Daily writing prompt

What major historical events do you remember?

View all responses

Hurricane Donna in 1960, John Glenn orbiting the earth, the Cuban Missile Crisis, JFK’s assassination in 1963, the big blackout in the northeast in 1965, the Apollo 1 disaster in 1967, RFK’s assassination, MLK’s assassination (1968 was a helluva year), the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, the end of the Vietnam War, Watergate and NIxon’s resignation, the attempts on the lives of Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, the U.S. victory over the Soviet hockey team at Lake Placid in 1980; various snowstorms like one on Christmas Eve 1962, I think, and the Blizzard of ’78 (awesome!); The Challenger disaster, the fall of the USSR, the release of Nelson Mandela, the Y2K non-event, 09/11/01, the Columbia disaster, the Red Sox’ World Series victory in 2004, Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath, the arrival of the iPhone in 2007, Barack Obama’s election in 2008, various and numerous mass shootings, Hillary Clinton’s run for the Presidency, Covid 19, 01/06/2021. Recent history is chockful of happenings, not all good, especially since November 2016.

I’m sure I’m leaving out a bunch of stuff.

Daily writing prompt

What are you most proud of in your life?

View all responses

I think it would have to be our children. They’re good people, attentive and loving parents, they work hard, they’ve all found partners who love them and appear to be in it for the long haul. I know there were things we probably could have done differently as we raised them, but they’ve turned out alright and I’m happy for them, and because of them.

Daily writing prompt

What have you been working on?

View all responses

Removing an old shed, with attached dog house. We rented a dumpster, and tore the whole structure down last week. So now we have to prepare a gravel pad for the new one, which will be arriving in pieces and assembled in one day, sometime in the next few weeks.

I also saved some of the 2x4s from the shed, which I hope to use to build a roll-around cart for a couple of tools that need to come off the workbench.

Nothing of great significance– no treatise on world peace or anything like that– but something we’ve been talking about doing for a while.

Daily writing prompt

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

View all responses

I’ve never had a surplus of self-confidence. I assume this is apparent to the astute observer or anyone who’s gotten to know me somewhat well. It’s not that I can’t function, or even summon the chutzpah to tackle some challenge, or project, but I’ve always had to deal with a sense of inferiority or some such thing. The way this manifests itself is in my hesitancy to try anything at which I might fail, for fear of looking impotent and stupid, for fear of being called out for not knowing something that should somehow have been common knowledge by now.

There often seems to be some mountain to climb.

Daily writing prompt

Do lazy days make you feel rested or unproductive?

View all responses

Most days it’s the latter. Now that I’m retired, I try to convince myself that I’ve somehow earned some lazy days, but even when that works, there’s still a part of me that feels like I should be more gainfully engaged in… something. Whether it’s irony or just guilt, most lazy days are not very satisfying, and the ones that are usually are only parts of a day, after a period of busyness and exertion– a deserved reward, I guess.

Daily writing prompt

When you think of the word “successful,” who’s the first person that comes to mind and why?

View all responses

It wasn’t Elon Musk or Donald Trump. Without thinking very long, the first name that came to mind was Warren Buffett. I don’t know much about him, but from what I’ve seen and heard, he seems like a pretty practical guy. Not flashy, but sensible and wise.

With a bit more deliberation, I am thinking about anyone who has felt purposeful or called, had or has a certain drive or vision, and sees it to completion. Success is often tied to money, but there are other ways to measure it: self-satisfaction, goals reached, improving lives, relieving suffering, overcoming challenges and doubt.

Daily writing prompt

What makes a good neighbor?

View all responses

Good question. I think maybe there are different levels of neighbor. Some keep to themselves, others are more outgoing. For me, it’s someone who stops to say hi and chat, someone who exerts a bit of effort to maintain their property, who respects boundary lines but isn’t necessarily a stickler about it.

A good neighbor lets you borrow a tool if the need exists. They have a sense of decorum when it comes to making noise, they keep an eye on the place when you’re away, pick up the mail, etc..

In general, someone who’s cordial and considerate.

Daily writing prompt

What could you try for the first time?

View all responses

Zip-lining, various food items, wood turning, maybe driving a stick so I could do a lap or two at Pocono Raceway.

Daily writing prompt

What principles define how you live?

View all responses

Be loyal, be kind, be willing to lend a hand, find a way to respond when people in power are acting like idiots. Find courage, fight fear. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

The NRSV version of Romans 12, particularly verses 9-13, sums it up pretty well. I don’t know what to make of the church anymore, but Paul’s words here still strike a chord.

Daily writing prompt

What have you been putting off doing? Why?

View all responses

The first thing to come to mind is digitizing the collection of 35mm slides and negatives we have. There’s quite an accumulation, it’s a painstaking process, and I can see myself getting easily sidetracked by the sleeves of prints mixed in– I’d be sitting there looking at those instead of tending to business. And we currently don’t have the piece of equipment needed for the transfer.

It’s a project worth doing, and also one easily ignored. But it’s not like my schedule is packed…