Daily writing prompt

Are you patriotic? What does being patriotic mean to you?

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I used to be. Not so much lately, if by patriotic one means a flag-waving, “America- love it or leave it” unquestioning allegiance. The whole concept of national pride isn’t holding as much water as it once did. It’s starting to feel provincial and naive. I’m tired of all the boasting and crowing and concern with “national interests.”

That being said, when the Olympics roll around, or there’s some other international sporting event, I still root for Americans most of the time.

I’m moved by the ideals and possibilities of what America could be, what the world could be– not by what we’re currently seeing and hearing from our so-called leaders.

Daily writing prompt

Have you ever unintentionally broken the law?

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A group of us got stopped for jaywalking once, and I got a couple of speeding tickets in close succession.

The speeding infractions really got under my skin– not because I wasn’t driving a bit faster than I should have been, but because I had to pay fines and spend money that could have been spent in a hundred better ways, or saved.

Daily writing prompt

If there were a biography about you, what would the title be?

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“Nondescript” or “The Opposite of Kinetic”

Daily writing prompt

What were your parents doing at your age?

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Dad had been retired for a few years, golfing, painting, and singing in a local chapter of a barbershop chorus group. Mom was semi-retired, still involved in the music ministry at the nursery and preschool she once directed, and also at the church where she’d been a member since baptism. Mom was also perfectly content to be at home, receiving company and enjoying afternoon coffee and goodies.

They were traveling periodically, visiting family, celebrating birthdays and other occasions. They were getting away to Florida and several other destinations with family members and friends. So, still quite healthy and active.

Daily writing prompt

If you had the power to change one law, what would it be and why?

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If I had the power… it might be to restore Roe v Wade, because no woman should have to live under the thumb of people– including a fair share of men– who ignore or misread the separation of church and state.

Restoration would of course involve, in most instances, leaving an inherently monumental decision and its consequences to the woman and anyone she chooses to consult.

No earthling gets to play God, or act as if he or she possesses proper authority over someone else’s bodily autonomy– as odious and “un-Christian” as the outcome may seem to them.

Daily writing prompt

Write about your dream home.

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I think of such things through the lens of a shared dream with my wife, but personally speaking, my dream home would have some land, maybe two acres, well drained, with an outbuilding big enough to store items we use on a regular basis for yard care, etc., and space for a well-appointed wood shop.

The house itself would be modest but well-conceived, with room to host company. It would utilize solar power–both passive and panels– and geothermal wells; there would be an attached garage and a finished basement with TV/entertainment room. Maybe a rancher with an open floor plan. There’d be a sewing room, an office, and a well-appointed kitchen with induction stovetop and room for an island and storage of essential food prep items– a place in which people would want to gather and linger without being packed like sardines.

There would be a sunken living room with a higher ceiling, baby grand piano, comfortable seating, a properly vented gas fireplace, with an adjacent dining area and giant table.

It would have a substantial back patio with some sort of protection from the elements, open to a good-sized lawn with a glorious shade tree, several fruit trees, and a pleasing mix of flowers and shrubs and space for a vegetable garden.

Ideally, on a hill or at least high enough ground to enjoy an unfettered view of sunrises or sunsets, and far enough away from light pollution so we can stargaze and see the Milky Way, maybe even warranting a small backyard observatory.

Daily writing prompt

You get some great, amazingly fantastic news. What’s the first thing you do?

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Hard to say for sure, but maybe an understated, subdued fist pump, followed by a brief look skyward, for some reason, then share it with my wife.

Daily writing prompt

Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time?

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Going to church. And I’m still not sure what to make of that. I contemplate returning, but can’t come up with a good reason for doing so– which feels like a loss and I’m not sure why.

Daily writing prompt

What’s your favorite candy?

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Dark chocolate anything, including those solid Lindt bars, with SweetTarts a distant second.

Daily writing prompt

Do you need a break? From what?

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Yes! From the barrage of bad news and angst and manufactured drama and loudness that often accompany news reports and newsfeeds I check. I need to take a break from checking them, find a good book or a hobby, walk away for a while. Or just take a walk.

Of course, I lack the discipline to refrain for very long, so the stress and frustration are mostly self-inflicted. Gotta stay informed, though, so I guess anyone who takes the world seriously just picks their poison and guts it out, looks for ways to make sense of whatever can be made sense of.

There’s probably a better way to explain that.