Daily writing prompt

Which languages do you speak and how did that impact your life?

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Just English. I took Spanish and French in high school, learned a bit of Swedish in college, and did what I could with Greek in seminary, but I became proficient in none of those.

Knowing English has been enough to carry me through life, but being able to converse in something other than one’s native tongue has always seemed like a great achievement to me. Anyone who is multilingual has my respect, especially those who come to this country and have to learn English on the fly.

Daily writing prompt

What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you?

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Look around you, listen and learn. Take a break from the electronics— on a regular basis. Step away from that noise. The world isn’t necessarily as you view it in a TikTok video, or whatever the current worldwide delivery system has to offer.

Don’t listen to the naysayers, and take with a grain of salt whatever a bully might be able to summon in the way of insults and caustic remarks. Seek out a trusted friend or two— there’s nothing wrong with a small circle of friends. You don’t have to be everybody’s buddy.

Learn patience, be kind. If you’re looking for a religious community, seek out one that isn’t afraid of questions and doubts, one that’s intentional about being engaged and relieving suffering, one that indeed welcomes all and doesn’t claim inerrancy as a selling point.

Know that this earthly life can take a toll on us all, that no one is close to being perfect, and most of us are looking for love, maybe even redemption.

Daily writing prompt

What’s your top tip to be successful in life?

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Don’t know as I’m the one to ask about that. It seems that it might begin with one’s own dreams and aspirations, with one’s sitz im leben, or setting in life.
Does a person possess a certain indomitable spirit that allows them to rise above what could be viewed as a lack of opportunity? Do they set their sights high and refuse failure as an option? Do they catch a break every now and then? Do they have people who support them along the way?

And how do they themselves define success?

I guess my only tip is to avoid defining it too narrowly, as if the only success that matters is of a financial nature, or status-oriented. It seems it’s easy to linger in that shallow water.

Daily writing prompt

What’s a book, movie, or TV show that you wish you could experience again for the first time?

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In some ways, this dynamic already presents itself as a function of my age and all the water under the bridge. I might pick up To Kill a Mockingbird, or watch Dances with Wolves or Castaway or M*A*S*H and experience them differently because my perceptions and understandings have been influenced and shaped along the way.

For the sake of this prompt, I think I’d like to experience The Wizard of Oz, the 1939 movie, for the first time.

Daily writing prompt

What’s a common misconception people have about happiness?

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I suppose the classic assumption that money or power bring happiness, when maybe it’s more about having enough to provide food, clothing, and shelter, along with enjoying a certain level of respect and appreciation.

It seems to me that happiness of a basic sort means having needs met, feeling loved and supported.

I find it hard to believe that the lifestyles of the rich and famous can automatically be equated with being happy. Yes, I’d rather have money than not have it, but at some point working for a living can turn into an endless pursuit, where people lose sight of what it means to simply have enough.

Daily writing prompt

If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be and why?

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Sight reading any piano piece.

Daily writing prompt

What is one way you have grown this year?

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Physically heavier and a bit softer– I haven’t been to the Y since January. I’ve tried to get some exercise in other ways, but it can’t approximate what I’d be doing in the gym.

And I don’t know if it can be called growth, but my attitude in general has been weighted toward cynical skepticism– if that’s even a thing– as I realize the fate of the world is currently in the hands of lunatics and pretenders.

Daily writing prompt

Write your guide to setting healthy boundaries in relationships.

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Work on creating a culture of trust. Laugh often. Give each other the benefit of the doubt, at least in the beginning. Recognize that the other is a one-of-a-kind human being with their own origin story. Listen to the story. Check in, but not so often that it gets annoying. Do an unexpected nice thing every now and then. Give each other space. Support each other in their aspirations. Push each other from time to time, but not constantly. Be realistic. Relax. Don’t be in a hurry to move on to The Next Thing. Enjoy each other’s company. Breathe.

Daily writing prompt

Do you think humans will ever colonize Mars? What would life there actually look like?

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I don’t really care. If we do, we do. I’m just not sure what purpose it will serve, other than proof that we could do it. There are most likely visionaries who can see all sorts of benefits, or vendors and manufacturers with dollar signs in their eyes, but colonization would be only for those who could afford it, were handpicked to propagate our species, and who could stand the 7-9-month trip, based on current modes of propulsion.

It’s cynical, I know, but I don’t see the value. And quality of life would be assessed in a different way, couched in a certain amount of restraint and restriction, since the Martian atmosphere is much thinner and colder and harsher than Earth’s.

I’m not a big proponent, but there are those who figure that we’re doing a fine job of messing up our current planetary home, so we best develop a Plan B. If there were important learnings that could benefit us back here on Earth, I might soften the skepticism a bit.

Daily writing prompt

What’s your favorite meme?

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There’s one with the Dos Equis guy that has a picture of him with the words, “I don’t often crop pictures, but when I do…” and the last line is unreadable.

There’s a short video clip of a woman fresh from a dentist appointment who can’t close her eye and has a droopy lip. I laugh every time I see it, and that’s without the sound turned on.

Another is a picture of a young, attractive couple who must be candidates for a home improvement show or something, with the caption, “I walk iguanas and my wife sells umbrella insurance from home. Our budget is $2.1 million.”

And from the El Arroyo sign, somewhere in Texas: “What if soy milk is just regular milk introducing itself in Spanish?”

There are so many.