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 |   Theses are my thoughts and ramblings as I forge my way through this thing they call life. |
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These are my thoughts and ramblings as I forge my way through this thing they call Life. I blog with these groups:     "Blogging Circle of Friends "  [E] 
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30 Day Blogging Challenge PROMPT July 9th Write about the last time you did something nice for yourself. I try to do something nice for myself on a regular basis - mostly something small, like walking to Uptown Waterloo to go to a coffee shop and watch people while sitting outside at their patio. This may seem pretty basic, but with the pandemic of Covid-19 still circulating, I think it is important to find little moments to be nice to yourself... and others. |
30 Day Blogging Challenge PROMPT July 8th What historical events, besides your own birth, occurred on your birthday in the year you were born? First off - The Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup! And hockey only had 12 teams (expanded from 6 to 12 this hockey season). Canada had it's Centennial - 100 years! The Order of Canada was established. The problem with looking at timeline history lists is that they are predominantly negative and heavily American. I'm curious if a google search in Europe would get the same information. What I see is Vietnam and race riots. Draft dodgers and the 'summer of love'. I also see Egypt and Israel having turmoil as well. When I look at only Canadian events, I laugh at just how Canadian they are. This is from Wikipedia: "The nation began to feel far more nationalistic than before, with a generation raised in a country fully detached from Britain. The new Canadian flag served as a symbol and a catalyst for this. In Quebec, the Quiet Revolution was overthrowing the oligarchy of francophone clergy and anglophone businessmen, and French Canadian pride and nationalism were becoming a national political force. The Canadian economy was at its post-war peak, and levels of prosperity and quality of life were at all-time highs. Many of the most important elements of Canada's welfare state were coming on line, such as Medicare and the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). These events were coupled with the coming of age of the baby boom and the regeneration of music, literature, and art that the 1960s brought around the world. The baby boomers, who have since dominated Canada's culture, tend to view the period as Canada's halcyon days. 1967 was an exciting year for Canadians. Communities across the country planned celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of confederation. The Federal Government sponsored events from coast to coast and provided funding and organization for such things as the Centennial Train and the Centennial Voyageur Canoe Pageant. Even Canada's military got the spirit by producing the Canadian Armed Forces Tattoo 1967 that toured the country from coast to coast with over 150 shows from St. John's, Newfoundland to Victoria, BC with a two week long production at EXPO 67 in Montreal. Tattoo 1967 was so successful, there were calls to have the show tour the world as a representative of Canadian culture. The show set a world's record for the longest running military tattoo, a record that has never been equaled. While to Montreal it was the year of Expo, to Toronto it was the culmination of the Toronto Maple Leafs dynasty of the 1960s, with the team winning its fourth Stanley Cup in six years by defeating its arch-rival, the Montreal Canadiens, in the last all-Canadian Stanley Cup Final until 1986." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_in_Canada So proud to be Canadian. My grandmother used to refer to me and a 'Centennial baby' that was cool until I got into my 20's, then not so much. |
30 Day Blogging Challenge PROMPT July 7th What do you do when you are out of inspiration or ideas? I answered this as soon as I read it, but I forgot to fill in the blog and post it. So I have to do it now and get caught back up. I go for a walk and fill the well with images - sights, smells, tastes, sounds and experiences - a full sensory banquet of delights. Physically moving through these experiences allow you to drop them into the well, where they can compost and develop into something rich for future artistic expression. I also turn to books or movies in the hopes of mining ideas and gaining inspiration, but sometimes it is nice to just let go and not worry about finding just the right idea. Doing mundane, day to day things, like showering or doing the dishes, might let you mind play in the quagmire of your thoughts, loosening ideas and letting them surface without actually taking a pickax to them. Just switching gears and not obsessing on the problem, just might make something shift or come into view. This kind of thing might even work itself out in your dreams. The more you stress about it, the more the ideas hide - kind of like little blue fairies, or your muse, refusing to come out and play when they sense the danger in your worry. Relax and do something completely different and they will come back and flit around just begging to be included again. |
30 Day Blogging Challenge PROMPT July 6th Is there such a thing as “unbiased reporting?” (Consider not just journalism, but storytelling - is it possible to tell a story without bias?) I think we each put our own spin on a story even if we say we are not bias. What we focus on, what we present, what we talk about are all effected by our own perceptions... that's bias. Some people are more aware of it than others, but I think we all have some kind of bias in our views. |
30 Day Blogging Challenge PROMPT July 5th Tell us about someone you find inspirational. Inspirational. I am not feeling overly inspired these days. So who inspires me. Off the top of my head - Oprah Winfrey. She has introduced me and countless others to many inspiring people. The power of possibility was introduced to me and opened me up. Turned my negative, closed life into one with a positive outlook. For that I will always be grateful. Her interviews, particularly with Super Soul Sundays made me want to explore and challenged me. From Brene Brown and Elizabeth Gilbert to the poetic wonderfulness of Maya Angelou and wisdom of Iyanla Vanzant. I have felt my life become richer with the exposure to these perspectives. |
30 Day Blogging Challenge PROMPT July 4th What could you give a 40-minute presentation on with absolutely no preparation? Wow... I feel stress just reading this prompt. No preparation??!! That is crazy. Talking and shooting from the hip... would this be me chatting away or would this be me introducing something and letting my audience do some interactive activity? Would this be something I feel totally comfortable with or... what exactly. I need to breathe. Deep, slow breaths to calm my racing heart. Could I lead a 40 minute meditation session of Sahaja Yoga Medditation? Would I speak about remote learning and encourage my audience to share their own experiences from the past three and a half months? Or would I tackle a writing topic? A discussion of what writing references that have truly inspired me... or start a discussion of which authors have inspired each of us? One of my Zoom writing groups had each of us discuss books we had been especially moved by. The parameters were to pick two books - one book not from your chosen genre and the other needed to be a book from over 5 years ago in any genre. Now in our group we had a week to think about this and consider... but what if we did it spur of the moment. I chose Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down The Bones and The Late Great Me by Sandra Scoppettone. I didn't need to week to make that determination. Talking books and influences would motivate me and make the conversation flow. Or I could talk on a weight loss plan I had been following before the pandemic - and all bets were off. The combination of foods and times to maximize your body's ability to metabolize the food and lose the weight. Or maybe even have the group do 40 minutes of yoga. When I read the word 'presentation' I get the heeby-geebies. Who wants to chatter on for 40 minutes without the interaction of your audience? Their eyes judging you. I much prefer to present to children. I remember reading a book - Little Mouses Big Book of Fears and taking the whole 40 minutes because the children (a class of grade 3 and 4s) were interested in sharing their fears as I shared my own. It was a great way to build our class community because everyone felt open enough to share - even my one little guy who didn't talk in front of the whole class. He whispered his to me. I let my audience guide me and came out with one of my better class moments. |
30 Day Blogging PROMPT July 3rd Describe a missed opportunity you encountered, and how things might have been different if you hadn't missed it. I feel like fictionalizing this... playing with my dreams, in a way. On Tuesday the Paris Writing Workshop began. It is a month long immersion into writing in Paris. It is a dream of mine to go to something so wonderful. But time and expense... as well as this year's pandemic make that not possible... even if I could afford it. I'm even curious if the workshops are even happening. When I printed out my copy of the month's agenda, there was no talk of the pandemic... I have not checked the website since. https://pariswritingworkshops.com/ So if all was set and I was able to go... without the worry of catching covid-19, I would head out so I would be able to arrive in Paris, perhaps a few days early to explore Paris on my own at first and get over some of the jet lag that would set in. Paris is 6 hours ahead of my usual time. Bring able to immerse myself in the experience before going to the Paris American Academy Office on July 1 would be fabulous. Having already met a few friends in a Paris Writing group this spring, I would meet up with some of them to see the Paris they know and enjoy. Since many of them have been in Paris for years, they will know the best places to visit - places not so touristy... though I will be getting to the Shakespeare and Co bookshop either with them or on my own. Alone I could browse for hours and make sure to make at least one purchase so that I have a reminder of the place and the time. The workshop itself would be an immersive experience. Monday to Friday full of writing workshops and plenty of time to meet new writers who share my love of the written word. I would be certain to take the optional French language classes each morning during the week and on weekends I would join my friends at the Unicornor's Cafe to write and chat. I might even take one of their Sunday morning trips to walk the trails and write surrounded by nature. Even thinking of this makes the possibility possible. |
30 Day Blogging Challenge PROMPT July 2nd We all know the mood-ring fad of the 70’s only predicted body temperature and not necessarily mood, but what if people could actually see your emotions, like an aura of color surrounding you. Would you try to mask it, display it proudly, or something in between? Having just finished reading The Catalain Book of Secrets by Jess Lourey, this prompt resonates. I highly recommend the book, by the way. Several of the witches in the Catalain family have the ability to see other's emotions and pain. I think it is a very cool attribute to possess. Particularly when an aura of colour surrounds you. I think I would proudly display my colour... though I would wonder, would everyone be able to see it or just those attune to the idea? |
30 Day Blogging Challenge PROMPT July 1st Write a letter to your parents from before your birth. Give them advice about how to raise you and give them a heads up about anything they might struggle with when you come into their lives. So babies are a two person, team playing kind of thing. One parent does not do it all, while the other sits on the sidelines playing like life is the same as it was before the baby. You both need to be involved. Having a kid does not mean your marriage has to suffer. If you feel neglected, then help with the little bundle, don't go off with your buddies or start up an affair. Please learn to communicate. Don't be afraid to say 'I love you' and let others know what you appreciate about each other. I don't want to hear 'I married her, she should know I love her' - that doesn't cut it. Mom needs to hear the words. She needs the reassurance. And with that assurance, she will fight the battle of depression. And Dad, go to the doctor regularly and take care of yourself. Don't wait for the cancer to eat you alive. This little person wants your love and attention. She is pretty independent, but she also needs to know you love her. Do stuff with her... don't wait until its your weekend, to step up. Get her involved and go see her shine. Where was my Dad when I performed at the Community Center after Kiwanis was having their winners performances? Was he working or was he off bowling with his buddies? My mom and my grandparents were there, but not him. That memory still rubs at me. A little kid needs to know you are their champion and you are there for them. I didn't always feel that my parents were.... and I didn't ask because - what kid asks for that kind of thing? Being an only child was not a thrill either. I would have loved a brother or sister as support. It would have been easier to tackle the teasing and develop a backbone if I had had at least one sibling. I know my parents loved me, but the words were rarely, if ever, said. They were both wounded people. We lived in Northern Ontario, so getting help in the form of therapy was sparse - 30 minutes once a month - mom told me. What kind of progress can you do with that? I had a grandmother who loved me and that made a huge difference for me. Moving away from that restrictive, small, Northern Ontario town was a good thing. It was hard to be away from my Dad... but he died within 3 months of us moving away. I was twelve, I had my aunt and uncle to love... and love me. And a short while later I had a cousin who was also a gift. |
Blog City - Day 2172 Prompt: For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven-- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 Since it is so, spiritually speaking, why do you think our planet now has this Covid 19 pandemic? It was time to take a step back and reassess what is most important. Things were starting to get a little out of whack. What is important? Family and connection. Those are the cornerstones. As we move forward, mental health with be paramount. Developing our Emotional Intelligence and teaching our children that emotions are important and must be acknowledged and dealt with in healthy ways. These skills can and should be taught. They are not going to magically appear. They need to be cultivated so that we have a society that stands strong on compassion, love and understanding... one that sees all people equal - regardless of any perceived differences - race, gender, age, sexual orientation.... anything. We are all the same, but we have differences that make this world a wonderful place. We need to embrace those differences and learn from each other, not condemn or put others down. Lift others up. Shine a light into the dark corners and chase away the shadows that we fear will harm us. |
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