December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful. (Author: Karen Walrond)
What do I do that lights people up? Maybe my dry wit, which I learned from my father. What makes me different? My head is usually in the clouds, so I'm seeing things differently, or I'm just seeing things.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Community
Reverb's Prompt-a-Day Blog Challenge
December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)
I am in a community of writers. We write for the love of expressing ourselves, and to find out what we didn't know we knew. Over the years, this community has grown, shrunk, grown again. In 2010 I connected more deeply with two specific groups of writers, and I hope to continue those connections next year. Since I am taking some time off in 2011, I am open to exploring ways to stay connected online, not as a substitute to writing together in person, but as an outgrowth.
December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)
I am in a community of writers. We write for the love of expressing ourselves, and to find out what we didn't know we knew. Over the years, this community has grown, shrunk, grown again. In 2010 I connected more deeply with two specific groups of writers, and I hope to continue those connections next year. Since I am taking some time off in 2011, I am open to exploring ways to stay connected online, not as a substitute to writing together in person, but as an outgrowth.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Making Stuff
Reverb's Prompt-a-Day Blog Challenge
December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)
I do like to make things. Years ago, I made many of my own clothes, knitted Christmas stockings for my friends' children, baked cakes and breads, canned vegetables, grew flowers, all the domestic stuff. (All while working full time, of course.) When I was in my teens, I liked doing collages just for fun. They weren't very artistic, but I enjoyed the process of making art. Since it wasn't practical, though, I didn't keep it up. (You can't wear a collage, you know.)
Now in my 60's, I feel very self-conscious when I sit down to make art, so I don't do it very often. A year or so ago, I tried my hand at art journaling for several months. It was fun, but the Practical Puritan in me kept reminding me that it had no purpose other than fun, so I eventually let it drop. I enjoyed messing around with paints and ephemera (catch word for all kinds of otherwise useless stuff), cutting things with scissors, gluing, and making an otherwise boring composition book look funky. I miss that. I need to put PP in her place and get my hands messy again. So what if it isn't practical?
December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)
I do like to make things. Years ago, I made many of my own clothes, knitted Christmas stockings for my friends' children, baked cakes and breads, canned vegetables, grew flowers, all the domestic stuff. (All while working full time, of course.) When I was in my teens, I liked doing collages just for fun. They weren't very artistic, but I enjoyed the process of making art. Since it wasn't practical, though, I didn't keep it up. (You can't wear a collage, you know.)
Now in my 60's, I feel very self-conscious when I sit down to make art, so I don't do it very often. A year or so ago, I tried my hand at art journaling for several months. It was fun, but the Practical Puritan in me kept reminding me that it had no purpose other than fun, so I eventually let it drop. I enjoyed messing around with paints and ephemera (catch word for all kinds of otherwise useless stuff), cutting things with scissors, gluing, and making an otherwise boring composition book look funky. I miss that. I need to put PP in her place and get my hands messy again. So what if it isn't practical?
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Let Go
Reverb's Prompt-a-Day Blog Challenge
December 5 – Let Go
What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley)
This year I let go of my life-long habit of eating and drinking anything I wanted. Late in 2009 I began having severe symptoms of acid reflux. To make a long story short, I had to give up meat, dairy, sugar, refined foods, and stimulants (including decaf coffee and tea), because the meds couldn't keep up with the acid production. Did I mention tomatoes? I had to let go of tomatoes. That was sad. But not as sad as chocolate. That was the saddest. I lost bunches of weight and now weigh less than I did when I was 16.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Wonder
Reverb's Prompt-a-Day Blog Challenge
December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)
Read poetry everyday.
Watched the fawns grow from silken, spotted babies to adolescents over the summer.
Wrote with friends twice a week.
When walking the dog, took my camera with me and captured close-ups of mosses, bark, fungi, and insects.
Read poetry everyday.
Gazed at the moon.
Memorized "Autumn Sonnet" by May Sarton.
Watched the birds at the birdbath and feeders outside the kitchen window.
Read poetry everyday.
Cultivate a sense of wonder by slowing down. Stop long enough to notice your breath. That's pretty wonderful, and miraculous, too.
December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)
Read poetry everyday.
Watched the fawns grow from silken, spotted babies to adolescents over the summer.
Wrote with friends twice a week.
When walking the dog, took my camera with me and captured close-ups of mosses, bark, fungi, and insects.
Read poetry everyday.
Gazed at the moon.
Memorized "Autumn Sonnet" by May Sarton.
Watched the birds at the birdbath and feeders outside the kitchen window.
Read poetry everyday.
Cultivate a sense of wonder by slowing down. Stop long enough to notice your breath. That's pretty wonderful, and miraculous, too.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Moment
Reverb's Prompt-a-Day Blog Challenge
December 3 – Moment
December 3 – Moment
Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards)
I've thought about this all day, but really don't want to write about it. The moment that sticks out most in my mind took place on January 12. It was after supper, and I was driving down Harding Road, on my way to St. Thomas Hospital. Just a few minutes earlier, I had gotten a phone call from my sister-in-law telling me that my older brother had had a brain aneurysm and was in critical condition. There was nothing I could do, but I was going anyway. Support for her, support for him, but mostly because staying at home would have driven me crazy. So, there I was, gripping the steering wheel and fighting back tears so I could see to drive. Praying, no, arguing and bargaining with God to keep my brother alive. Fear filled me, then acceptance of whatever was to come. Then I went into automaton mode, where every cell of my body fought to keep my brother alive while pretending to keep me alive. I was a woman divided.
Odd, isn't it, that fear and grief are what made me feel so alive...
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Writing
December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? (Author: Leo Babauta)
One more thing. I think of one more thing that needs my attention before I sit down to write. Maybe it's unload/load the dishwasher. Or put in another load of laundry. Don't the plants need watering? What if I forget to make that all-important phone call after I finish my writing session? A friend of mine keeps Post-It notes on her desk so she can capture those distracting "must dos" without breaking her stride. I could try that. I can eliminate my "one more thing" obsession by making writing my priority instead of what I do after everything else is done...but I still like the "righteous" feeling that comes as I sit at my desk, listening to the hum of the washing machine.
One more thing. I think of one more thing that needs my attention before I sit down to write. Maybe it's unload/load the dishwasher. Or put in another load of laundry. Don't the plants need watering? What if I forget to make that all-important phone call after I finish my writing session? A friend of mine keeps Post-It notes on her desk so she can capture those distracting "must dos" without breaking her stride. I could try that. I can eliminate my "one more thing" obsession by making writing my priority instead of what I do after everything else is done...but I still like the "righteous" feeling that comes as I sit at my desk, listening to the hum of the washing machine.
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