Porthole

When I'm 64 8dbc#8

10 years from now? Possible. If so, I will be barely hanging on.

When I'm 64? That was afew exits ago, now fading in the rear view mirror.

10 YEARS

Sandy: Lovely entry and lovely outlook. My life has been a roller-coaster of ups and down and ... I was thinking of the song Tapestry. You remind me that each moment was precious no matter how painful. embed:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FiR2Eb4NSM re "All Of My Decades Have Been the Best" 

Cappucine: "A thought flashed through my mind... I see you as a professor at Hogwarts with a room of her own and enough floo powder to flee. So... why not a room at your college. It may not be done ... but you're weird enough to suggest it without shocking anyone.

Or... and this I CAN see:

"Cappucine's Cottage"

Everyday lessons in Lit&Life at 10, 12 and 3.
Private mentoring arranged.
Sessions at _____ College every _____*

*(once per week). Less in-person, more virtual, but a room in your own cottage could be set up by friends who could turn it into a quasi TV studio (no technician needed). That would also allow you to reach out to all those quirky kids in Sydney, or Adelaide or Brizzie or who live in small towns who aren't blessed with their own resident teacher-of-weirdos (Alice Springs and Darwin have their own weirdos, while Melbourne might not know what I'm talking about and Canberra might consider it a threat to their own miserable Ministry of Magic). You could be Sybill Trelawney or Jane Austen for a day... or a semester... or a year! Harry Potter captivated young kids for a reason. It taught an entire generation how to read. By the magic of Zoom you could be visited by Professor Sonali of the House of Hufflepuff. Yes, I know this sounds silly; but... I was raised by Captain Kangaroo." re "Changing my Genes" 

Petra: "Getting weight and smoking under control should help." re "In ten years' time " 

Annette: "I was a gardener most of my life. I'm reduced to jade trees and geraniums these days. Immortal... even long lived olive trees have a lifespan. Yeah, I'd kick the bucket list." re "Think Ahead" 

Sox: "I could do a couple books of poetry but a novel probably wouldn't work. As I said elsewhere, I'll be kicking the bucket list." re "November 8, 2021" 

Kathie: "I am torn between doing nothing and wanting to do everything. This is neither good nor sustainable for me. At least surfing the seas of 30dbc is keeping me busy. It's a beautiful sunshiny day outside and here I sit inside writing. I could sit here forever or travel. There's no travelling locally without a car so I've thought about moving somewhere where the train stops. Europe or Asia are enticing. I only have second hand stuff; little of note to pass on." re "30 day Blogging-Nov 8, 2021" 

Ray "I gardened for years. I had a plan I worked on. I would stay out in the garden working until I couldn't see. But my job? That wasn't fruitful. Still... I traveled thru 40 countries in the last ten years and that took planning. Went around the world. The next ten? with this old body? I need a new body! That said, I've left over 100 comments so far in my effort to cheerlead. It makes me focus everyday and I'm gettin it done. Might help get my blood back to circulating... and that might get me back traveling. Yes, a body in motion tends to stay in motion." re "Keep Them Blinders On" 

Charity: "Just commenting I've written a lot of words. If I had done NaNo instead? Maybe not. Different thinking process. But I'm getting more done by being busy than by doing nothing. I do like not working for someone else, but one must have an alternative. I started my blog when I was homeless. I have thousands of entries scattered around WDC but I'm more motivated to write than do something with them. Enjoy this burst of energy. " re "30DBC Day 8: A Decade of Writing Everyday = 109 Books" 

LeJen: "Montana has ganja shops all over the place. Getting rid of multiple prescriptions is good for many people. Me? I won't partake but it would be good for my anxiety. And... I've kept meds to a minimum; I'm fortunate. I spent the last 10 years traveling and writing. At my age it's better to do a TWO year plan and reassess. I've visited WDC friends. I recommend it." re "Best Decade Ever - 30DBC 11/8/21" 

Apondia: "In the "Autumn of my Life", I tend to make one of two choices. 1. this is my opinion based on my experience; it is not fictional, speculative nor conspirational. I stand by it and will shout it from the mountaintops!!! OR 2. why cast pearls before swine? Bless your heart. When I travel I meet all kinds of people, most of them young. Some teach me; some I teach. (Sometimes I just need to nap.)" re "Autumn Leaves" 

QP: private comment re "The Ten Year Plan" 

Robert: "I still haven't found nor replaced my glasses. Can't travel to a new place without them. I'm past the best years of 'doing' anything. I'll just shuffle into that dying sunset. I'm too worn out to rage." re "Decade Dance" 

Sonali: "My grandmother was a tailor. My mother had no clue; thankfully, my father knew how to sew. My father let things flow. I'm not calm. I need to understand the sources of my anger; I suspect that it's fear." re "My Time Starts NOW - #30DBC" 

Sue: "I'd like to be able sing again. It would take daily practice. Oh, how I hate heights! I'll go to all the low places. You could practice walking by going to Albany. How many days? And then... they are some great hikes. Some even feature heights. In the USA an 83 year old man just finished the Appalachian Trail. "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson (1997) is a good read about the trail." re "Great decade" 

Viv: Homesteading is a lot of work. I no longer want that! I had my gardens, a big house, and activities galore. Now? Travel and slower and slower travel, continue writing and learning. re "BEST 10 YEARS" 

PRAISE/CRITICISM

*Cappucine: "Yep, as Harlow said. I needed certain skills re praise/cricism at an earlier age. I was the kid who ignored the teacher: 1. because I knew more and better and in some subjects I actually did! However, English was one of my weakest subjects. 2. because I just didn't care. Not in a mean way. I just wasn't there as in I wasn't 'all there'. I lived in my daydreams. 3. because 'tough love' is just tough without the love. And I didn't feel loved and teachers had no extra time to mentor someone who was unreachable. I do appreciate your depth of knowledge on this subject of praise/criticism. " re "praise is fattening " 

*Apondia: "And also with you. Peale appealed to black/white thinkers. The mental health field warned that his positivity could be toxic. He was a contemporary of Niebuhr. Both were very influential. Thank-you for this: You can't force salvation onto people. Remember the 'Jesus freaks' who went around asking "are you saved"? They really did Christianity a disservice. I still cringe when I hear echoes of those voices here and on other social media." re "Critical Critics" 

*Sandy: "I have issues with Peale. I've had friends take positivity to the toxic level. I couldn't share any of my sorrows. Since I couldn't deny them I felt shut out. Growing up I felt the criticism. I shut down. I was a bit like your cousin. I suspect I'm on the spectrum of autism. Again, Peale promoted a black/white vision of the world, much like Dominican nuns with rulers in their hands. I dreamed the world in color, still do. In school I needed mentors not jailers. I'm not participating in this challenge because I've been triggered too many times in the past. And it reminds me of high-school English class. I hated English and phys-ed. But... I can be a cheerleader and comment on everyone's entry. I wasn't sure that I could... but I am. No one could pay me for what I do. I'd quit. I blogged for years for the sheer joy of release, spilling forth thoughts I was never allowed to express. No participation trophy could ever compare to that." re "M.V.P.?" 

Petra: "I find Peale disturbing. Not loved by the mental health profession and for good reason. Positivity can be toxic. I need hugs as a person while coping with reality. My writings need to be sliced and diced though." re "Praise and criticism" 

Annette: "As long as the child knows he's loved then criticism can be taken with the love that comes with it. But many are beaten physically or emotionally and 'tough love' becomes just 'tough'. As for writing... "that's nice" said in a dismissive way is the second worse response; a personal attack on the writer is #1." re "Ruined by praise" 

Kathie: "I was always suspect of praise because I didn't feel loved. I was. I just didn't feel it. I cringed in school and mostly daydreamed, earning a mixture of Cs and As. I needed a mentor more than a teacher. Unless I feel loved I don't take advice well. The sometimes toxic positivity that Peale pushed doesn't sit well with me." re "30 day Blogging-Nov 7, 2021" 

Mike: "There are constructive and destructive ways to praise or criticise. Attack my writing constructively? Okay... Question my right to exist? Not s'okay. I never felt supported once I was a teenager so unfortunately I became withdrawn or prickly. I worked for a micro-manager; very devastating. It didn't go well." re "Not bad, although... [30 DBC entry]" 

Sue: "I think what one can judge the work, be it school-work, writing or a job; but judging a person as unworthy can be cruel There are other ways. Honest praise; honest helpful criticism is a Middle Way. That said everyone deserves unconditional love. " re "Criticism versus praise" 

LOST

Petra: "Reading blog comments is keeping me from sitting outside in the sunshine. My word count per day probably equals that needed for writing a novel." re "Absent Muse" 

Kathy: "I had an awful weekend at the end of March in 1974. Never drank after that. It wasn't bad in this way, just in other ways that lead to an out-of-body experience, April 1st?. I started smoking April 4th. It wasn't the best of times." re "30 day Blogging-Nov 6, 2021"