Daily writing prompt

What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a meal? Was it worth it?

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I honestly don’t remember. I’ve been treated to a couple meals that were over $200.00 for 3 people– once for steaks and once for Japanese food. For some, that would probably be chicken feed, but for me, it seemed like a lot of money.

Now that I think about it, we did pay for guests’ buffet breakfast the morning after our daughter got married. I recall a bill of around $1K, which, again, may not sound like much.

Daily writing prompt

List 30 things that make you happy.

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Coffee, exercise, the early-morning routine, a good night’s sleep, playing the piano, my Ipad and other gadgets, walking with my wife, pouring a glass of wine and preparing a meal, sharing a meal, our Tuesday Zoom sessions, spending time with the grandchildren and their parents, working with my son, Maine, a roadtrip to Colorado, visiting family in New England, dramatic scenery, thunderstorms, a gentle all-day rain, most of my in-laws, a bowl of cereal, popcorn, bird songs, a car that runs, mowing the lawn, streaming a good show, the Undo icon, cut and paste, a watch that keeps accurate time, cold pizza, and trees.

Daily writing prompt

Describe one habit that brings you joy.

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Not many to choose from, but I’d have to say the early start every morning. The alarm goes off at 5, I sometimes hit the snooze button but eventually land downstairs in my spot on the couch, cold brew poured, laptop on. I proceed to write in my journal, then here in WordPress. This has been the flow for eight years now, with the occasional exception of when we’re away visiting and I may or may not feel like taking a break from this routine. I’m never away for very long, though. The prospect of putting thoughts to paper– or a Word document– always calls me back.

Daily writing prompt

What are you curious about?

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Whether or not God and heaven exist; if any of the current theories about the universe will be proven to hold water, and who will be around to know?; how light and color actually work. Did our ancestors have an innate sense for what was and wasn’t edible, or was it trial and error? What existed before the Big Bang– was that infinitely dense particle sitting on a table? What is the half-life of a Twinkie? Are ticks and gnats even part of a food chain? Will there ever come a time when all cancers will be curable? Will anyone ever live in a moment when we’ve evolved far enough to have been freed of the propensity for war? In a hundred years, will the human race still exist, or will we finally succumb to nuclear annihilation or, environmentally, reach the point of no return and the earth rids itself of its most destructive pest? Will we ever find another planet with similar conditions that’s within a reasonable travel distance to even think about colonizing? Will America make it through the next 3 1/2 years intact? Why do we have to show restraint when it comes to food– why can’t we just eat what tastes good and makes us happy? What is the difference between music and everyday speech? Why do we age? Why death? Will humanity ever be capable of learning from its mistakes? Will we get answers to all our questions?!

Daily writing prompt

Write about a random act of kindness you’ve done for someone.

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I paid for a stranger’s meal at Louis Armstrong International Airport. I’ve held the door for many people over the years, returned money or some item someone has dropped or forgotten at checkout, and I assist folks with retrieving items off the top shelf at Walmart.

Nothing of great significance, but random, I guess.

Daily writing prompt

What traditions have you not kept that your parents had?

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The one that sits front and center is church involvement, at least recently. After 65-plus years of attending somewhere, our involvement of late is watching a streamed service, on occasion, from the congregation where our daughter serves as music director. Mom and Dad were always deeply involved in the local Lutheran congregation in town, and so were we when we lived under their roof, and for years after. But not anymore.

My parents were not strict constructionists when it came to observing traditions, besides attending church. Most every other “tradition” involved food and fellowship. Time with extended family was intrinsically important, and it never hurt to have coffee and a goodie or two on hand.

Daily writing prompt

Was today typical?

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Hard to know. It’s only 6am EDT. So far, it’s been fairly typical– the alarm went off at 5, I hit the snooze prompt once, got up, hit the bathroom, poured myself some cold brew, took a sip of water, headed downstairs, turned on the dehumidifier, sat down on the couch, and fired up the sluggish laptop (must be updating).

Weather-wise, it looks like another day in the steamroom, with some relief coming later in the week.

Daily writing prompt

If you could bring back one dinosaur, which one would it be?

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One of the sauropods, the big herbivores– Diplodicus, Brachiosaurus, Dreadnoughtus, Argentinosaurus. T-rex and Velociraptor are so cliche, and for some reason it bothers me that they get all the attention. I like the more docile giants.

Like a Newfie, on steroids.

Daily writing prompt

If you won two free plane tickets, where would you go?

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If my wife could be talked into getting on a plane, probably out to see our daughter and son-in-law in Colorado. If not CO, maybe Hawaii?

Otherwise, maybe give them to someone, or look into a cash equivalent– if these options were available.

Daily writing prompt

What’s the story behind your nickname?

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I guess it depends on who you talk to. I’ve had several, along the way. One was “Jed,” a mistake made by my Scoutmaster who got me confused with another guy in the troop. Another was “Og 1,” because I was the oldest of three brothers. And another, less used one was “Pencil,” because I was tall and thin.

But not that thin.