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 | Drop by drop the snow pack dies, watering the arid lands below. |
This is the continuing writing adventures of Prosperous Snow. The title of my first blog is "The Snowflake Chronicles"  [18+] please visit it.Snow Melt Goals  Post at least every other day, if not every day Use different font sizes, styles, and colors Use graphics or photos when possible and appropriate Experiment with different writing methods and genre Don’t change my method of dating, but add the time the entry was composed Include a quote in at least one entry a week Include an interesting piece of writing I’ve reviewed at least once a week
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| Life Review |
The June 19, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isWrite a review of your life — or the life of someone close to you — as if it were a movie or a book. I have heard that at death, when the soul and body are separated, the individual sees his or her life replayed so that the person knows the places where his or her choices either made a difference or could have made a difference. I sometimes wonder if the life review is like watching a movie, with the person crying because of the choice or laughing at his or her ridiculous antics. I wonder if when my mother died, one week after Thanksgiving in 2012, if her soul saw a review of her life immediately after Death's Door opened. Did my mother see her life replayed before or after she stepped through the Gates of Paradise? Choices My soul grows With each decision I make A review of life suggest listing both the good and bad about a person, so I am not sure I am qualified to give a review of my mother's life. I am not even sure I am qualified to give a review of my own life. There are some actions that a person instinctively knows are bad, but you ignore the feeling in your gut or the little voice in the back of your mind shouting "No!" Other actions are ambiguous and could have either good or bad results, with these actions the only thing you can say if the results are bad is "It seemed like a good idea at the time." Then there are the actions that are obviously good, that a person knows should be taken, but are sometime skipped. I have participated in all three of these scenarios in my 66 years on Earth. There are some decision I made in my youth that I do not know whether the actions or the results were good or bad and I probably will not know until my soul leaves my body. I expect to have numerous surprises when I view the final replay of my life. Choices Taking responsibility For my life And the education of my soul Snow was responsible despite the fact that she disliked making decisions. She accepted the responsibility for herself and the mistakes she made. She confronted the difficulties in her life with both faith and sometimes with doubt. She moved forward, hoping she would age gracefully and wisely. She smiled, she laughed, she cried, etc. She attempted to perfect her poetry because it was a way to worship God and give thanks for the poetic talent. Thought of the Day: "It is enjoined upon every one of you to engage in some form of occupation, such as crafts, trades and the like. We have graciously exalted your engagement in such work to the rank of worship unto God, the True One. Ponder ye in your hearts the grace and the blessings of God and render thanks unto Him at eventide and at dawn. Waste not your time in idleness and sloth. Occupy yourselves with that which profiteth yourselves and others. Thus hath it been decreed in this Tablet from whose horizon the day-star of wisdom and utterance shineth resplendent. " - Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, page 27, The Twelfth Glad Tidings |
| Change of Life |
The June 18, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isHow short would your life have to be before you would have to start living differently today? Before I get down to the nitty-gritty of responding to this prompt, I put the coffee onto brew and read some of yesterday's A to Z poems. I am smiling because of reading some of the A to Z poems from yesterday. I have said a prayer for assistance. I have coffee in one of my "Marie Callender's 50 Years 1948-1998" anniversary mugs and take a sip at short random intervals. I am ready to respond to today's prompt. "How short would your life have to be before you would have to start living differently today?" Change, growth, or transformation is a slow and daily struggle between soul and insistent self. The human soul wants to do those things that will develop the spiritual attributes which will cloth it in the world of the spirit and assist its ascent through all the worlds of God. The insistent self (sometimes referred to as ego) wants to do what will make the body happy in the material realm. This is a constant struggle, a daily battle from the moment of birth until the second of death when body and soul are separated. Sometimes the knowledge of imminent physical death encourages sudden change in favor of the soul and sometimes it has the opposite affect. Physical life is short. The time from conception to the death of an individual human is only a few decades or perhaps one century, but no more and often times less. In that short span of time, a human being is born, grows up, learns a trade, procreates, and develop spiritual attributes that clothe the soul during its immortally and its adventures in the spiritual realm. That is a lot to accomplish in a few decades or a century especially if a person has to focus on food, shelter, and clothing for him or herself as well as any offspring. It is our encounters with death that bring home to individual human beings precisely how short life is on the material sphere. These encounters scar the shit out of most human beings, which cause some people to reevaluate their past and change for the better. However, these encounters can cause other individuals to move in the opposite direction and change for the worst. It is also possible that these encounters will have no affect on the individual and in this case there is no sudden change or transformation. How short would my life have to be before I would have to start living differently today? I hope that each day brings a little difference in my life. I hope that I make each today better then yesterday and each tomorrow better then today. I know that sometimes I fail in this and fall into a well of depression, but the only thing I can do when this happens is say a prayer for forgiveness and try again. Quote of the Day: “Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.” – Les Brown |
| Writing an A to Z Poem |
The June 17, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" Write an A-Z poem. It has 26 lines first line starts with A next with B then C you get the idea. Doesn't have to rhyme, no syllable count or anything. Have Fun and Happy Blogging! After several attempts at writing this poem, Beating my head against the proverbial brick wall while Composing lines that trail off into silence and Dedicating hours staring at the blinking cursor. I Experienced an epiphany! Faced with creative constipation, I decided to Get out of my chair and wash the dishes Hoping that would get my creative juices flowing. It did not work! My creative Juices are still blocked and unable to flow. Knowing this, I decided to write Lines that may or may not make sense. My motivation at this moment has Nothing to do with inspiration. My Only reason for writing this Poem is to respond to the prompt. Questionable motive or straightforward Response to writer's block? Stubborn, bullheaded perseverance on my part To complete these lines before midnight. Understanding the catalyst helps me achieve Victory and encourages me to Write or should I say forces me to attempt Xtreme spellings of words to finish the poem. Yielding to writer's block is not acceptable, but Zero tolerance of writer's block is appropriate. |
| Saturday morning Thoughts on Historical Periods |
The June 15, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" What historical time period would you live in that you have not previously lived in? (i.e. if you've lived in the 70's you can't say you'd like to live then) It's Saturday and, as usual, I have a thought provoking prompt to consider and write about. This is going to take a bit of thought and random comments or writing because I don't think I've ever seriously considered living in another time period. I was born in 1946, so I have lived through some interesting and stressful time periods. There were times in my life when I wished I was born in less stressful times or on another planet, but those were just fleeting fantasies. I believe that I was born in this time in history for a reason, other then as the result of a moment of passion in my parents marriage. I'm not sure of the reason I was born, but I'm sure there was a reason for my birth. Now back to the prompt: What historical time period would I live in? The Roaring Twenties sound interesting and just as stressful as the time I came into the world. I'm sure I wouldn't want to live during the dust bowl because that would just aggravate my dust allergies. I know I wouldn't want to live in a time before indoor plumbing and flush toilets because I'm sure I would be unable to eat breakfast after emptying and cleaning my chamber pot; I would have to have a chamber pot because there would be no way I would traipse to an outhouse in the middle of the night. Since I have to chose an historical period, I would chose any time period after 1840 because up until that time the only indoor toilets existed in hotels or the homes of the wealthy.1 I chose the Roaring Twenties because most people probably had indoor toilets and I like the dances that were popular. I could do without the bathtub gin (or was this during another time period); however, know they had coffee and other good tasting nonalcoholic drinks. I think I could live happily and in relative safety during the Roaring Twenties. As I said, I believe an individual is born at a specific time in history for a reason; therefore, since I was born in the late forties and survived into the twenty-first century I need to be focused on what I can do at this time in history. I need to look at whether or not I'm making someone's life better or worse? Do I live the way I'm supposed to live? Do I make today better then yesterday? These are the questions I need to answer in my personal life because this is the day, the time period of history, I was meant to live in. Thought of the Day: "A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history." - Mahatma Gandhi Footnotes |
| I wish I could ... |
The June 14, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" is"I wish I could .... "(please fill in the rest) I wish I could fly like an angel, with my white wing glistening in the sun; I wish I could breathe like an angel, who can create oxygen in their own lungs, I would ascend into to interstellar space and chase a few commits for fun. I wish I could dance like a leprechaun, creating gold with my unique Irish jig I would scatter the gold across the planet so that no one knew where it came from. I wish I could ... brings back a memory from my childhood of seeing the first star in the sky and my mother ... or was it my grandmother ... teaching me this magical rhyme: "Star light, Star bright, First star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might Have the wish I wish tonight..." I wish I could sow like Betsy Ross, I would create a flag for the Earth that reflected the beauty of the planet and encouraged humanity's unity. I wish I could write all my thoughts without using mechanically means, I would write all my poems in the clouds so that the birds could recite them for humanity. Thought of the Day: "Poetry has been to me its own exceeding great reward; it has given me the habit of wishing to discover the good and beautiful in all that meets and surrounds me." - Samuel Taylor Coleridge |
| I Am Neither a Fashionista nor Clothes Horse |
The June 13, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isDescribe your ideal dress: what clothing/outift do you feel best expresses who you are? I am neither a fashionista nor a clothes horse. I am just an ordinary woman in her late 60s who likes to cover her naked body when she walks in front of a window, curtained and/or uncurtained, or leaves the house. I will admit to wearing short-shorts and mini skirts in my younger days, but since I was unable to balance on spiked heels I gave up the idea of wearing either garment. I mean mini skirts and short-shorts look a lot better with spiked heels then with comfortable shoes. However, after a recent national news article, I am considering purchasing spiked heels the next time I find a pair at a garage sale. I intend to keep them in the car for protection. What kind of clothing do I prefer? I prefer long skirts or dress because they hid my ugly legs and other bodily inperfections that come with the affect of gravity on an aging body. I used to prefer black or dark colored clothes because I thought they suited me better then bright colors. I have found that dark colors encourage depression; therefor, I am changing my color choices to reds and light or bright toned purples because they seem to discourage depression. I will also consider wearing yellows, greens, and any other bright color. I do not wear white close to my face because it makes me look like a denizen of the undead. I dress for comfort If I have a pair of spiked heels They are not for me to wear I have them for protection I dress for comfort Long dresses and skirts That hide the ravages Of age and gravity I dress for comfort I want bright colors To enhance a positive mood Thought of the Day: "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." - Coco Chanel |
| A World Without the Internet |
The June 12, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" What do you suppose you might be doing at this exact moment if the internet had never been invented? I am 66 years old, I was born and raised in a world without the Internet. My parents and grandparents were born and raised in a world without the Internet. If the Internet had never been invented, I could easily find something else to do. If the the Internet had never been invented, I would not miss it because I would not have experienced the aggravation and joy of surfing, blogging, or anything else I do online. If the Internet had never been invented I would not know what I was missing. What would I be doing if the Internet had never been invented? I would not have my Master's degree because I earned that online. I would never have known that I am addicted to Spider, Pyramid, or Mahjong solitaire. I would not have encountered writing.com and seriously developed my writing skills. I am not sure what I would be doing, but it would probably have something to do with food service or restaurant work, neither of which I enjoy or am particularly accomplished at. In order to wait tables a person needs to be able to carry a plate or a tray from the kitchen to the dinning room without their hands shaking or dropping the plate or the food. In a world without the internet there would be no e-mail so the only way dysfunctional families could safely communicate would be through lawyers and the court system. In a world without the internet the only viruses passed from nation to nation would be through person to person contact. In a world without the internet we would not be see the beauty of another country without a personal visit. In a world without the internet we would not hear a multitude of opinions to give us a broader view of reality. Quote of the Day: “The internet is just a world passing notes around a classroom.” - Jon Stewart |
| Who are my heroes? |
The June 11, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isWho is your hero? I cannot chose just one hero because the history of my faith has thousands. There are the men, the women, and the children who refused to recant their faith when faced with prison, rape, and death. There are those who left behind their comfortable homes, the country of their birth, and their extended families to spread the glorious and unifying message of Baha'u'llah. Who are my heroes? My heroes go back to 1844 when the Bab declared His mission to the first of the Letters of the Living. My heroes extend through 1863 when Baha'u'llah publicly proclaimed his mission in the Garden of Ridvan. My heroes live today in prisons in Iran and elsewhere because of their faith in Baha'u'llah. My heroes are those who chose the path of faith even though it leads to death and degradation. Quote of the Day: “Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with.” ― Brodi Ashton, Everneath |
| Shadow Puppets, Shadows of Reality, etc. |
The June 10, 2013 prompts for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" areWhat would you like to be different about BCOF, if anything? If you don't want anything to be different, what's your favourite part?  A shadow puppet dances Behind a white sheet Frozen at a moment in time It resembles an elk During rutting season Antlers ready to defend his harem So that he can pass his genetic code To future generations     Shadows of reality Shades of immortality Humanity views existence "...though a glass, darkly,..."2 Through a fractured prism That distorts and separates The light of divine unity     What would I like to be different about BCOF, if anything? I would like to see some prompts that refers to the different aspects of humor. I would also like to see a gratitude prompt once in a while. If I don't want anything to be different, what's my favourite part? My favorite part of BCOF are the people and the responses to the prompts. I also enjoy the image prompts.     Today is Maurice Sendak's 85th birthday. Mr. Sendak was born in Brooklyn, New York City, NY on June 10, 1928 and died in Danbury, CT on May 8, 2012. One of the books he wrote and illustrated is Where the Wild Things Are which was first published in 1963. Thought of the Day: "I stress character, character, character." - Maurice Sendak Footnotes |
| Free Day: Poetic Ponderings and Inspiration |
Sunday, June 9, 2013 is a free day so there is no prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" .It is a free day, so I can write about anything that strikes my fancy. There are four holiday coming up in the next two weeks that spark my muse's curiosity. Three of them I already knew about, while one of them I discovered when I searched for June holidays. June 14 - Flag Day I watched a black and white rerun to the Lawrence Welk show last night, which was originally filmed close to Flag Day in June 19??, On the show one of the performers read a poem by Walter Taylor Field title Flag of the Free.3 June 16 - Father's Day I decided to look up some family history and found a photo of my father's headstone. I wrote this poem "Visiting my Father's grave online" and submitted the poem to the "HONORING OUR VETERANS" contest.June 18 - International Picnic Day I never heard of International Picnic Day4 before, but that does not mean that the celebration is new. It probably did not spark my interest before today. There are several online sources explaining International Picnic Day and how to celebrate.5 June 21 - Summer Solstice Summer Solistice is the official first day of summer; however, summer with its triple digit temperatures has already begun in Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, the unofficial first day of summer is June 1 when we usually get triple digit temperatures along with high heat warnings.      My ponderings in poetic form May result from silent meditation About future possibilities Or from reading lines of sacred scripture My ponderings in poetic form May result from silent contemplation About online research I have done Or from dreams haunting random moments of sleep      I write letters to dead people, letters to those who have passed beyond earth's strife. I write letters to dead people, because in my late fifties I came to realize that life and death are part of my soul's education. I write letters to dead people, to prevent this crazy world I live in from driving me completely insane. I write letters to dead people, because letters are poems in the form of prose. I write letters to dead people, to express the joy, the pain, and the wonder of daily existence. Thought of the Day: "Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary." - Khalil Gibran Footnotes |
| A Patriotic Cotton Candy Snow Cone and Cussing |
The June 8, 2013 prompts for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isImage prompt: tri-colored (white, blue, and red) object as seen through frosted glass, which appears to be some sort of food item. Blog prompt: Cussing. What's your take on it? The picture reminds me of cotton candy and a snow cone viewed through a frosted glass window. It reminds me of cotton candy because it resembles cotton candy. It reminds me of a snow cone because it is tri-colored with white at the top, blue in the middle, and red at the bottom. I suppose, if the picture was taken in the United States, it could be patriotic cotton candy. Cotton Candy and Snow Cone Memories Sweet threads of sugar consumed at the Kay County State Fair as I held Grandpa Frank's hand. Mama or Grandma Mary bought me a snow cone masterpiece: red and blue flavors encircling tiny white ice crystals at the Kay County State Fair. What do I think of cussing? I believe that there is a time and a place for cussing. It is appropriate to cuss when a piano falls from a window and hits you on the head or when you drop an anvil on your foot. Both of these incidents happen quite frequently in cartoon, which causes the character to cuss. True cartoon characters normally do not cuss in English or any other known human language. Cartoon characters have their own unique cussing language, which any human being over the age of two or three months can understand. There are other times when it is appropriate to cuss. I think it is alright for a person to cuss when the driver in the car ahead or on either side is attempting to put on makeup and talk on a cell phone at the same time. It is also appropriate to cuss when the driver in the car behind is sharing a joint with his or her passengers. I do not mind cussing under appropriate conditions. I dislike cussing when every other word out of an individual's mouth is a cuss word. When I hear an individual doing this I have an urge to purchase the person a pocket dictionary so that he or she can increase his or her vocabulary. Thought of the Day: "Cursing is invoking the assistance of a spirit to help you inflict suffering. Swearing on the other hand, is invoking, only the witness of a spirit to an statement you wish to make." - John Ruskin |
| Cooking Dinner for a UFO |
The June 7, 2013 prompts for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" arethe image prompt which looks like some sort of toy or robotic floor cleaning product which is red, black, and silver. The blog prompt: For which famous personality (president, celebrity, famous writer, etc) would you cook/ buy dinner for? Be as creative as you want, they can be dead or alive personalities or even fictional. Don't forget to submit your guess of what you think the image is. It is round, the same shape as the UFO I saw one night at Lake Blackwell. It was a long time ago when I saw the UFO. It was on a summer weekend, Grandpa had taken us (Grandma, my siblings, and myself) to the Lake. We were going water skiing and fishing. It was at night and I was supposed to be asleep on the couch at the front of the mobile home or trailer house (this was what we called it). Anyway, as I was saying, it was I was supposed to be asleep (not that I have ever slept well at night or any other time). Something woke me up from a semi-sound sleep, I looked out the window and saw the UFO. Unlike the photo prompt (which sort of reminds me of a flying saucer or a UFO) the round object I saw was silver and bright. It flew, but not like any plane I had ever seen. The UFO made 90 degree turns and flew extremely fast. The image prompt is red, black, and silver; it appears to be going in circles, which reminds me of me. I feel as if I am going in circle, I can sympathize with the piece of robotic equipment that is the image prompt or I suspect is the image prompt. My guess for the image prompt: I think it is one of the floor cleaning robots you see advertised on television. The type that is supposed to be able to go under furniture and usually causes house cats to react as if it was a mouse or some other prey item. Who would I like to cook dinner for? Worf of course. I would fix my speciality - Spanish Rice. If I were going to take him out for dinner then we would go to a Mexican restaurant. Cooking dinner for an Unidentified Flying Object or for an Unidentified Submerged Object; offering food to an alien visitor from an galaxy far away or a star in our own galaxy is an offer of friendship. Quote of the Day: "You now face a new world, a world of change. We speak in strange terms, of harnessing the cosmic energy, of ultimate conflict between a united human race and the sinister forces of some other planetary galaxy.... The nations of the world will have to unite, for the next war will be an interplanetary war. The nations of the earth must someday make a common front against attack by people from other planets." - U. S. GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR |
| Frosted Glass and My Overwhelming emotion |
The June 6, 2013 prompts for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" arean image prompt showing a small child looking through a frosted glass door or window and "What emotion is the most overwhelming when you experience it?" Frosted Glass The child looks through a frosted glass door into a room, into a world, that is concealing, revealing, and distorting. She can see movement, shapes, and shadows, but she cannot make out features. The child is on the outside looking into the room, so anyone looking at the child from the inside would see a distorted image revealing a face, with distorted shadows of facial features. It is like looking through a curtain separating dimensions. It is like looking through a glass darkly, seeing but not seeing. It is a simile and metaphor for the soul while it is attached to the physical body. The Image is that of a young child (I think a girl) looking through the frosted glass of a window or door. My Overwhelming Emotion Sometimes depression overwhelms me. Sometimes it sends me into a darkness that is all consuming. Sometimes depression is a shadow darker then the parsecs between galaxies. Sometimes it is unshed tears fossilizing into an unnamed terror. To rise out of the pit of depression, I have to pray and I have to write. Sometimes I pray and write simultaneously. Sometimes I pray and then I write or visa versa. Sometimes I write poetry. Sometimes I write short stories or novels. Sometimes I write nonsense, but I always write because for me there is no other exit from depression. Quote of the Day: "That terrible mood of depression of whether it's any good or not is what is known as The Artist's Reward." - Ernest Hemingway |
| Abstract Memories: Free write response to the image prompt |
The June 5, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isThe 2nd image prompt. As I look at the image, the memories of pets and other animals create a collage of emotions flooding my mind. I remember growing up in Oklahoma, with dogs, cats, and chickens. I remember my brothers finding a dead snake in a neighbors trash, they picked up the snake, carried it to our house on College Avenue, opened the screen door, and threw it in the front room. It was summer and there was a hole in the screen door close to the floor. When my brother's threw the snake into the house, the snake landed belly down, and it appeared that the creature had crawled into the house. Screaming my sister and I fled the house. I remember a blond cocker spaniel named Patsy. I don't know if she was an American cocker spaniel or an English cocker spaniel. I remember she had two litters of puppies. The first litter were mixed breeds, but the second litter (all though I'm not sure one puppy can be referred to as a litter) resulted from breeding her with another cocker spaniel. Skiezieks (I don't know how to spell the name, so that's as close as I can get) was black and he became my grandparents dog. Grandpa cut a hole in the side of the garage so that he had a warm place to sleep at night. I remember riding an elephant. I don't remember where I rode the elephant, I know it wasn't in Blackwell. At least, I don't think it was in Blackwell unless a circus came to town with and elephant ride. I think I would have remembered a circus, so I must have road the elephant at a zoo. However, I don't remember going to a zoo and riding an elephant. I know I rode an elephant at one point in my childhood, but I don't remember where I road the elephant. Abstract memories of dogs, of cats, of elephants, of snakes, of chickens, and of other animals. What other animals did I encounter as a child? There was the creature (I think it was a mole) that my brothers found in my grandparents garden. I remember them carrying it in a bucket. I remember it had huge teeth and huge front claws. I'm sure it was a mole because it had weak eyes in the daylight and I don't know what else it could have been. Abstract memories from my childhood; animals that played a part of my growing up years. Another animal that I encountered was a skunk? There was a female skunk who had a litter under my grandparents house. We didn't know she was there until she encountered a cat or some other creature near her babies. She protected her babies and let the entire house know she had taken up residence under the house. My guess at the image prompt is that it is some type of dog. |
| Distorted Mirror - A poetic response to the image prompt |
The June 4, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" is1st image prompt- What do you see in this image? In the pool's distorted mirror, whose reflection do I see; is it an animal or is it me? The pool's wave action deforms the image that stares up at me and I cannot determine if it is an illusion or reality. Is this a fantasy smiling at me from the water's depth or is this misshapen apparition my animal nature, my ego, or my lower self laughing at my soul as it attempts to manifest spiritual abilities on the plane of matter. I think the image is the reflection of a chipmunk (perhaps a cartoon chipmunk) in a pool or a lake. |
| The Impact of Random Ecounters |
The June 3, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isTell us about someone you met randomly that's made an impact on your life? First, let me state that don't think random encounters that have an impact on a person are random. If an encounter has an impact on a person it was meant to happen, which means that God or fate or whatever you want to attribute the event to had a reason for arranging the encounter. Second, for the past six to twelve months most of my random encounters have occurred in the grocery store or in the parking lot of a grocery store. This doesn't limit the impact these "random" encounters have on me, but they do confirm what I already believe about random encounters. For instance, the grocery store where I usually shop just completed a rearrangement of their product. The only parts of the store that didn't get moved to opposite ends of the building was t he deli department, the fresh produce department, and the meat department. The eggs and butter (or what passes for butter in this day) are no longer with the milk and other dairy products. Before they moved almost every item around I could find what I wanted without too much walking and looking for the things I commonly purchase. Now I have to rely on random encounters with people who have purchase the item I am looking to buy. Before I went to the store this morning, I had already decided on the items I wanted to purchase. I need some personal item, a filter for my water pitcher, and non-diet soda. I bought the personal items first because I knew they were three or four aisles away from the soda and other non-refrigerated canned drinks. I picked up the personal items and then picked up some cherry Dr. Pepper. Since I was on the same side of the store as the eggs, I remembered I need eggs so I bought the eggs and went to find the pitcher filter. In the aisle where the filter was located I encounter a man carrying a single banana (I think he was buying his lunch), the banana looked good, so I went to the produce section to pick out some bananas. By the time I left the grocery store I had more then what I went in to get. After I got the bananas, I decided I needed some meat frozen meat patties and frozen potatoes to go with the eggs for breakfast. The only thing I didn't purchase was bread because there is a place I can pick up a free loaf of day old bread, which is usually a more expensive and better brand then I would purchase in the grocery store. Anyway that covers the chance encounter that impacted me today, I'll probably have more intriguing random encounters if and when I go anywhere else this week. Thought of the Day: "The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." - Christopher McCandless |
| Sunday a Free Day, Day of Beauty, and an unfocused mind |
| It's Sunday. It's a Free Day so there is no specific prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" . I'm having difficulty concentrating this morning because my mind keeps wandering hither and yon. I don't like being unfocused in the morning. I don't like being unfocused anytime of day or night, but being unfocused in the morning is worse then any other time of day. Despite the fact that I'm unfocused, I'm going to attempt to make a coherent or semi-coherent entry; however, I'm not going to use the timer because I'm unfocused and it's Sunday. Sunday Jamál the day of Beauty. That's a good start, I have no idea where the poem is going, but I'll figure it out. I'm on my second cup of coffee and timing my writing between sips. I'm considering going for my third cup as soon as I take another sip or two. Last week was an interesting week. Last week was a productive week (when it comes to writing). Last week was an inspiring week. Yesterday I learned that "Memorial Day Ceremonies" the poem I entered in the May "HONORING OUR VETERANS" won an Awardicon and I receive a Military Merit Badge.![Merit Badge in Military
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Grand Prize Winner in the Honoring Our Veterans Contest May 2013](http://imgs.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Military-1030.gif) I was flabbergasted. That's a word my mother and grandmother used when something surprised, amazed, or astounded them. I haven't thought about that word in years. Perhaps a wandering mind isn't always a bad thing, a bit irritating when I can't focus on finishing a poem, but not necessarily a bad thing. I'm on my third cup of coffee and my focus is coming back little by little. Another cup of coffee and something to eat could help, at least I hope one or the other helps because I have two stories I have to finish for a Wednesday and a Thursday deadline. My focus is back and my mind has stopped wandering. Thinking about this situation, I realize that an unfocused wandering mind happens at random intervals. It's something that makes me who I am. I doubt it's anything to worry about as long as it doesn't happen too often. I'm not planning to drive the car today, I'm safe at home where an unfocused mind can do little harm to anyone else except me. I have a cell phone I can use in an emergency, so I guess I'm safe enough for the time being. Thought of the Day: "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss |
| My Happiness and Unhappiness depend on my attitude |
The June 1, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isMake a list of things that make you happy. Then make a list of things that annoy you or make you unhappy. Happiness is a state of mind and not a list of things. Things are components of happiness, but not happiness itself. What makes me happy? Hearing a bird singing when I pick up my newspaper. A hot cup of coffee as I read the paper. Any prayer in my Baha'i Prayer Book. Reviewing on writing.com. Chocolate of any kind, but especially dark chocolate. Writing a poem or a story. Almost anything can make me happy if I have the right attitude. What makes me unhappy? I can make myself unhappy by listening to my own depressing and negative thoughts. I can make myself unhappy by focusing on my physical problems. Almost anything can make me unhappy if I have the wrong attitude. Thought of the Day: "Happiness consists of two kinds; physical and spiritual. The physical happiness is limited; its utmost duration is one day, one month, one year. It hath no result. Spiritual happiness is eternal and unfathomable. This kind of happiness appeareth in one’s soul with the love of God and suffereth one to attain to the virtues and perfections of the world of humanity. Therefore, endeavor as much as thou art able in order to illumine the lamp of thy heart by the light of love." - ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas, Pages 673-674 |
| I Need to Make a Plan for June that will help me sleep |
| Soon June is going to be breaking out all over. I need to make a plan for June, not a schedule which I have difficulty keeping, but a plan so that I don't end up staying up until 11:00 or 11:30 PM Pacific Daylight Time on June 29 attempting to earn enough Gift Points to purchase another one-month premium membership. I can't stay up that late and get up at 4:00 AM to take medication. I have to either changes the medication time to 5:00 or 6:00 AM, which means I can't have anything to eat or drink until 6:00 or 7:00 AM. I have to take the thyroid tablet on an empty stomach and I can't have anything except water for one hour after wards. If I stay up until 11:30 then I have difficulty getting up at 4:00 AM the next morning. If I hear the alarm (I use my cell phone alarm) I just push the doze button or I turn the alarm off in my sleep. I hate to say this because I hate to admit getting old, but I'm just getting too old to stay up late and get up early. Whoever said, "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man/woman healthy, wealthy, and wise", obviously never lived past fifty. Part of the problem, is that when I lay my head down on my pillow no matter how sleepy I feel when I lay down, the minute my head touches the pillow I'm wide awake. I've tried not having coffee after 5:00 PM and I've tried hot milk before bed. Nothing works. Maybe I ought to try a different approach because I don't want to ask my doctor for sleeping pills. I take enough medication as it is and I don't need to take anymore. Perhaps the problem is that I can't quiet my mind. When I lay down my mind, no matter how sleepy I maybe, wants to flit from one thing to another. It's like a monarch butterfly flitting from milkweed to milkweed, it doesn't want to stop thinking. I think about all sorts of things. I think about silly things. This doesn't happen all the time because once in a while I can lay down and not think about anything. The problem with my mind not wanting to shut down the thoughts has been worse since November 29, 2012, so perhaps Mom's death has something to do with my difficulty sleeping. Those times when I do fall asleep then I wake up every hour or so. I only have to look at my cell phone once to check the time. The first time I wake up, I check the time after that it isn't necessary because I know that I will wake up every hour either on the hour or on the half-hour depending on when I went to sleep the first time. I need a plan for June, one that will help me sleep and accomplish the important stuff. Sleep is a pleasant thought a joyous celebration an insomniac's expectation. Thought of the Day: “Oh God, midnight’s not bad, you wake and go back to sleep, one or two’s not bad, you toss but sleep again. Five or six in the morning, there’s hope, for dawn’s just under the horizon. But three, now, Christ, three A.M.! Doctors say the body’s at low tide then. The soul is out. The blood moves slow. You’re the nearest to dead you’ll ever be save dying. Sleep is a patch of death, but three in the morn, full wide-eyed staring, is living death! You dream with your eyes open. God, if you had strength to rouse up, you’d slaughter your half-dreams with buckshot! But no, you lie pinned to a deep well-bottom that’s burned dry. The moon rolls by to look at you down there, with its idiot face. It’s a long way back to sunset, a far way on to dawn, so you summon all the fool things of your life, the stupid lovely things done with people known so very well who are now so very dead – And wasn’t it true, had he read somewhere, more people in hospitals die at 3 A.M. than at any other time...” - Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes |
| What Questions Would I Ask God |
The May 31, 2013 prompt for "Blogging Circle of Friends Prompt Forum" isImagine you had an opportunity to sit down with God. What 5 questions would you ask Him? It's Friday, May 31, about 7:28 AM Pacific Daylight time. I'm sitting in front of my computer, randomly sipping from a cup of leftover coffee which I warmed over in the microwave, and listening to my coffee maker brew a fresh carafe of coffee. Between sips of coffee, I stare at the prompt attempting to decide which five questions I would ask. I'm not sure that there are any questions I could ask God that I can't find the answers to in the Sacred Scriptures of the Baha'i Faith (revealed by Bahá’u’lláh or The Báb) and in the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá or Shoghi Effendi. If I ask God a question, what answer would I receive? Pray for guidance and go to the scriptures. When I was younger, I had thousands of questions I wanted to ask God. Today, however, I have no questions that I can't find answers to. If I have a question, then I can write it down, find the online Baha'i Reference Library, or look in one of the books in my Baha'i library. It takes some searching and some work, but I can find the answer to any question I have. Therefore, there are no questions I would ask God if I had a chance to sit down and talk to the Divine Creator. Questions... an attribute of God; Masá’il a month in the Baha'i calender, Questions nineteen days beginning on December 12 and ending on December 30. Questions the month of my birth; I was born at eleven minutes before midnight on December 24, which make my birthday Masá’il 14 because Masá’il 14 begins at sunset on December 24 and ends at sunset on December 25. Food for Thought: "Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable." - C. S. Lewis |
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