the world respond to, seeing the Views and Likes spike, relatively speaking, every now and then, and getting an occasional comment.
I’d be lying if I said that a loyal and growing subscriber base isn’t something I occasionally think about. I do appreciate and have become familiar with some of the names of folks who check in on a daily basis and click the Like button. Thank you!!
But a larger scale development of readership isn’t going to happen without much more effort on my part to improve the look of my site, or improving my writing, which is not something that happens overnight.
Other than being consistent– trying to contribute at least one post every day– I don’t take advantage of the graphics or layout options available, doctor up the presentation, or spend any time making my site more appealing in a visual way.
It is the written content of the posts themselves that I will always be more concerned about.
My goals, such as they are, are modest. I simply appreciate this platform as a space in which to express myself. I’m not that interested in, or perhaps not that motivated by the packaging.
In my perfect world, the writing would be enough to interest and sustain anyone who visited the site. That is the ongoing inspiration and challenge.
Not Always
Daily writing prompt
Share a proverb you think is completely wrong and make your case.
Every cloud has a silver lining… It’s not completely wrong, but if one finds him- or herself often searching for meaning or an upside in the midst of trials and tribulations that come with a certain regularity, I would think it becomes a tedious chore to always have to be looking on the bright side. It’s more honest just to say “this sucks” and call it what it is.
And two heads are better than one…? Not if you’re talking about the Trump administration, where it’s more often a doubling of the trouble.
Whatever Gets You Through the Door
My take on this is laced with skepticism bordering on cynicism.
If I’m grasping the concept properly, it sounds like destiny is in play. It is difficult for me to read that much into anything, to believe that there is only one person out there– on this entire planet– with whom one could make a life. It’s romantic, I guess, and it might add staying power and poignancy to a relationship. I’ve always felt, though, that it seems a bit over-the-top, too cinematic and starry-eyed and unrealistic.
If people feel this way about each other, more power to them. I just wonder how long the head-over-heels feeling can last, and if sustenance and long-term commitment aren’t made of sterner stuff.
Pie In the Sky
Daily writing prompt
What’s something you’d love to see in the future, but know you probably won’t live to witness?
Where we easily tire of egomaniacs and despots, and can readily stifle and quash their aspirations.
Where there is a concerted effort, as a species, to recognize our caretaking responsibilities– for one another, for the planet. Where we acknowledge and honor one another’s humanity, and put down the weapons of war– which could facilitate a massive re-allocation of resources away from destruction and toward research and discovery and an age of peace.
Where everyone possesses a bullshit meter calibrated to recognize the faintest hint of ill intent and skullduggery.
There’d be a lot of evolving to do between now and then.
Stripping Away the Chaff
I had to read up on this, since I think I get the basic gist, but not the details.
According to an article entitled Becoming Minimalist, written by Joshua Becker, minimalism involves intentionally promoting the things we most value and removing everything that distracts us from those things. According to Becker, it is a freedom from the passion to possess– it steps off the treadmill of consumerism and dares to seek happiness elsewhere.
Minimalism is a freedom from modern mania, it slows life down and frees us from this modern hysteria to live faster. It is a freedom from duplicity, it is counter-cultural, and it is internal– not external. Removing the physical clutter allows one to more clear-headedly address issues that impact relationships and our lives.
What’s not to like about simplifying things? I’m not sure I could live with such wholesale intentionality, though I see the wisdom in it.
So, yes, as far as believing in minimalism. Living it would be another matter.
Surprise!
Daily writing prompt
What’s a moment in your life that felt like it was straight out of a movie?
After publishing this, I might think of something else, but the only moment that’s coming to mind seems like something that would nowadays show up in a YouTube clip about surprising loved ones with an unexpected visit.
Long after we had all married and started families and moved to different states, my brothers and I traveled back to Massachusetts to surprise our parents around the time of their birthdays, I think it was. We hatched a somewhat elaborate scheme to stay out of sight until the appropriate time, and the “reveal” was everything one might hope it would be. It was a great weekend.
Immersed
Daily writing prompt
What’s the first book you ever finished and still remember to this day?
I was read to early on, so it’s likely that we finished a few books, but I can’t remember the first one I finished on my own, until high school. It might have been either of a couple mentioned in other posts– To Kill A Mockingbird, or A Separate Peace.
Come to think of it, I read a few of the Doc Savage series from cover to cover, so it actually might have been one of those.
Some Words to Live By
Daily writing prompt
What’s the most profound piece of advice you’ve been given? Did you take it?
There have been many pieces of advice along the way, words and actions and such from parents and others. But the one that seems to have drilled the deepest into the memory banks is from a poster in my third grade classroom: “Maturity is the ability to forego the immediate pleasure in favor of the long-term gain.” Or something like that.
Seems pretty deep for a roomful of 8- and 9-year-olds. This pearl has been rattling around in my brain for a long time, though I haven’t always taken it to heart.
3 Cents' 