Daily writing prompt

What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain.

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Good question. My father used to ask me, periodically, “So, do you think you’ll ever amount to anything?” I never really hated the question. Maybe I was more confused by it, though I remember usually taking it with a grain of salt, assuming that he was being playful and asking the same thing of my siblings.

I always said Yes, even though I had no plan or little reason for confidence. Besides, whether or not I ever amounted to anything wouldn’t be my question to answer. I came to see this as a reflection of what Dad thought of himself, because of what he perceived as a lack of societally sanctioned “achievements” in his life. He could get down on himself pretty easily, even though to my brothers and sisters and I, he was always the best dad in the world, and loved and respected by everyone around him.

I guess the question I hate most, whether asked outright or insinuated with body language or a glance, is “What are we gonna do today?”– as if every day must have an agenda and a To Do list, as in “Time to get your ass in gear.” I really am annoyed by that, for some reason. The days of being concerned with purposeful busyness have been over for a while.

Daily writing prompt

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

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I’m having trouble zeroing in on an example of this– not that there haven’t been failures along the way– but nothing specific is coming to mind where failure led to success. I guess in a more generic sense, from the perspective of an institutional failure, the closure of a place where I worked and the subsequent need to engage in further training so I could stay employed and earn a paycheck led to the best job I ever had and a growing feeling that I was ready to take on more responsibility, which in turn led to leaving town for seminary and 26 years as an ordained minister.

Apart from that whole process, I have failed from time to time to interpret signals and listen to my wife, and that is a lesson I sadly continue to learn. It’s always been unclear what success looks like, in this case. As Winston Churchill once put it– in a different context– it’s been more of a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

Daily writing prompt

You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence?

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Central Massachusetts wasn’t a bad place to grow up… or Being the oldest of five was a mixed blessing… or It’s been a non-descript life, but at least it was mine… or I was born on a Sunday... or I don’t consider my life to be autobiographically worthy… or It’s been a long, mostly unremarkable ride…

I don’t plan on writing an autobiography.

Daily writing prompt

What are three objects you couldn’t live without?

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I suppose, when push comes to shove, I could live without a lot of things. But in broad terms and for the sake of this prompt, I’d find it difficult to part with food, clothing, and shelter. A fine-tuned version might include my watch, my iPad, and comfortable footwear.

Daily writing prompt

What experiences in life helped you grow the most?

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Boy Scouts comes to mind, since we spent so much time learning what we’d now consider life skills, and were availed of so many different opportunities and enriching experiences that made us better equipped and more aware.

I learned important things from my Mom and Dad and grandparents– how to behave, how to treat people. The college years gave me exposure to a bigger, more diverse world. Marriage and parenthood opened my eyes to real responsibilities and commitment. And spending twenty-six years as a pastor exposed me to the myriad joys and travails of being human, living without all the answers.

Daily writing prompt

Do you believe in fate/destiny?

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Not really. I have a bit of trouble with the concept. It makes for good drama and self-talk, maybe even a book or two, but I have my doubts about this. I can see how people think it fits into their story, heightens the human interest, but it usually takes some molding and shaping along the way.

It’s only a movie, but Lieutenant Dan was supposed to die on the field of battle with his men, and then Forrest interrupted that flow. Doesn’t it ever make one wonder about the self-fulfilling prophecy aspect of this? Like destiny pigeon-holes someone, restricts them because they feel they need to be on some prescribed track from which they must never stray?

Romance is rife with this talk, but then we get into the whole concept of soulmates, and that’s a discussion for another day.

Daily writing prompt

Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to.

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Often enough, life has been about transitions, moving on, completion and next steps. That being said, the first phase or period that comes to mind, regarding this prompt, was the college experience– those years post-high school when I was on my own, to a certain extent. However, I don’t remember feeling like it was all that difficult to say goodbye to it, other than the sadness of leaving behind friends, which is liable to happen in different settings throughout life.

I occasionally return to those years as if they were a benchmark, or highpoint. I have come to see them, in some ways, as the best years of my life, with that unique mix of a certain autonomy and responsibility, and of course the daily experience of living in a college dorm with a bunch of people my age who had yet to grow into their most mature selves. Fifty-plus years on, those were the days…

What has come since has been a mix of bliss and challenge, often wondrous in its own right. But that college experience will always stand alone, as much a monument to pre-adulthood as it was preparation for the workaday world.

Daily writing prompt

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why?

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In a generic sort of way, I’d like to be anybody who can let things roll off of him, who can let things go, who isn’t waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’d like to be someone who could look at all the craziness and ugliness in the world and still be kind and hopeful, still smile and carry on with a lightness in my step. I’d like to be stronger and funnier, and more resilient, with a bit more devil-may-care, I guess.

So, maybe Bill Murray.

Daily writing prompt

Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on.

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A few years ago, my wife and I re-did the upstairs bathroom– a small space but a nice size to tackle when you’re doing something for the first time. We installed a new floor, painted the walls and woodwork, modified pieces of the plumbing and added a new toilet, new outlet and switches, molding, re-calked around the sink, and eventually added new lighting. It was a complete makeover that turned out nicely.

More recently, we made 3 sets of heavy-duty shelving for the basement that was almost immediately filled with stuff, and at the moment we’re in the midst of rearranging rooms– moving things around, re-assigning usage and function. The latest project is re-finishing a set of stairs and changing the look of our living room.

Daily writing prompt

If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?

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Probably devastated. Is someone really broken beyond recovery or repair? Is life as they’ve known it over because a favorite athlete or musical artist decides to retire or move in a different direction, or they stopped carrying someone’s favorite ice cream at the grocery store?

Even if the circumstances are more legitimately serious, are people truly ruined to the point of having to start over? Sometimes yes, but more often, it seems, they’re just engaging in hyperbole, or at a loss for a more fitting word.

This word is used so blithely so often that when it actually fits a situation, it loses its punch.

A close second might be traumatized.