Memories of Snow

NaNoWriMo Day 6: Miscellaneous Sunday Subjects (WC2200)

Jamál (Beauty), 4 Qudrat (Power), 173 BE - Sunday, November 5, 2016 AD about 8:20 PM Pacific Daylight Time

Miscellaneous Sunday Subjects

Thoughts on my NaNo writing goals for the coming week.

A new week has begun. I'm writing this on the evening of November 5, 2016. It's several minutes or perhaps hours after sunset, I'm not exactly sure when sunset occurs in Las Vegas. For me it's a new day because the Baha'I day is a solar day that begins and ends at sunset. This is the day of Beauty (Jamál) and the end of Pacific Daylight Time for another several months. At 2:00 AM the clocks will fall back to Standard Time. Then the time on my journal heading will be Pacific Time.

I have to admit I always get a bit worried when the clocks either fall back or jump ahead because the change appears to have an effect on my time sense. For several days after the time change I always think it's either earlier or later depending on the time of year. It normally doesn't take more than two or three days to get used to the change, but sometimes it takes as long as seven days. I hope this year it's only a couple of three days.

This week I want to attempt to write more spiritual entries then last week. Some of my entries became a bit ranty. In fact, some of them sounded down right selfish and self centered. Of course, this could be only my opinion. No one else has commented on the entries, all though I think some people on writing.com have read them or, at least glanced at them. At this point, I'm not going to worry to much about how they sound because I'm not going to start any rewriting until after November. I may not start any rewriting until I decide specifically what I'm going to do with these entries.

My goal at present is just to write. I intend to write my thought and the events that occur during Novel Writing Month 2016. Since that's the goal the writing may not be as selfish or ranty as I think. My inner critic seems to be a bit silent. I haven't heard any bitching from her on what I'm writing or how I'm writing it. However, that could be because I just continue writing no matter what extraneous thoughts pop into my head.

As I said in the first paragraph, I want to do a little more spiritual writing this week. I want to write some memories, as well. However, I'm hoping that those memories have more to do with spiritual stuff. I'm going to write whatever memories come to mind and then see if I can relate some spiritual concept to them. Sometimes that will be more difficult than other times. I'm not sure how well I'll do, but I will try none the less.

Jamál (Beauty), 4 Qudrat (Power), 173 BE - Sunday, November 6, 2016 AD about 6:35 AM Pacific Standard Time

You Never Forget Your First Time

You never forget the first time you voted. I turned 21 on December 24, 1967. On Tuesday, November 5, 1968, I voted in my first presidential election. At that time I was registered Democrat because my parents and grandparents were Democrats. When I registered to vote that year I never questioned the fact that I should register in the same party as my immediate ancestors. When I voted in the general election I voted for Hubert Humphrey, the Democratic candidate for the same reason I registered Democrat.

It took me years, decades even, to begin to question my reasons for registering as a Democrat and for voting the party line. I didn't change my party affiliation until after I moved to Las Vegas and changed my religious affiliation. When I became a Baha'I I changed my party affiliation from Democrat to Nonpartisan. I changed my party registration because I felt partisan politics was divisive. I can't say I've always did a good job of question the candidates platforms or their motives for wanting to become president, but, in most cases, I've attempted to look at what was good for the country rather than anything else.

I'm still looking at and working on my motives for voting for a particular candidate. I voted early this year (2016) so it's too late to change my mind now. That doesn't mean I can't question why I chose the candidate I did. I'm wondering if the candidate I chose is the best person for the job. This election it's fairly clear who the worst person for the job is, but it isn't as clear which of the other candidates are best for the job, the person that will deal with the global issues facing American in this period of transition.

No matter who wins the election on Tuesday, November 8, I will accept that person because it is the will of the citizens of the United States. I will also accept the new president as the will of God even if that person isn't the one I voted for or the one I think would make the best president. The only thing I can do now is pray for the country and the new president.

I Am a Baha'I and I Vote

The title of this section comes from a quote that a little old Baha'I lady said years ago. I'm not sure what brought up the subject of the presidential election; maybe it was an election year or something like that. Anyway she said, "I'm a Baha'I. I don't vote." I don't know where she got the idea that Baha'I couldn't vote in a presidential or non-presidential election. Perhaps it was the way she interpreted the admonition not to get involved in politics.

As I said earlier in today's entry I'm registered Nonpartisan, which in many cases is considered Independent. This means I'm unable to vote in a partisan primary, but I can vote for nonpartisan positions, such as justice of the peace or judge, in primary elections. In the general election I can vote for any candidate I chose because the general elections are to chose a president or senator.

Since I'm register nonpartisan, I'm freed from a lot of divisive party stuff. I'm able to look at the candidate and chose the one I think will be the best person for the job rather than worrying about who any particular the party wants to see in the White House or the Senate. I hope that's how I look at it, but sometimes after I vote for a candidate I question my motives for voting for a specific candidate. I'm questioning my motives this year. It's too late now to change my vote, but it's not too late for me to evaluate the way I chose a candidate and do a better job of choosing a candidate in four years.

Killing Two Birds With One Stone

All right, that cliché sounds a bit violent, but it will have to do this morning. I'm going to compose the post for Poet 999 – A Butterfly Emerges from her Cocoon in this document and then copy and paste to the blog. I need to post at least every other day in that blog because I can earn money from the ads. I haven't earn a lot so far, but the money in my AdSense account is slowly increasing. I need to get $100.00 before I can ask for a transfer to either PayPal or my checking account. This way I increase today's NaNo word count and post to one of my blogs.

Daylight Saving Time Comes to an End

Jamál (Beauty), 4 Qudrat (Power), 173 BE - Sunday, November 6, 2016 AD about 10:16 AM Pacific Standard Time

Daylight Saving Time came to an end this morning at 2:00 AM. I woke up at, what I thought was, 2:00 AM; however, when I looked at my cellphone it read 1:00 AM. I sighed and went back to sleep. This is the first time I've awakened at 2:00 AM on Time Change Sunday (my name for the day when Daylight Saving Time either begins or ends). Normally, I sleep through the event and go on to wake up rested and refreshed.

This morning I feel neither rested or refreshed. I feel depressed. I'm not sure why I'm depressed because just the changing of time shouldn't cause me to feel sad. Maybe it's everything that's going on in my life. I know there is a change coming, but I'm not sure what it is. I hope it's a new and cheaper apartment or an increase in income. It would be even nicer if it were both. It would also be nice if the time didn't fall either back or leap forward, but remained the same all year round.

A good Morning

It was a good morning. I accomplished almost everything I set out to do, which wasn't much. I reviewed some items on writing.com. I responded to the journal prompts that arrived in my writing.com e-mail box and posted to three journal groups on wrting.com. I also posted to Poet 999 – A Butterfly Emerges from her Cocoon. The last thing I did was compose and e-mail the Blogger of the Week survey to The Blogging Group of Friends. The only thing I have left is to finish today's NaNoWriMo entry.

After finishing this morning's projects, I paused to recite the Short Obligatory prayer. I always like reciting this prayer because it refreshes me. I still have to post the Blogging Circle of Friends prompt tonight, but I don't have to post it until closer to 9:00 PM. I'm not sure what I going to post, because I have two possibilities right now. Those possibilities are (1) "If I were as young as I feel, I would have..." or (2) "It always refresh me when I... because..." I'm not sure which one to use today.

I thought of two lines to a poem, which would be a good senryu if I could think of another five syllable line. I will think and pray about it and then see what I come up with today or tomorrow.

I intone God's Most Great Name
Smiling with the sound

Plans for the Week of November 5-9

I don't have very many plans for this week. I work the general election polls on Tuesday, so I need to decide what to take with me. I think I'll take one of my loose leaf notebooks so I can compose a NaNoWriMo entry for Tuesday. I don't know if I will get a word count posted on Tuesday or not. I have to work the polls from 6:00 AM to at least 7:30 PM. I hope we get out before 7:30 but that might not happen. This election is drawing a lot more voters the previous presidential elections. This is good, but it makes for long hours. Maybe I'll ask Lyn to post the writing.com prompt that night in case I don't get home to post it before 9:00 PM.

I also have to go to pick up Senior Commodities on Monday. I'm not sure where else we have to go. I hope we can get back before noon so I don't have to spend the entire day away from home. I seem to want to spend most of my time at home lately, which I don't think I like. I'd like to get out more especially to spiritual things that happen at the Baha'I Center or one of the Friends homes. I can't drive my car after dark because of the way the rear lights are working or rather not working some or most of the time. I have to get something done with that. I need to be grateful that I still have a car that works and can get us safely from one side of town to the other.

Reading O Magazine

I finally got around yesterday to reading the November edition of O Magazine, that's where I got the title "You Never Forget Your First Time" about voting. There's another article in the magazine called "Hooked on Feelings" by Martha Beck. I think I'll take a few minutes this afternoon and read the article because I suspect that I've been wallowing in my hurts and emotion. The article gave five statements that could indicate I'm holding on to past hurts and negative emotions.

"Your thoughts often drift toward the same story of loss or injustice – and each time you're left unhappier."
"You can feel mildly peevish or gloomy, then brood until your feelings intensify into fury or depression."
"The agony feels perversely comfortable, like a pair of well-worn sweatpants."
"Your loved ones glaze over when you talk about your problems."
"You're starting to bore yourself."

from O Magazine November 2016, page 51

I know that four of those are true. I don't think the fourth one is true because I don't talk to anyone except myself about my problems. I'm sure that the depression increases because I can feel it increase and I can feel the sadness and despair.