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 |   Second blog -- answers to an ocean of prompts |
 "Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself." CHARLIE CHAPLIN  Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet confinement of your aloneness to learn anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you. David Whyte        This is my supplementary blog in which I will post entries written for prompts. |
For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise"  Prompt: Write about a closed door and what's behind it. --- Funny you should ask! Right now, I have two closed-doors in the house. One is to my bedroom and the other to the study. The reason is a cat. I sort of adopted my son and daughter-in-law’s wayward cat, Noche, a black, eleven-year-old disturbed cat, who I taught I could train. Do I have a big head or what! My son was going to take her to a no-kill shelter, and I didn’t have the heart to let her in there as they had declawed her when she was a kitten, and I had also read that the unadopted cats in such shelters were handed out to medical research. In my bedroom, I have my bed, bedroom furniture, a few books, e-readers, and Kindle Fire pads. The room also has an adjacent bathroom and a walk-in closet. The reason Noche isn’t allowed in there is because she kept punishing my kids by peeing and pooping in their beds. Their crime was adopting another cat and a Cheshire Retriever after getting Noche. In the study, which used to be my husband’s, are his books, file cabinets, and a desk, and also the internet modem, which at this point, I am guarding with my life. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to write this. Do I get Noche’s peeing and pooping? So far, some pooping not on furniture but on the floor, which I clean easily. She does pee in the two litter-boxes I put in an extra bathroom, and sometimes, she poops in them, too. I also found out that she misbehaves when she’s afraid of something. In my son’s house, I think it was the big aggressive dog that started the whole thing. Noche needs a lot of love, now. At least two to three times a day, he meows to me for love and I pet her and play with her for at least a half-hour, each time. Last night, I was tired and cut the session short. Then at 5 AM in the morning, I heard her cries. I got up and played with her. This morning I found poop on the tiles. I guess it happened at 5 PM, when she felt bad. Noche is, in fact, a very loving cat, and I won’t give up on her, although I promised my son I wouldn’t take much from the cat and should she become unmanageable, he could take her to wherever he wants. Yet, I am quite sure that Noche is going to stay with me now. and the two closed doors will stay closed.  For: "Space Blog" Prompt: Roari ∞   ’s "To My Muse" What do you do for Writer's block? Writer’s Block? Is there such a thing? I think we should be able to write whenever we wish, regardless of the outcome. In my opinion, Writer’s Block may happen when we expect perfection first, and second, while we are composing something and we hit a snag. That snag is not Writer’s Block. It is our mind asking for extra time and space to think out the problem in that specific work. When this happens, it is a good idea to leave that piece alone for a time and go to other projects. Searching for ideas is usually a good ploy to keep off the nervousness about writing. Another one is getting into the habit of writing every day, no matter what comes out of one’s pen. When all else fails, we can always write a review, a book review, or a letter. Just sitting down and noting whatever the eyes can see and the ears can hear is another thing, also. |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt: “Art completes what nature cannot bring to a finish,” says Aristotle. “The artist gives us knowledge of nature’s unrealized end.” What do you think about this connection between art and nature? --- It is said by those who study humans and human bodies that viewing art has the same effect of reducing stress levels as being in nature. I think this is because, even though we may live in crowded cities, we humans are not separate from nature. Then, as beautiful and fresh as nature can be, our assessment of it adds to it in a great way. In other words, what nature opens to our senses, the artist’s interpretation of it adds to it and makes it a collaborative experience. As an example, imagine yourself looking up at the sky on a starry night. Then look at Van Gogh’s Starry Night. Do you see the revolving energy and dynamism in those stars? This is what art brings to our senses and to what nature endows us with. Nature might have been here before humans arrived, and I can't help but imagine that it was created by its Creator partly to make it a source of inspiration for us to create, also. For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From PandaPaws Licensed VetTech  ’s "Invalid Item" Saluting the Brave Men and Women who fought in WWII. --- I did not serve in any war, but I was born during the end of WWII. So, I respect and applaud this special breed of people who exemplify to us honor, pride, dedication, valor, and service, and I am grateful to them for making the world a better place. The atrocities and the left-over negatives of wars are unimaginable. Those of World War II especially had to be the heaviest. Yet, they had been carried away and dealt with by these brave men and women, in ways I can’t even begin to imagine. When I was growing up, I was intentionally made to respect those in uniform, be it they might be in the military, law enforcement, firefighting, or from the ranks of first-responders. I don’t have grandchildren to instill such a respect but I think it is important to show those that put their lives in jeopardy to protect us and our nation. May we always have such heroes to fight for us and may they always feel our thankfulness. But most of all, may we become smart enough and astute enough to make sure those who badmouth our heroes are silenced forever. |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt: Image by Lyn “Use this image to inspire your blog today. It's at Stonington Harbor in Maine, where my oldest son lives in Maine.” === Although the image here is gloomier than the other photos of Stonington Harbor I found online, it is probably more accurate of this place in winter than in summer. Granted, I have never been to Stonington, but I visited many other places in Maine, usually in summer and a couple of times in winter. I can also see how that rocky, fog-bound coast can affect its residents and play a central role in their lives. Chances are this image was taken from Route 1 that hugs the coast of Maine. This is only conjecture on my part, of course. What entranced me about the image were the rocks and their bunching up together. I always loved the rocks and climbing on them. That is, wherever we were if there were rocks to climb and make my mother crazy. I doubt I can do this anymore, but this image reminded me of those far-away times and also projected related images into my mind of the old clipper ships; although, I doubt they would dare to come too close to these rocks when the fog stood on guard over them for days at a stretch. For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From Paul  ’s "Doug The Dog" “Life becomes more bearable with someone who loves you.” --- In my thinking, you either enjoy life or go with the flow. I never thought of it as being bearable or unbearable; however, when the tide turns against a person and they lose too much, especially the one they love the most, that unbearability factor shows its ugly head. Yes, someone who loves you makes life better. I won’t argue that, especially because I used to have such a someone with me for most of my life. Still, as a principle, I am not dumping the reasons for my being or happiness on any one person. First, it is too difficult for that someone to carry the burden of my being or happiness on their shoulders. Second, I am the one responsible for myself, provided my intellect and judgment isn’t harmed by disease, age, or stupidity. Then, life becomes stimulating when you look at how people do things. Right today, I learned that someone I know washes her vegetables in large loads in her clothes washer. Then she stores them in the veggie bin in her fridge. Well, that was news to me but interesting anyhow. I may have gone on a tangent here, but I was trying to make a point about making life bearable worthwhile on the worst of days. |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt: There are 83 days left in this year. Have you accomplished the goals you set back on the 1st day of this year? Have you set new goals with the intent to accomplish them in the last stretch? ===== I am not one for setting goals. They have never worked for me, and even when they did, their results were less than satisfactory. I think the reasons for this can be explained. First, goal setting creates an unneeded pressure while giving me a sense of failure. Then, while adding undue importance to a project and concentrating on its progress, I end up focusing on the result, and that cannot be a winning solution. I set, however, very short-term goals such as those on a daily basis or goals I need to take care of within days. Short-term stuff isn’t too difficult to handle. For all my incompetence with personal goal-setting, however, it is a fact that whenever I worked in a team, I was the one who stuck to the goal 100%. Maybe I am one of those people who do better work with a team. On the other hand, I can understand how goal setting can help a person. First, it gives them a target or a plan which may become a vehicle on the route to success. It encourages commitment and also clarity on the course they may want to take as vague goals do not motivate people. It is said that the most efficient people do set challenging goals and commit to them, and unlike me, they thrive on the social influences and the expectancies of other people. For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From TheBusmanPoet  ’s "Decisions" Write about decisions. ===== Anyone can make decisions, snap-decisions or slow decisions that take their sweet time, but are they effective with good results? This is where the human judgment comes in. I think it may be better to take one’s time and make decisions based on the projected effectiveness of the results while examining the underlying realities of the problem and the work that needs to be taken care of. A decision may seem clever at the beginning, but it may not be sound. It is better, therefore, not to make very many decisions without thinking, unless one cannot help it with an urgent situation at hand. The trickiest decisions have to do with deciding between right and wrong. Even when the intention is good, it doesn’t mean the rightness or the wrongness of the matter is clear. I would say, classify and define the problem, then specify its answer, while testing the validity of the decision. Even then, unknown factors may be in the play. In short, decision-making is a risky project. |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt: What do you think of the graphic depictions of violence in books, and is the threat or anticipation of violence in a story much more effective and frightening than any graphic depiction of it? --- I don’t care if the genre is horror or murder-mystery. I think there is no need for graphic depictions of violence anywhere in a book or in a movie for the simple reason that they shouldn’t serve as “how-to”s for the sick minds. Elongating the moments and filling the readers with anticipation of some cruelty or something sinister would work better. The more skilled authors like Dean Kuntz do this to perfection. Now, read this excerpt, which is a bit long for an excerpt, but I had to take the whole thing to make a point. Here the character is reacting to a shadow while under the influence of a nightmare. See how the author is elongating the moments to fill the reader with anticipatory terror. “She was probably still spooked from the dream that awakened her after midnight, the same one she'd had on a few other recent nights. The man made of dead, rotting leaves, a nightmare figure. Whirling, raging. Then her gaze dropped to her elongated shadow, which stretched across the close-cropped grass, draped the curb, and folded onto the cracked concrete pavement. Inexplicably, her uneasiness swelled into alarm. She took one step backward, then a second, and of course her shadow moved with her. Only as she retreated a third step did she realize that this very silhouette was what frightened her. Ridiculous. More absurd than her dream. Yet something in her shadow was not right: a jagged distortion, a menacing quality. Her heart knocked as hard as a fist on a door. In the severe angle of the morning sun, the houses and trees cast distorted images, too, but she saw nothing fearsome in their stretched and buckled shadows--only in her own. She recognized the absurdity of her fear, but this awareness did not diminish her anxiety. Terror courted her, and she stood hand in hand with panic. The shadow seemed to throb with the thick slow beat of its own heart. Staring at it, she was overcome with dread. Martie closed her eyes and tried to get control of herself.” From False Memory by Dean Kuntz. For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From SusanFarmer ’s "In the Midst of Tumult" "Choosing a stillness moment even as everything around us convulses." Everything around us is definitely convulsing with riots, COVID-19, the election, and soon, the holidays. What do you do to calm the insanity? ---- It isn’t what happens in the world but it is our reaction to it. Keeping a cool head in times of trouble isn’t easy, but one can do it if one is already prepared for it. As for me, a few decades ago, I learned meditation. It took a long time to really make it a habit, a habit that shows up on its own in times of trouble. It seemed frivolous to do this in those days, but I am happy I attempted it because now, the meditation thing comes to me automatically whenever something fearful or disturbing happens. Once one learns the technique, one can adapt it to his or her liking. One can, for example, incorporate the name of a Saint or God into it or let the meditative words stay as they are. What would have happened if I didn't know about and hadn’t learned meditation? Then, I would have to go with keeping myself busy and creating jobs to do and reading a lot, which is I always do anyway. Keeping busy has its plusses, and also, enjoying the nature helps, but for those of us living in big cities, nature isn’t easily accessible. Then, it is always a good idea to breathe deeply and think, “This too shall pass.” |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt: Describe what Memory Lane looks like? --- At Memory Lane’s entrance, you notice two tall walls standing across each other on the two sides of the road. These walls are covered with climbing roses of all colors, and from afar, you think, ‘how lovely and such a heavenly smell,’ but when you near either of the walls you see that these roses have the biggest thorns. This is because roses are warning you to look from afar and not touch for if you try to get closer or touch, you might be subjected to intense bleeding, as some things, especially memories, are meant to be enjoyed from afar. A nearer vision or better grasp can hurt you. So you try to walk in the middle of the road, noticing road signs along the way. Here are a few of them: “Proceed at your own risk!” “Beware of the too-sweet memories. They are out to distract you.” “Check out the facts well because bad experiences can be presented out of context.” “Remember why you forgot even forgave.” “Your details may not be accurate.” These warning signs are the only correct things on this lane. Your memories aren’t. For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From Annie ’s "Windows of the morning" "Morning is my favorite time of day......." What is your favorite part of the day and why? --- I’ll go with morning, too. That I woke up still alive is a gift. That a cat waits for me at my bedroom door in the morning is the biggest compliment I can receive. That I can cook for myself and can take care of myself is my bonus. That I don’t owe anyone anything and I own my home is God’s grace and I am thankful for it. For those and for many other things, I am thankful for all my mornings. |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt: In an interview, Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard, who wrote the six-volume autobiographical novel My Struggle and many others, said, “I don’t really pay much attention to the world. I’m not very present. I’m detached from almost everything. I’m very occupied with myself and my own mind. I’m not in connection with the world—but in writing, I can be.” What do you think? If writers are attached to writing, how can they write if they are detached from the world? ==== I believe this is called in psychiatry depersonalization disorder. People with this disorder describe a sense of complete detachment, a life lived as if on autopilot, characterized by an absence of emotions, good or bad. Such people observe life through a fog as if they don’t own their bodies. They may also have OCD and other mental disorders. I guess such people write about stuff as they observe the world behind their fog, but I don’t think, they’re able to feel with their characters or even their own emotions. Depending on their skill, some writers can get away with this. Then, sometimes, due to our digital connections, we may feel disconnected and depressed even though we are connected to the entire world through the internet. It is a catch 22 situation. I think it is okay to feel sad, detached, or depressed from time to time, but if it happens often or unrelentingly, the person feeling that way should better seek professional help. Although Knausgaard, here, claims some kind of a detachment, I doubt that he is seeing himself clearly. If he were, his writing wouldn’t be so successful. For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From Lisa Noe  ’s "Invalid Item" ."I can't believe this is happening on my birthday." Odd things happen on birthdays. What birthday do you remember best? --- It was my older son’s first birthday. He didn’t understand what the cake was for. When it came to blow the candle, he stuck his entire head into it. Luckily, a neighbor pulled the candle out of the cake at the last minute. As the result, I had to wash the baby while my husband had to go get another cake, but the bakery was out of cakes, and he came back with a full load of eclairs. I think eclairs taste better than any cake, so we were all happy about what our son did, our son with icing all over his face and body. I don’t think any of my own birthdays can top this one. |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt: Now that we have only a couple of days to the "October Novel Prep Challenge" [13+] by Brandiwyn🎶  , are you going to write a novel this year? With or without doing the NaNo, what is your best approach to write a novel: vignettes, outlines, character developing or what? If you are a NaNo rebel, what is in your book-writing future, then? If you are not ready to write a novel yet, what do you think of the NaNo program?-- My favorite approach to any writing is pantsing. But is it the best approach? I don’t think so. As enjoyable as pantsing is, a more organized thinking especially with the longer works brings out the best result, and that is why I so appreciate the Prep. Not that prepping always works for everyone or every book, but it makes the rush-rush writing in one month much easier. To tell the truth, when they say NaNo month, it is never the full month. You’d better have your novel completed within three or four days after the 20th. Because there’s Thanksgiving and other stuff that can get in the way. NaNo would do us a bigger favor if they accepted the entries within the first week of December, but that is not in our hands, is it! Even so, although each year I say I won’t do this, I end up doing the NaNo bit anyway. Because the one year in between that I didn’t do, I wasn’t happy with myself. I don’t have OCD but I might have developed one concerning NaNo. Again, this year, I said I wouldn’t put me through this again, but as soon as I saw Michele’s post, I was there. Now, about last year’s NaNo, I got 54k plus words, but the book is not finished. I didn’t reach any viable ending. Thus, it is not even a first draft like the others were. And here I am again to possibly write a totally different story.  As to prepping, it depends what kind of an idea I get for each book. Sometimes an interesting character or an outline pushes my thinking around. Last year, I wanted to write about a voyage of sorts like the Odyssey,  This year, I am thinking of a theme but I don’t know how I’ll work it in a story with characters and a halfway decent storyline. It is always a challenge, but then challenges usually keep us alive. For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From princess ’s "Hugs" "The many meanings of giving a hug" Why do we all like hugs? -- We like hugs because we are pack animals and feeling hugged relieves stress as our brains can produce soothing chemicals (like oxytocin) that help us feel safe and less agitated for a while. This, in the long run, helps boost our immune systems, regulate our heart rates, and lower our blood pressure. But now, the tide has turned. We have the epidemic and no hugs. Suddenly, hugs have become risks. The more people we hug, the higher is the risk of getting the virus. What happens is that when we meet someone to hug, we take a step, then stop, and so does the other person. So instead we wave from afar or we message one another with “hug” words or send hugging emoticons. It may just be idea that counts, but then, it may not be as some bandaids can fall off. Thus, hugs may be the most-missed thing at this time. Once the epidemic goes away, the consolation prize can be that we’ll be hugging one another all over the place and feeling good again. Something real and meaningful to look forward to, I'd say. |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt by Lyn: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/i-feel-sorry-for-americans-a-baffled-world-... “I feel sorry for Americans,” said U Myint Oo, a member of parliament in Myanmar. “But we can’t help the U.S. because we are a very small country.” The same sentiment prevails in Canada, one of the most developed countries. Two out of three Canadians live within about 60 miles of the American border. “Personally, it’s like watching the decline of the Roman Empire,” said Mike Bradley, the mayor of Sarnia, an industrial city on the border with Michigan, where locals used to venture for lunch.: New York Times What are your thoughts? --- You can bring together all the small and large dogs in the world and have them bark at the ocean. Ocean is ocean. It will not change its color, get dirty, or diminish in any way for all their barking in the world. Frankly speaking, I feel sorry for those dogs for not taking care of their own poops and barking at us. I was born during the World War II. Ever since my childhood, I heard the cries of “That ugly American!” from several corners of the world. Well, we might not win their beauty contests, but did their cries change us? No, we the ugly Americans, as they call us, have rushed to heal the world when there was a wound that we could heal. If anything, I believe in the greatness of this nation. I also believe, due to this greatness, we can smooth out the little glitches that show up here and there. The only big threat I see is the dirty money coming in from the outside forces to undo what’s good and God-given here. That, regardless of one’s pessimism or party affiliation, should be the threat to bind us together, so we can work for our unity and for the betterment of the entire world. For: "Space Blog" Prompt by Megan: From Monty  ’s "AMERICAN SOLDIER." “He is the American soldier and will forever stand For the red, white and blue, The American flag of his homeland.” ----- The USA’s military presence has been one a few can dare to challenge. This might has nothing to do with having billions in our defense funds. Rather it has to do with the American Soldier’s heart and spirit, plus good will, upbringing, and superb training. The American flag is a symbol of our freedom. When the soldier salutes the flag, he salutes that freedom and the nation it represents. Freedom has a special charm but it also needs the authority of use. In some other places, nations fall into decadence and licentiousness and force their citizens and the smaller nations around them sink into oppression. The American soldier safeguards this nation from such a dreadful extreme. That is why “the American soldier will forever stand for the red, white and blue.” |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/meet-the-actors-who-ve-played-iconic-horro... Which character would you be? Why? --- None. Unfortunately for this prompt, I haven’t seen any of those movies. In fact, at the moment, I am at odds with Hollywood’s grandiose and condescending incompetence. To begin with, I don’t like anything, fiction or a movie, that intends to only terrify, scare, or disgust. The characters in such works go down with the genre, even when they are played by the best of actors. Unless, the story has some magnitude, scope, and intelligence that will save it. Talking of which, I liked Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs.” Who can forget him saying, “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.” But this movie wasn’t meant to be a horror film. It had its horror-filled moments, true, but the entire work was full of depth, meaning, and wisdom. This kind of horror I’ll take anytime. For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From sethermancrash ’s "A Voice Lost Among the Wind" “We all refuse to be another set of voices long among the wind. We will be heard.” --- The fearless ones shout to be heard. They are heard for sure, but they are also frowned upon for adding to the noise pollution. Thus, here’s my opinion. No need to add to the cacophony that is making everyone’s hearing faulty. If you have something significant and relevant to say, say it. You will be heard, at least by some people who may appreciate words like yours. If that is too difficult, then say what you yourself want to hear. At least, you’ll be the one to hear yourself. The trouble with the temper tantrums when your voice becomes lost and you realize you are not being heard is in the fact that you put your own emotional well-being in other people’s hands, people whose ears may be faulty and can distort what you are saying. Besides, your own individual voice has to be your own, controlled by nobody, and hopefully, it will offer a sense of purpose and value to your life. Then, you’ll have a very good chance of being heard. |
| Prompt: Who was your childhood hero? --- My childhood and all-time hero is one of my uncles. Only because he gave me his attention and encouraged me toward what was important to me, which were the arts, writing, and literature. While others in my family were very nice to me also, none of them could act like him. They all saw to it that I lacked nothing material and they were kind, but that special attention by my special uncle has always been something else. I guess my uncle took it upon himself to care for my emotional well-being when my father died when I was little. I don’t know what makes any human being take care of another’s child in the exact way that child needs it. At the time, my inclinations and interests were not met with enthusiasm by most of the people in the family as everyone expected me to be like my father and become a physicist or something like it, eventually. While a few people kept saying there was no future in what I liked to do, my uncle told me to do what I wished to do, and the rest would take care of itself because doing something one’s heart is not in is hell on earth, even if financially positive and some fame is guaranteed. My uncle didn’t only encourage me when he saw me, but he took me to stay with him, together with his wife and three children, for days and weeks at an end during my school vacations and gave me his full attention. I’ll never forget my uncle, and I think people like him have a very special place in Heaven, within God’s quarters. For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From ♥Hooves♥  ’s "Walking My Humans" “I still like to walk these humans of mine.” Write about walking a dog from it's perspective and views. --- When I see a dog walking its human, I always think, ‘Now here’s a dog who should become the president.’ After all, it must take a genius to be tied to a leash and rule over the one holding the other end of the leash. This also means the owner of the dog, or the peasant who is ruled by the emperor dog, has not established the proper dog-handling protocol. I imagine, the emperor dog probably would say: “See how I get away with anything! I sniff, explore, pull my human hither and thither just for the fun of it, and I slow down when my human wants a brisk walk or run at a breakneck pace usually much faster than my human can. What can the human do but either fall sprawled on his face or let go of the leash. Usually, it is the latter, and then the real fun begins with my human running after me while I keep the other end of the leash beyond his reach. Then, you wouldn’t believe this, but my frustrated human took me to an obedience school. I knew of his intentions very well, so I acted according to my own best interests. I became the most obedient dog in the class and I received the highest award and a badge at the end. Yet, when the school was over and it was my human at the other end of the leash, the fun began again. I immediately dropped the idea of walking beside him and ran ahead. Glory be! I was the leader, once more.” See, people, us humans can never win! |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt: When was the last time you were creative? --- I don’t know. While I just do things like write, cook, sew, etc., I never think I am being creative. If I thought that, I’d jinx myself. For whatever reason, it is true that I like doing things differently each time. For example, I never follow a recipe as it is written. Even with writing, an outline makes the work easier, but I like meandering much better, which doesn’t mean I don’t do outlines. It means I change routes from them. It is a natural process, but not because I am trying to be “creative” or any such thing. Being creative means being innovative and fresh. It means being imaginative and acting on it. Creativity demands resources, either stored or learned, as knowledge, insight, and inspiration. It means taking advantage of opportunities and making new connections. Creativity itself can be huge and inspiring, and also, a very scary concept to live up to. If I thought all that about anything I attempt to do, I’d run for the hills for not living up to the level creativity requires. So, I just do things for those things themselves. Trying to be creative, therefore, is not in my vocabulary. For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From Brian K Cognitive Dissonance ’s "A Slower Return" "Make the most of each moment...before it's gone".How do you make the most of each moment? --- To make the most of each moment, one has to know oneself to the best of his or her ability. We humans always trick ourselves by saying, “I know what I want” or “I am this or that.” This is how we get stuck in a rut, and that rut traps us into not using our time and life well. This may also be because we may have holes in our pasts that weren’t filled and wounds that weren’t healed. After getting to know the real person inside us, then, we need to cultivate excitement and contentment for life. Making the most of each moment doesn’t necessarily mean filling our time with constant action. It means knowing who we are and feeling gratitude for it and for what the world offers. With that feeling then, we can begin our true contribution. This way, we may find ourselves to be effective in making the most of every moment of our days. |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt: “The earth laughs in flowers,” says Ralph Waldo Emerson. Which flowers do you like and why do you think people like flowers so much? --- The day before yesterday, my daughter-in-law brought me a lovely bouquet of roses for no reason at all. I think this is the best reason, this no-reason thing. It delighted me to no end. So, every time I pass by that vase, I stop and smell the roses and I admire their petals, scent, and colors. Roses are one of my favorite flowers. Probably I like their thorns, too, as it is the thorns that feed and keep alive the roses. Just like the thorns in our lives that teach us and make us grow. Yet, I like all flowers. Daisies, for example. Those that grow free, flouncing and curving, in the wilderness or in rows in a garden. In the Victorian era, the language of flowers was the in-thing as it was uttered in symbols and silence. The frivolity of the idea, especially for us word-people, added to the frivolity of corseted fashions now seem to be empty and meaningless, but would we think this if we were to have lived in those times? I don’t believe so. I imagine we would take those symbols to heart and converse with one another through gifts of flowers. Come to think of it, getting and giving flowers wouldn’t be such a bad thing, would it? Then, imagine what would happen, if in the election ads, the opposing parties handed one another flower bouquets…I think, for my part, I wouldn’t turn off the TV when such ads were to pop up. And that would be an improvement for everyone concerned. For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From Jenn Webster ’s "Invalid Item" "But for right now, I would very much like to know: Which symbol of hope would very best represent the calendar year of 2021, in which we hope would be a Year of Hope?"Well, what do you think? --- Well, who’d know! This item is a poll and I voted for the dove because being a bird, it can fly and rise over anything. Plus, a dove is a universally known symbol of hope. Hope helps us to ignore the unpleasant present. As such, it is all we have at the moment to provide us with strength and bear the misery and misfortunes of 2020. Hope encourages us to persevere with the onward journey, despite the obstacles, fear, or simply the masks that make the entire planet earth look like a cave for bandits. Hope offers us a positive belief and a doable path, and directs us toward specific directions, destinations, and goals. Hope, then, becomes a mindset that urges us to keep on trying, at least one more time, one more month, or for the next year of 2021. |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt: “When leaves have to let go of the tree, they wear their best colors and they dance all the way to the ground.” Karen Kingsbury, Finding Home What do you think of autumn, and why is it difficult to let go of things or people we become used to, unlike the leaves? --- Who doesn’t love autumn leaves in all their splendid colors! Their charm and appeal are boundless for the simple reason that they have matured under the sun. Yet, autumn means change. How we judge or adapt to change will predict how much we love or hate this season. After all, what follows it is winter, and unless one is lucky, winter is difficult on most of the places in the world. Autumn also refers to the time's passing drip by drip like the autumn rain, with weekdays following one another in a row just as the months and years do. This passing of time makes us get used to people and whatever we love, or in other words, whatever and whoever has tamed us. Then, as time passes, like the autumn leaves falling off the trees, our loved ones also leave while the traces of their images become just as colorful as the leaves of autumn, and the bare branches they’ve left behind are just as desolate looking and painful. As St. Exupery’s Little Prince said, “One runs the risk of weeping a little, if one lets oneself be tamed...” For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From Stormy Lady  ’s "Never Love A Poet" "Never love a poet, she warns..." Why should we never love a poet? --- I used to love (still do in hindsight) Stormy’s forum. I don’t think I ever missed a prompt of hers, then. As to the question, I think Stormy answered it best: “Their hearts beat too strongly to hold.” I think it is also because poets are already married to poetry and anyone who loves them will be no more than a mistress or the male equivalent of it. Poets will always obey the muse, and not always mind their partners. Then some, if not most, fall in and out of love very easily. Unless you want to be the spare tire in their trunk, you better set your sights on someone more stable. In addition, not many poets write or talk openly. You need to have the ability to pinpoint and understand the metaphors and the like. Then, your poet doesn’t always mean what s/he says, either, although their words are their truths at the moment. Plus, anything you say, do, or think can and will be held against you, and there, in communication, lies the greatest challenge you’ll ever face. |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" "Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable." ~ Sydney J. Harris Discuss this quote in your blog today. ---- Truthfully, I am not a proponent of any quote that idolizes regret. Any kind of it. I am of the thinking that says, ‘Proceed boldly, and only look back to learn, and do not waste your physical or mental health over it.’ Unfortunately, regret is a common emotion, and it is the most negative one. It doesn’t help to rewrite history in one’s mind over and over again. It helps to look forward and not be afraid. Things happen whether we caused them or not or whether we interfered or not. Thus, what if we had done the thing we regret not doing, and the results were to be even worse? We can’t know that, do we? Plus, sometimes we don’t interfere or do anything about a situation for self-protection. Good enough reason, I say. An example: A policeman is chasing a criminal and you happen to be in the way and you tackle the criminal while at the same time, the policeman aims at him and shoots you instead and the criminal escapes. Did you realize you got that policeman in major trouble, both emotionally and professionally? You acted, didn’t you, so you wouldn’t feel your precious regret? In life, whatever is wrong needs fixing, and from our experiences, we learn this. We need to learn this, but we need to learn how to employ the tactics of doing it properly and in a way that our actions help and do not hurt. For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From THANKFUL SONALI Now What?  ]s "Ping" “I'm not a person, I'm just a ping in queue.” ----- Yessss, to this poem! I have always applauded the electronic revolution, but not this. I guess this is the dark side of something so addictingly helpful. Things I used to do easily with one phone call in five minutes, I can’t do now even when I stay by the phone for three hours. Then, there is always the chance that my call can be dropped at any one moment. And yes, any time a computer voice says, “Your call is important to us,” I want to do something so vile that their whole circuit gets broken for good. Unfortunately for me and fortunately for the companies or whoever, I am not a hacker and I don't know enough stuff to pull it through. I am reacting this strongly because this poem has touched so deeply on my most recent pet peeve. I can’t even get in touch with a doctor’s office to handle something simple about a medication. Ring! ring! A computer. That computer sends me to another one. Then to another one. Then to the nurse’s phone, which says leave a message; we’ll call you back. Although their computer voice takes my request, no one gets in touch with me. We’ve been playing this ring-around-the-rosy several times a week for more than a month now. Their probable, custom-made excuse: It is Covid-19 era and they are busy. Nice going! I can change doctors you know or I can sue you, but I don’t like doing this because I have never sued anyone. That’s not me. Plus, I like this doctor (best cardiologist in the area) although not the way his office is run. If this is the sign of things to come, woe is us! |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt: (from yesterday since I didn’t write yesterday and didn’t see today’s prompt) : The ACM Awards were on last night. What are your views on country music? --- I do like country music, but recently I have the TV shut out totally since I don’t want to hear any fake election ads from either side. I don’t necessarily watch TV in the first place. Thus, I didn’t see that show or any other show. Although my real interest has to do with the Classical music of the earlier centuries, I am partial to any kind of music. As to country music, when it is the folk music or the cowboy music with the addition of a string instrument, I like it just fine when I hear it, but I wouldn’t necessarily put on a country music album or turn to a country music station and listen. I also don’t like it when the lyrics are about nothing but complaints that drone on and on.. Talking about singing the complaints, I think Kenny Rogers sang them the best and with a humorous, satirical dip. I’ll listen to any complaints from him, such as “You found a fine time to leave me, Lucille.” I guess my age shows in my likes and dislikes, also. Thinking about this, I suddenly remembered Glen Campbell with his, “Rhinestone Cowboy” and other perfect songs. See, I have my favorite country singer picks, too, however dated they may be. For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From "The Tenor at the Opera" “Only truth can be sung.” Thanks  Princess Megan Rose 22 Years  ! ---- There are the facts and there’s the truth. The facts can change but the actual truth does not. Then, there is that thing about the arts. The reason we admire them is because they have a way of touching the truth. The artists in any area may not be aware that they are reaching for that truth themselves, but the nature of the arts requires such an undertaking. Otherwise, what they are attempting as artists has nothing to do with the truth, and what they are putting forth can be considered as trash and not the truth we all seek. That truth is the truth of our feelings, the truth. of why we do doings even if we are not aware of our hidden intentions, or the truth that is too difficult to face or too profound to handle, which becomes deeply immersed in our illusions and dreams. The item in the prompt refers to that truth, which only true artists can handle. |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt: What life lessons have books taught you? --- Just about everything I know. I learned to read before I turned four, and ever since I was never without a book. To begin with, I was an only over-protected child in an adult-filled home. Books became my companions. They gave me a greater understanding of myself and other people. They unveiled parts of life I might not have understood otherwise, such as understanding the lives and feelings of others. Then, the more I read the more curious I became. Even to the point of thievery, that is borrowing books I wasn’t allowed to read and reading them under the tables and beds and behind the couches. Most of my lessons came from just reading, and although a few specific books impressed me immensely. Nonfiction or fiction, books gave me my view of the world and, I believe, they encouraged me to think for myself. To this day, they are my biggest companions that provide the best consolation when I need it. For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From Ԝ€ß☆ԜiʈCH  ’s "To Robin Williams" How did you feel about Robin Williams? ---- I first came to know Robin Williams in Mark and Mindy, a show I didn’t care for much, except for the novelty he brought to it. Then came (for me) Dead Poets Society and his other movies. Plus, any show on TV perked up if Robin Williams was in it. I didn’t know Robin Williams personally. So, I can’t say for sure what he was really like. I knew him as a great actor, an A+ comedian, and a human being who probably couldn’t cope with life at the end. I think this may happen when you give so much of yourself to others, very little or nothing is left for you, and especially if you have a brain disease, handling even another day becomes a huge task. At the end, Robin Williams was a big actor on the world’s stage, and his exit was just as dramatic, which left us with broken hearts. |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt: Isaac Asimov says, “The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” Is Asimov right? Is society falling behind? What do you think? ---- Yes, I do think Asimov is right. Even my kids and others much younger than me complain about having to do anything online, like pay bills, find information, relate to people or to use new electronic gadgets and things. They often express the wish that things returned to the “good old days.” They just don’t know how deprived some of us felt in the “good old days” and how much time it took to do one simple task like driving to a bank to send money to someone. I guess it is in human nature to not be content with the status quo. This discontentment makes us look for different avenues and even revert back to the older ways of doing things. This discontentment can also be a way of projecting our failings on science. I think this is mainly the reason that makes society fall behind science. Plus, not everything science comes up with is correct either. We still suffer in the hands of natural disasters, some of which we can’t predict or avert long before they happen. Then, take the computerized answering of the phones, my pet peeve, which all companies use or rather disuse. This just makes our lives miserable, even if it may save a company from paying more workers to answer their phones. These companies don’t realize while they are profiting by it at the moment, they are wasting their clients’ time and making them frustrated enough to change with whom they do business. Still, I respect and appreciate science, primarily the kind that came with the electronic revolution. I only wish I had the background and the mind to grasp it fully, at least much better than I do now. I think, only through the findings of science, our species can survive and progress. So, what if, along the way, there would be some glitches! For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From Brandiwyn🎶 ’s "It's So Easy" "It's so easy to talk to you It's so easy to share everything with you" Besides a spouse, do you have anybody in your life who is easy to talk to? --- Yes, I can talk quite easily to some people, especially to my cousins, and specifically one of them, who has been more than a best friend to me throughout my life. Although she lives overseas, there’s always the phone and other ways of communication. I used to have several friends who were very easy to talk to, but most of them live far away, but with a few of them, we have grown in different directions. Being oldies like me, some of them do not care for electronic communications of any sort, which has also added to the distances among us. |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt: Ray Bradbury advises in Zen in the Art of Writing, “You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.” If reality is so bad and destructive, which I agree that it can be at times, why are we seeking it under the guise of believability factor in the books we read and the movies we watch? What is your opinion on the matter? === I am not sure I would want to shun reality altogether, as writing only reflects reality. Even with the fantasy genre or with any other genre, we want to relate to the characters and other elements of what we write about. Reality and relating. They sound similar, don’t they, with some of the letters in them being the same? This is because we warm up to things that we know of and that we have experienced. What is reality, we have to ask, then. Reality is simply what it is, which we may think rightly or wrongly. We may experience what we call “reality” in our specific ways and perceive it through our five senses and filter it through our thoughts, feelings, and other sensations. In this way, we relate to it. Sometimes, our perceptions become too heavy, too sad, too destructive to handle. Still, don’t we refer to or reflect them in our writing? This may be why the most prolific writers are reality-oriented as they get “drunk” on writing. I suspect, not because they want to escape reality but because they want to find it. After all, despite what we think we experience as reality, to really search and find that unchangeable yet mysterious being has to be a lot of work. For: "Space Blog" Prompt: From Raven ’s "We Minus You Equals A Lonely Broken Me" “Have you ever had a broken heart?” --- Who hasn’t? One has a broken heart because of a loss. It could be any loss that feels a part of you, a country, a goal, a parent, a sibling, a lover, a partner, a friend, a pet, etc. Did I ever have a broken heart? Definitely! Anytime I say goodbye to a loved one for good, my heart shatters. In our culture, a broken heart usually refers to a lost lover. Yes, that too did happen to me, very recently, too. I lost my husband and best friend of fifty-four years. Yet, I try to cope with it since there is no other alternative and because I appreciate all those good years, and I am immensely thankful that I had them. With that, I have been one of the few lucky ones. Especially because I am aware of the big-picture perspective of my life in its entirety, that is a huge consolation. |
| For "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise" Prompt: Write a story about a shipwrecked-adventure on an island. --- I don’t even recall being at sea, let alone being in a shipwreck. Yet, the evidence is there, in the broken, shattered parts of the vessel all around me. I rub my hands, then my toes together to get rid of the wet sand clinging to them. I look around. A rocky crevice. Does it open into a cave? Should I look? What if there’s an animal there? I give up, rising to my feet. The sand moves beneath my arches, tickling my toes and skin. I shuffle about. No one in sight, just a stretch of thick, dense woods behind the desolate shoreline. Such weird woods, though! Its trees are all colors. I recognize only a very few palms at the edge. Then, I notice the stones on an elevation separating the sand from the woods. Small, colorful stones and a couple of large rocks. My legs are weary and my feet itch. Without thinking, I amble toward one of the rocks. That should make a good observation point. “Don’t you dare!” I jump up rubbing my behind to ease the burning feeling. I turn to the rock. It’s smoking with a tiny flame on the side. “Don’t ever sit on me, again! You inconsiderate mortal!” A talking rock? “Sorry,” I mumble. “I don’t know how I got here.” “Obviously, you don’t. You mortals know nothing, accept nothing, understand nothing.” “Sorry!” My voice comes out in a whisper. “Stop saying sorry when you don’t mean it.” “How did I…I mean…get here? How do I go back?” “You got caught in the essence of an old titan. He does that sometimes, to get on our last nerves. As if it wasn’t enough turning us to stones!” “Those small stones, too?” I ask meekly. “Those are the sirens and nymphs the divine son of a god touched, under the titans' influence, for sure. Now, be careful. Don’t walk on them.” “But how do I get out of here?” I hear a sigh from the rock. “Me and my soft heart!” Another sigh and it continues. “Keep walking on the sand, but first take that dagger behind me. Who knows who you’ll meet on the way. When you leave here make sure there is not even a grain of sand on you, or else. Someone, something, will come after you if you don't shake off the sand.” I reach behind the talking rock. Sure enough, there is an object there. I reach for the hilt. The blade has a serpentine shape and is of bronze. It is fixed to the animal-skin-covered hilt. “Thank you,” I say. “I wouldn’t know how to use it, though.” “It works on its own volition. Now, go!” I step down onto the sand, my pulse loud in my ears for I am aware of the sharp dagger I am holding. I take several steps and, to my horror, I see the tide coming in to take over the beach. I close my eyes and shudder. When I open them again, I find myself in my living room, still holding the dagger. But… But my bare feet are covered with sand. Oh, My God! For: "Space Blog" Prompt: Solace.Bring  ’s "Land of Poetry" “Somewhere over the rainbow and into the blue.” --- Somewhere over the rainbow and into the blue, the Eagle rises from the top of the fallen twin towers. This image has been with me ever since, although a phoenix rising from the ashes had been the original version. Then, another image with tears shining on the Eagle’s face. “Lest we forget,” says the Eagle. No, we won’t forget that! We won’t forget that freedom isn’t free. We won’t forget our gratitude for what we have, despite the negative elements that have sneaked in to fool the weaker ones among us. Despite the division and the pain they are causing. No, we won’t forget all that, Our Eagle! |
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