Synaptic Snaps, Crackles & Pops

Writing and blessings [Journalistic Intentions, Rd. 7]

Prompt: "If I learned one lesson, count your blessings, look to the rising sun, and run run run."


A wise philosopher once said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."1 As a semiretired guy, I usually take advantage of the fact that I usually don't have to get up by a certain time; that's a blessing. I'll smack the snooze button a time or two (or three) then decide what to do about breakfast. Fairly often, though, my sloth is interrupted by two-and-a-half year-old knuckles knocking on my door. This means my grandson has come to the wholly reasonable conclusion that papa has fooled around long enough and it's time to get up and play; his presence in my life is a definite blessing.

After we work one of his favorite puzzles and play with some of his cars and trucks, we share some cartoon time with me running the commentary and practicing a little ASL (his parents' primary means of communication). After that, he gets sole possession of either the computer or my laptop to continue following the exploits of the Paw Patrol or Puppy Dog Pals, while I use the other device to try and cudgel my muse into producing an acceptable level of content - prose, poetry, Newsfeed posts and the like. I get another shot at productivity during his nap time and after he's down for the night.

This available time is yet another blessing, but I occasionally feel I don't utilize it fully enough. Stealthy YouTube videos and solitaire and mahjongg games catch me in their snares and before I know it - hey, presto! - it's time to do something besides try to write. The clear message to myself—and, perhaps, to you, dear reader?—is to try harder to devote some quality time to writing.


The short, short version? Carpe diem and do something.

Footnotes
1  Ferris Bueller