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Rated: ASR · Book · Experience · #1486637
This blog is a wide variety of things. Most titles are prompts I have followed.
This journal is a wide collection of things. Some of it is just a free flow of thoughts. Some of it is from Earl's 31-Day Challenge a long time ago. The rest is from given writing prompts that I have found around the Net from various groups to which I belong. It's not often that I rant about life in general, but you will find some of that here as well. Things here are mostly prompts I have followed. Maybe you will find a prompt that inspires you.

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December 30, 2008 at 1:00pm
December 30, 2008 at 1:00pm
#626769
Day 31 The obstacle is the path – Zen Proverb

To me, this is the same thing as the old saying, “Getting there is half the battle.” Sometimes the path is not well-paved or clearly marked. Sometimes it seems as though you’ve left the path completely. This can seem like an obstacle to the goal. There are times that the path becomes an obstacle by taking a long, winding route to the destination. Sometimes things on the path distract you from the ultimate goal.

A good example of this for me, something I wrote about a few days ago, is my education. I knew I would eventually go to college. Somewhere inside of me, even though I knew I could not handle another minute of school by the time I graduated from high school, I still wanted to go to college. Instead I went to work. I got promoted into my first supervisory position at a long term care facility in the dietary department. I got married. I got divorced. I ran my own business. The path lead me in various directions. Looking back, the path seemed to be the obstacle then. Now I realize that the path was leading me around to where I would be ready to go back to school, at a point in my life when it would mean so much more to me. It was a sweet thing, when I saw my former high school principal (who used to give me so much grief about being a “smart kid” and “throwing it all away”, etc. etc… his words falling on deaf ears) not too long ago. He asked how I’d been and what I’d been doing. When I told him I’d just graduated with my master’s degree he just smiled. I knew what he was thinking. Same thing I was thinking, “Took you long enough!”

I think the important thing to remember is that, no matter where the path takes you, it will eventually lead to the things you want and need in your life – as long as a part of you (even a subconscious part) stays on that path.


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December 30, 2008 at 12:10pm
December 30, 2008 at 12:10pm
#626755
Day 30 A Blog about Blogging

This has been a fun challenge. To me, it didn’t seem to be that hard. I write every day, so adding this one more thing to my writing regime was not difficult. Some of the prompts were very easy for me, and some took more effort (as one would imagine), but overall, I thought it was a great experience. It’s nice to have a daily prompt to get the creative juices flowing in the morning. I can’t tell you that I’ve had a favorite prompt, because they were all interesting. The piece on global warming and the north pole was probably kind of a cop-out… it was supposed to be a serious piece. But, with the holidays approaching, I had to make it light. There is too much doom and gloom in the world and people very seldom focus on the fun and positive things in life. Reading the blogs of all of the other challengers has been probably the best part of this experience. Because our personalities and thought patterns are all so different, I was amazed at the wide variety of takes on each prompt. I don’t know that I’ll get into the 365-day Journal Writing Challenge, but the 31-Day Challenge has been a great experience and I’ve “met” a lot of great people here.

Thanks for the opportunity to get involved, Earl!


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December 29, 2008 at 9:16am
December 29, 2008 at 9:16am
#626554
Prompt: "You have a key to your ex'es apartment. You decide to snoop around when he/she unexpectedly comes home. You hide in the closet. What do you hear?"

Dec 29 Prompt
“Hiding in my ex’s closet… what do I hear?”

He stumbles in, well after midnight – drunk again. But, why should today be any different than every other day since he lost his job. He claims some sort of back injury, but even I didn’t believe it. I laugh to myself at how bizarre it was that I even got involved in that relationship. At the time, of course, it wasn’t funny – but, as they say, time heals all, and now I try to muffle my giggle as he trips over a pair of shoes he left in the middle of the floor and lands, sprawling over the kitchen table.
What an idiot I think to myself, hearing him grunt as he pulls himself back to his feet.

It’s such a waste of a human life, what he’s done to himself. But, it’s not my problem anymore. I can’t save the world. I gave that idea up when I walked out that door for the last time. We had fun in the beginning. Then, after he said he hurt his back, it only got steadily worse. It wasn’t just the drinking, but also the narcotic pain killers they gave him for his back – to which he seemed to become instantly addicted. He’s an adult. It’s his problem. If he wants to live that way, then so be it. I moved around in the closet to get a better look at its contents. Ah hah! There’s my DVD player. Who knows why it’s in the closet. I don’t really care. He does a lot of weird crap when he’s drunk – which is always. Let’s see… what else is mine? Oh. Sweet. My fire-proof lock box is in here, too. I never really kept anything in the box after his paranoia got to the point that he needed to know what was in everything I owned… that box, my purse, whatever. I kept any important paperwork at my sister’s house for months before I left.

I heard him slump onto the bed, still dressed and shoes still on. I counted to five, knowing he would be passed out by then. I slipped out of the closet. What a waste. I went to the front door, closing it firmly for the last time, my belongings in tow.. I had no fear that he would wake up and hear me. He never did.


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December 28, 2008 at 5:01pm
December 28, 2008 at 5:01pm
#626478
Prompt: Crazy candle cares cowboy

Uh… yeah. Not too sure what that means other than maybe Earl had a little too much “holiday cheer” at the WDCF Christmas Party last night. I sat, for quite a while, trying to make sense out of this nonsensical prompt. Then I decided it must be the holiday cheer. I’ve no other explanation. Perhaps it’s the stage right before where normal, ordinary men start hugging each other and yelling, “Dude! I love you, Man! No, really, Man, I love you.” Which is followed, almost directly by the belief that one can eat more pickled eggs than any other person on the planet… or drink the hottest hot sauce right out of the bottle… or whatever else may be just “no right” to a normal person. For women, it’s probably the stage right before they break down in tears in the bathroom because nobody loves them… then laugh uncontrollably as their best friend tells them how silly they are being. The next stage of this is dancing and singing alone to the jukebox… usually in the middle of the bar after removing her shoes – which are obviously the reason she is having trouble walking….

Can you tell I was a bartender for a long time?

Interesting prompt, Earl!


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December 26, 2008 at 7:20pm
December 26, 2008 at 7:20pm
#626220
Prompt:
Place yourself in the shoes of someone who has a disability and write about something
they THINK they cannot do but after trying and trying, they find they are able to.


I have a cousin with MS. She is, at this point, confined to a wheel chair and has vision problems. I tell her that she is an inspiration to me. Things have changed so much for her in the past few years, and she just keeps going. She has had to adapt to doing things differently than she has in the past, obviously. To me, these changes in her life seem so drastic. To her, it’s just day-to-day life. When I first told her how inspiring she was, she asked me what else I expected her to do. She said she just had to deal with the ups and downs of her disease and take each day as it comes. And she is right. She really has no choice, if she wants to be happy and self-sufficient. Of course, she could just sit at home and feel sorry for herself. She could hate the world for how “cruel” it is being to her. Yet, she chooses to be happy. She chooses to take each day as it comes and to do as much as she can do, however she can do it. In that way, she always reminds me that life is what you make it. I’ve always thought that you can either sit on the couch and let life happen to you, or you can go out and make things happen. My cousin is a living example of going out and making things happen – and I’m very happy to have her in my life.


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December 26, 2008 at 6:03pm
December 26, 2008 at 6:03pm
#626214
“Okay, are you ready to listen to reason?” Me Now asks

“What do you know? You don’t know me. You don’t know what’s best for me!” Me Then yells back.

“Actually, young lady, I am you.” Me Now returns defiantly. “And you are going to sit there and you are going to listen to me!”

Me Then just rolls her eyes and slumps in her chair. She was one to find out through trial and error rather than listen to someone who might just know what they were talking about. Then again, Me Then would never have become Me Now if she would have listened.

“Here’s the deal. School is important, okay? You can do this the easy way, or you can do it the hard way. Keep doing well in high school and you can write your own ticket to the college of your choice. You know you’re college material, and you’re going to go at some point. Why not take the free ride?”

“Did you ever think maybe I don’t want the free ride? Did you ever think maybe I don’t give a s*** about the free ride? Don’t you old people always say that the only way you appreciate something is by working for it?” Me Then crosses her arms and looks away – a closed posture typical for her.

“You’re twisting my words. Don’t you get anything? Are you that thick? Do you realize what your education is going to cost you when you decide to go back and get your degree online when you’re in your thirties?”

“Online? What is that supposed to mean?”

“You will eventually go back to college. You’ll get your MBA, and you’ll do it all on the computer… but it’s going to cost you, and cost you big! If you keep your s*** together now, you can get a scholarship. You know you can! Why do you have to be so defiant all the time?”

“On the computer? What do you mean?” Me Then’s voice softened somewhat. She was actually showing interest. Amazing.

“Well, the Internet is pretty cool. In the next few years you’ll be able to do anything with it. Shopping. School. Work. Anything you want.”

“Sounds great to me,” Me Then scoffed. “So I’ll never have to deal with stupid people anymore? I won’t have to leave my house and deal with all of the ignorance out there?”

“Come on.” Me Now pleaded. “You don’t really mean that. People aren’t so bad.”

“You don’t get out much, do you?” The attitude was back. “Besides, you know I hate school. I don’t give a crap what my I.Q. is. I don’t give a crap how easy school is for me. It’s boring. And I hate it. I hate everyone in that school. They’re ignorant and they’ve all got way too much drama in their lives. And it’s all senseless, stupid crap. It won’t mean anything to them in a couple years, and they just can’t get that through their heads. I can’t even stand being in the same room with most of them. Sorry, college isn’t for me. Not now. I need a break from all of this crap. I’m just going to work for a while.”
“Well, I wish things were different,” Me Now conceded. “But I guess you’re right. “ The stifled, locked-in feeling I felt then was coming back to me. “I guess you know what’s best for you right now. I’m just trying to help.”

“Dually noted. Can I go now?” Me Then rose to leave.

“Sure. See you in twenty years.”


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December 25, 2008 at 6:49pm
December 25, 2008 at 6:49pm
#626081

The restaurant where I work is open, for a few hours, on Christmas Day. We had our Christmas Dinner at home on Christmas Eve, so I volunteered to work Christmas Day. We had many people in who, otherwise, had no one to spend Christmas with. They were very happy to have a place to go, and we had a lot of fun with them. One couple in particular came in just for coffee, but then ordered a hamburger and fries to go… with lots of raw onion. Upon talking to the couple more, I found they were going to see his father in a nursing home. This hamburger was a special treat for him. I was a cook/supervisor in a nursing home for quite a while years ago. Although we did the best we could with our food, it obviously was not restaurant food… so, I agreed that this was a special treat. Throughout the day, we had several more people come in to eat and take food to go: a few ham dinners and things like that. Each of them were brining food to an elderly relative or friend who could not get out for dinner for one reason or another. I thought the sentiment was great. So, today, on Christmas Day, even working was a celebration of sorts. Overall, this has been a great, and simple, Christmas season thus far.


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December 24, 2008 at 2:49pm
December 24, 2008 at 2:49pm
#625879
Prompt: Santa keels over at a meal on Christmas Eve

Ummm… I’m not sure I can kill off Santa. I just don’t have it in me. After all, the guy is obviously immortal. I mean, look how long he’s been around. Plus he’s got that magic sleigh and flying reindeer and all… I don’t think a guy like that can get killed off. I’m sure he has his own “kryptonite”, as all magical and super-power-laden folks do, but I truly would not think it fair for a writer to use that against him on Christmas Eve. Too many kids depend on him on Christmas morning. How fair would that be? As a kid, we usually celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve. We’d hear some weird noise upstairs (never figured out how my parents worked that one out!), and we’d wonder what was going on… my sister, our parents, and I would be downstairs with a fire in the old Franklin woodstove watching TV and playing… maybe having some fondue (hmmm… I think I just dated myself there, Oh well. LOL), and suddenly there would be noises upstairs. We’d look around until Dad would say, “I guess I better go up there and see what that noise was.” We’d follow him upstairs, lagging way behind in case it there was someone in the house or it was monsters or who knows what else. We’d peek around the corner at the tree and, Holy Smokes! Santa had come.

My point with that is…. The kids who got their presents early on Christmas Eve may still get presents if Santa keeled over at dinner, but the poor Christmas morning kids wouldn’t. We just can’t have that. Christmas is a time for happy faces and love. Killing Santa, even though the pen (or keyboard, in this case) may be mightier than the sword, it just can’t kick Santa’s butt!

Hmmm… one thing though…. What would Santa’s “kryptonite” be? Hot sauce, perhaps? After all, he hangs out in the coldest part of the world all year, and he wears that really heavy, big red suit. Hot sauce might melt him a little. But, then, he’s not made of snow or anything (please… he’s not Frosty, afterall!). There’s got to be something… should this writer turn maniacal and truly want to do away with the big guy. *heads off to find the Potion and Spells kit*


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December 23, 2008 at 1:38am
December 23, 2008 at 1:38am
#625671
I was just talking about this with my sister the other day. Our two sets of grandparents were so different, but we loved going to both places at Christmas time. My father comes from a Finnish family. Finns, as some may know, are not exactly known for their outward displays of affection. Don’t get me wrong, my grandparents loved us dearly, and we knew that, but they just weren’t the hugging, kissing, playful type of people. We laugh now because the conversation was always the same between my dad and my grandfather.

“How’s the car running?”

“Good.”

“Good, good.”

“Yep.”

“A lot of traffic on your way up?” (they lived in the U.P. of Michigan and we in Wisconin)

“Nope. Nope. Not too bad.”

“Good, good.”

“Yep, yep.”

There was that conversation every time we went up. We knew how the visit would start. Those two things, we thought at the time, we Grandpa’s main concern. Sometimes there was a conversation about the road conditions, but not often. They were always bad. That’s just the way it was back then. I remember the snow banks in Ironwood, MI the most as far as the ride up. There was so much snow up there; the banks would be straight up at the roads, like white walls. It was almost as if the roads were cut into a mountain of snow. Sometimes, when we passed the post office, we’d have to wait for a few minutes while someone ran in to get their mail. There was really nowhere to park, so people would just stop on the road, run in, get their mail, and then run back out, jump in the car, and continue on their way. It was such a simpler, slower time then. Maybe they still do it today, I don’t know… but I doubt it.

I also remember my grandma’s plates. They were the coolest thing I had ever seen. We had normal, boring plates at home (as did my grandmother, but she took out her special “China” for the holidays). They were white with green scenes on them. For me, it was an incentive to eat absolutely everything on my plate. I knew what the scene was (although the details escape me today), but I was so fascinated with the intricate picture. My dad’s family was fairly small, three kids and four grandkids. So, it was the eight adults (aunts, uncles, mom, dad, and grandma and grandpa), and us four kids. We stayed pretty quiet as kids, but we had a lot of fun, and they were great people. I also remember my grandpa always told us, “Never say goodbye. Always say, ‘see you later’. Good bye means you’ll never see someone again.” I thought that odd as a kid but, looking at it now, I believe he was the one in his family who came here from Finland… so saying goodbye, to him, probably meant an entirely different thing. Good bye, to him, was forever.

Now, contrast this with my mom’s side of the family. My grandparents on her side had five kids…. Who gave her thirteen grand children. At the time, when we were kids, we all lived in the same small town, but life got in the way of us seeing each other as much as we would have liked. So, any holiday (be it Christmas, Halloween, what have you) was the greatest get together at Gramma’s (yes, she was Gramma, not Grandma… small difference, I know… also, for those of you younger than me, this was also back in the day when you called your grandparents by their last names as a matter of respect… Grandma Joki…. (my dad’s mom)… I don’t think I knew, until much later in life, that her first name was Lolita). There was so much laughter and so much fun. Looking back, I don’t know how we all fit in that house. My Granmma’s siblings would be there, too (my grammpa passed away when I was fairly young). We kids would have a great time playing and horsing around with each other. The adults would sit at the dining room table joking, playing cards, having some “holiday cheer”… it was a laugh-a-minute affair. Some of the greatest times I remember as a child were with my cousins at my Gramma’s house. It was the gathering place and, no matter what differences anyone was having with anyone else in the family, it never came up during the holidays, and no harsh words were ever spoken (at least that we knew of).

Both of these places, still to this day, hold such a special place in my heart. These are my favorite holiday memories. I’ve had great Christmases since my grandparents have passed, don’t get me wrong. But these occasions were the things childhood memories are made from. Those were the best days!


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December 21, 2008 at 11:25pm
December 21, 2008 at 11:25pm
#625525
Having met one of my biggest goals last year (to attain my MBA), I can say that I am not new to setting goals. I do, though, think that some of my goals are of a more personal nature, so I will give you, here, five that I wish to share with the world. 

Goal 1: To continue to build the business we started in the last two months to the point where I can work solely for the business and not an outside entity

Goal 2: To write at least 500 words per day (I’m averaging over that now, so that’s kind of a whimpy goal, but one never knows what the future will bring)

Goal 3: To make every attempt to get my writing published by 2010. I have two novels in the works right now, and I would like to see one of them take flight. Yes, I know how difficult this undertaking is and yes, I expect a lot of rejection letters… I plan to wall paper my study with them! However, I am looking forward to the journey and to learning everything I can on that path.

Goal 4: I will create, this summer, a Fun-Timers Bass Fishing League. This has been a goal of mine for over two years, and this year my boyfriend and I will run the league together. It will be a great time! This one is an easy one… because we are both so committed to it!

Goal 5: My other love (besides writing and fishing) is the dog we just picked up from the animal shelter. I will work with him over the next year to overcome all of the problems that lead him to the shelter in the first place. He had a very bad home environment, from what I can tell. He is very insecure. We were told he had a biting problem… he bit the former owners’ children. He’s an intelligent dog with a lot to give, though. And I will work through this with him. Next year, by the time the grandkids visit, he will be well on his way to recovery. He’s a Rat Terrier who, I think, has every capability to compete in agility competitions (like the ones you see on TV) and freestyle competitions. Even if we don’t get to that point… it will do us both good to work toward it!


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