Daily writing prompt

If you could go back in time and give your younger self advice, what would it be?

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I’ve covered most everything I could think to say in previous responses to this prompt, except maybe an exhortation to hold onto whatever optimism you can muster when unduly loud voices try to make you think there is no place for virtue or ideals in this world; that you aren’t mistaken or a pollyanna for taking the high road and believing that good people exist and some of them are in public service and there is at least a spark in them that fires a desire to do good and right things.

And to hell with that relative handful of wildly rich, self-interested naysayers and skeptics who have little faith in humanity, who choose to never rise above the petty jealousies and dark world views and deprived childhoods and tired thinking that clouds their vision and perpetuates division and pecking orders.

There are things no one can take away from us, among them being self-respect and a capacity for envisioning a better future, and maybe an evolved take on what it means to be given life and breath.

Daily writing prompt

Which celebrity would you love to meet, and what would you talk about?

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The concept of celebrity has always rankled me. Admittedly, some of my resentment comes from pure envy and jealousy. But most of it stems from a belief that there’s such a shallowness to it, and the shallowness pervades society, in some ways.

Some peoples’ fifteen minutes lasts longer than others’, but there’s this overriding feeling that it’s all a house built on sand, and the mystique that develops is a mere consequence of seeing someone on a big screen or on a stage and getting caught up in the “bigger than life” dynamic that makes us swoon or get weak in the knees or gives us a feeling that we’ve just seen a unicorn or something.

I think I’d like to meet Stephen Colbert, Paul McCartney, or Sheryl Crow. And, as I’ve mentioned before, Bobby Orr, who comes by his celebrity by way of being a rare breed of athlete who somehow remained humble while transforming his sport.

I don’t know what we’d talk about. It’d be some form of picking their brains. I’d have to devise a list of questions that weren’t so trite and stale that they’d want to walk away after 2 minutes.

As I’m writing this, I’m realizing that “celebrity” can also include people like John Lewis, the former civil rights leader and Congressman from Georgia. I would love to have had the honor of being in his presence, asking him questions worthy of the time he’d free up so we could talk.

Daily writing prompt

What does it mean to be a good person?

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It’s someone who shows up, who has a heart, who listens and cares, who maybe isn’t quite as concerned about finding “balance” all the time. Someone who drains their batteries more often than others, who does more than preach, who isn’t really worried about what others think of them when it comes to doing the right thing. And there is often a right thing.

Maybe someone who lives out Romans 12:9-18, whether or not they’ve ever set foot in a church or opened a Bible.

Daily writing prompt

What’s a country that’s at the top of your bucket list?

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Iceland. It looks like an interesting place to visit, and we could make a long weekend out of it. And a river cruise on the Rhine looks like it would be a wonderful thing– Switzerland, France, Germany. Wow.

Daily writing prompt

What are your strategies for SEO?

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I don’t have any strategies for search engine optimization. I didn’t sign up for this with site improvement in mind. This has always only been an outlet for putting thoughts to paper, so to speak. The words, meager as they are at times, are really all I care about. I’m grateful for those who read and like what I post, but I’m resigned to the fact that I will never develop a huge readership.

Maybe I should work on more clever or catchy titles for the posts.

Daily writing prompt

What’s one thing you know now that would have saved your younger self a lot of pain?

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That diet and exercise regimens are worth forming into habits, and I should have paid more attention to things financial. I know that’s two things, but they share the podium.

Daily writing prompt

What’s the weirdest movie you’ve ever watched?

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There have been others, most likely, but the one that comes to mind is 2001: A Space Odyssey. I don’t think I even watched the whole thing but saw enough of it to make me wonder what it was about. At the time, I remember it seeming quite weird.

It’s been a long time. I should probably try watching it in its entirety. I hear it’s a bit prescient.

Daily writing prompt

Tell us about your morning routine.

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It’s been nine years or so of getting up at 5am or shortly thereafter, making my morning cold brew concoction, and settling in with a daily journal entry and then writing here in WordPress, sometimes checking news happenings, and just generally enjoying the quiet of the morning. The rest of the day commences around 7:30 or so, with breakfast, etc.

Lately, the 5am alarm is going off and I’m hitting the snooze button more often than not. Been thinking about moving the wake-up call to 6am.

Daily writing prompt

What’s the best way to meet new people while traveling?

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Dare to strike up a conversation with the person sitting next to you on the plane, or in an Uber, or at a restaurant or bar or other activities. I’ve never been one for doing any of that, usually just keep to myself. I often assume that people are preoccupied with making their gate or heading somewhere in a hurry, or, for some other reason, too busy or just not interested in chatting.

For me, making conversation or meeting new people is often not a priority.

Daily writing prompt

If aliens arrived tomorrow, what’s the first thing you’d ask them?

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Where are you from? How long have you been traveling? Do you come in peace?

I’ve seen too many movies, and I assume they understand English.