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A new blog to contain answers to prompts |
Since my old blog "Everyday Canvas "  became overfilled, here's a new one. This new blog item will continue answering prompts, the same as the old one. Cool water cascading to low ground
To spread good will and hope all around.  |
| Prompt: Snowflakes "Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand." Henry David Thoreau Now that it's winter in most parts of the world, what do you think this quote means, and do you ever feel like a snowflake? ---------------- I don't know about feeling like a snowflake, but certainly, many times I have felt like a flake, especially recently, in old age.  About the quote, to the contrary of what I am like, Thoreau was a serious person. I can't ever imagine me living in a forest alone just to enjoy nature, let alone in the middle of any real wilderness! His quote, instead of feeling respect and fear--like me--of wild things, celebrates the beauty and intelligence of nature. It suggests nature is filled with divine beauty, creativity, and purpose, and even a tiny snowflake is unique and intricate in design, be it so transient. The phrase "full of genius, full of the divinity" is also a reflection on the built-in potential and value present in all human beings. It is nice to know that even I can carry within me this profound essence.  This is because Thoreau thinks we humans are an extension of nature's genius and divinity and he suggests that we show a deeper sense of responsibility for preserving the natural world. Not only that, but I do sense that the quote is also speaking to the untapped potential within each person. Just as nature always evolves and adapts, we humans have the capacity for growth, self-discovery, and transformation. This is because we are not separate from nature, but we are an important part of it. Now that I've talked big about us humans, no wonder mother earth is spewing lava, encouraging fires, and shaking with anger, lately. It must be scolding us for our disgraceful attitudes. Shall we heed her warnings, or else? |
| Prompt: What are your thoughts about Tik Tok ban? Is this the beginning of a new trend where apps are being banned because of politics? We already have books being banned. What's next? -------------- I don't know what to think of this situation because, as usual, we are not privy to the entire facts. So much for our freedoms! On the other hand, I don't have TikTok and neither have I done any business with them, so far. I think, however, this doesn't really stop China from butting into our USA business, since there are many other Chinese companies I and others might be doing business with without knowing their true intentions. Another twist in the latest affairs is noted as: "TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, who is expected to attend Trump's inauguration with other high-profile guests, said he wanted to thank the incoming president for his commitment to work with the app and keep it available in the US." You'd think it'd be Trump to ban Tik Tok, but no, it is the US Supreme Court. "The US Supreme Court has upheld a law that bans TikTok in the US unless its China-based parent company ByteDance sells the platform by this Sunday. TikTok had challenged the law, arguing it would violate free speech protections for the more than 170 million users it says it has in the US." I don't know what's churning under covers and I resent that we are not made fully aware of what's going on, unless this has something to do with national security, in some way. According to BBC, this is what happened with the TikTok App: "How did we get here? 24 April 2024: Biden signs bipartisan TikTok bill, which gave Chinese parent company, ByteDance, six months to sell its controlling stake or be blocked in the US. 7 May 2024: TikTok files a lawsuit aiming to block the law, calling it an "extraordinary intrusion on free speech rights". 2 August 2024: The US government files a lawsuit against TikTok, accusing the social media company of unlawfully collecting children's data and failing to respond when parents tried to delete their children's accounts. 6 December 2024: TikTok's bid to overturn a law which would see it banned or sold in the US from early 2025 is rejected by a federal appeals court. 27 December 2024: President-elect Donald Trump asks the US Supreme Court to delay the upcoming ban while he works on a "political resolution". 10 January 2025: The Supreme Court's nine justices hear from lawyers representing TikTok and content creators that the ban would be a violation of free speech protections for the platform's more than 170 million users in the US. 17 January 2025: The US Supreme Court upholds the law that could lead to TikTok being banned within days over national security concerns. 19 January 2025: The deadline for TikTok to sell its US stake or face a ban. TikTok has indicated it will "go dark" on this day." This whole thing sounds like a badly written police-fiction, doesn't it! |
| Prompt: Have fun with these words: sudden, tepid, intervention, brown, despised, gateway, and creature. ------------- Who says I can't try writing horror !What If From a Gateway... a *sudden crack in our *brown earth's seam a *tepid whisper in the breeze of a dream an ancient *gateway, now again revealed with secrets *despised and power concealed and the guardian awoke, eyes hollow and deep as a *creature, rising from timeless sleep it moaned an *intervention, or a warning clear "Go and fix things!" I heard, despite my fear then, the creature grew still and world turned gray and his shadow danced in the fading day was this a promise of fortune—or my doom, for in that portal, the unknown did loom, so I slowly stepped back and turned away the choice was mine at the end of the day |
| Prompt: "The business of life is the acquisition of memories in the end that's all there is." Mr. Carson, Downton Abbey Write about this in your Blog Entry today. ------------ "Oh, Mom! Not that again!" This is what my sons say if I recall something cute from their very early childhoods. I guess this is because at their very early ages, such memories didn't make their way into their brain's memory bank. If I come up with something in their later years, say pre-teens, then they liven up. "Oh, yeah! I remember that!" they say, and even make additions to what I can recall. I think all this has to do with what the brain does, by forming connections between neurons, and those connections are stronger or weaker according to how often something is recalled or experienced. Our memories are important because they help us understand our lives, with the past, present, and future, all in tow. Happy memories are essential to our mental health because they strengthen our sense of who we are and our purpose in life. For example, revisiting memories as a family helps build a sense of family identity. I am not very sure about the quote's "the business of life" meaning because I don't see life as a business, but I'm guessing it means life is continuous work. I'd rather see life as being more fun than just work or business. After all, why should good relationships, personal growth, adventures, and even moments of quiet reflection or creating a piece of writing or artwork feel like work? Yes, we may work at those things somehow, but don't we also enjoy them while they are happening! Then, maybe, there's no reason one shouldn't enjoy what work is. Also, maybe, we need to live intentionally, prioritizing our experiences of joy, connection, and fulfillment, because material possessions, achievements, and external success can be fleeting and less meaningful toward or at the end of our lives. Plus, as we get older, we have to work harder to create memories; although, we can have events make an impact in order to enjoy their happiness-making qualities for the moment or for a very short time. Now, in my old age, this I find out to be so true. |
| Prompt: "I really try to enjoy life and have joy with what I do." Tim Tebow Let this quote inspire your writing today. -------------- I am going to title this entry as "joy in life," but I will not be referring to my name but to the real joy, which is much more fun than I am. So, let's take a look at that real joy. The dictionary defines "joy" as "a feeling of great pleasure and happiness" It also refers to "tears of joy," at some point. With me, where real joy is concerned, whatever I really set my mind to it, I find that I find some enjoyment in it, even if the results turn out to be iffy. So I guess intentionality plays a big role in the enjoyment of life. Then, comes gratitude for what I have, not only in the material things but also in the psychological and spiritual feelings and ways. A couple of years ago, I started keeping a gratitude journal, which taught me mindfulness and to be happy with what I have and with what little I can do. If I were to put up or make up a few rules about enjoying life, therefore, gratitude would be the first in line. Next, rather than chewing over and over what happened in the past, trying to live in the present would come. This is not to say that we should discard the past totally, for the past is what inspires our writing, our artwork, and our basic make-up. But it is only a foundation. We need to build up on that foundation. People can't survive well in houses that only have a foundation, can they! Then, our human connections, that is connections to other people, are very important. In my case, my sons, family members, and friends tie me to life and its joys greatly. Taking care of my physical needs, having a loose everyday schedule to follow also help me stay put in reality and ease my living needs. Above all, though, trying to see the positive in almost everything is there to keep my mood up. This is because even the worst experiences guide us to learning something about ourselves and the world. Then, if I say I'm happy and joyful always, I'd be lying big time, because I am not. No one is! So, I cut myself some slack when I feel sad or out of sorts in some way. This is okay, too, as long as I can get back to my life and my established schedules, so some enjoyment can follow. This is because I think life is a precious gift, filled with opportunities for joy and I urge myself to have the internal power and strength to create a life that feels abundant and fulfilling. After all, real joy isn’t about perfection—it’s about appreciating the beauty in imperfection and living well and fully. |
| Prompt: Your Imagination "My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool; it gives me all the world and exiles me from it." Ursula K. Le Guin What are your thoughts on this quote and to what extend does your imagination play a role in your writing? ========= I think I used to be more imaginative when I was younger. Now in my old age, I might tend to be a lot more realistic. As to what extend my imagination plays a role in my writing, I think what I write follows the realism of my looking at the world with old eyes.  Imagination, however, is a unique gift, and I sometimes wonder if other living beings have it. Through imagination, we can see in our minds' eyes many possibilities in this world and beyond its immediate reality. Through imagination, we dream, empathize, and create. In fact, it is imagination that changes and reshapes the world around us. On the other hand, imagination can also alienate those of us from the world and our loved ones to a great extent. This may be because we people are vulnerable to false hopes, illusions, and pain, since we become tormented when we can't get what we can imagine. As a result, we may become depressed and unsatisfied. In a nutshell, this quote refers to imagination as being both a strength and a weakness. It makes us both human and foolish. Yet, imagination is a complex mechanism. If we can use it with one foot in reality, we can use it wisely and enjoy its power and beauty. Remember Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, J.K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll, Roald Dahl? Also, Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Faulkner, Kafka and Hemingway? Even when writing a realistic story, imagination makes it much more delectable. This may be why I like reading much more than watching a movie because reading allows a lot more space to my imagination. So yes, the best writers are the most imaginative ones. And so are the writers in Writing.com.   |
| Prompt: Night Dreams "I dream of painting and then I paint my dream." Vincent Van Gogh Have you ever written anything based on a night dream, and do you ever wonder what your dreams are trying to tell you? ----------- I don't think I have ever written anything based on a night dream, but then who can be sure for the mind works in mysterious ways, sometimes. Often, when I see a baseless dream I can't decipher, I just say, "It's just a dream," but is it really? I haven't yet answered that question. The reason is, I have dreamt some very special dreams that gave me the news of something happening to other loved ones in different places on earth with whom I had lost contact and didn't know what was happening to them. Then, when I could get in touch with those people or have gotten the news of them, I have found that my so-called dream had been the news of a real life or death occurrence. This has happened several times over and I don't really know what to make of this. As to dreams inspiring or causing literary work, here are three of them: "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath" by H.P. Lovecraft Also, I suspect that Haruki Murakami's "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" could be based on dreams in some way, because it includes dream-like sections and surreal elements. Then, "The Interpretation of Dreams" by Sigmund Freud points to the connection of dreams to the subconscious or the unconscious mind. Today's psychotherapists, as least some of them, use Freud's ideas in their treatments of their patients. After Freud, Carl Jung suggested dreams to be bridges between the conscious and unconscious mind, guiding us for self-understanding and personal growth. His shadow work I have used and I'm still using in a personal journal. The bottom line is, whether or not dreams convey messages depends on how we interpret them and the framework we use to analyze them. From spiritual and cultural perspectives, some see dreams as messages from a higher power, a person who has passed on, or the universe itself. Today's interpretations gives importance to personal symbolism. There is also that fact of brain activity, which isn't totally discovered, yet. |
| Prompt: I realize that my life might not have been exactly the life I thought it was. But isn’t that the way for all of us? How much do we share ― even with our closest loved ones ― and how much did I keep hidden? How much was left unsaid across almost half a century? What about you, have you ever had these thoughts or similar ones? Will someone wonder what you've left unsaid? ----------- I really think our lives are our own business. I personally don't hide anything, but I don't volunteer information, either. Even the number one closest loved one need not know everything. I guess I could tell anyone anything, but first, I'll need to consider the burden or amazement or what not that I am loading unto them. Actually, in hindsight, I am sorrier that I shared or accused or let some people know what was on my mind, in the past. Surely, it made me feel much better for that moment, but mostly, it had consequences. A few of those consequences made me feel rather upset, also, because some people came up with useless advice, others followed up on the subject years later even when I had forgotten about it, and still others either felt sorry for me and/or might have thought, "Well, she didn't handle this right. She might have deserved it!" Yet, it isn't only their reactions and my being uncomfortable with those, but the long-term effects on the people and on me for having burdened them. I think, if what is shared is on the heavy side, it hurts the person privy to that knowledge. This is why for the psychotherapists suicide is the highest in comparison to the other medical doctors. They carry the highest emotional load, and only recently, new ways of dealing with others' problems and emotions are being taught to them. The bottom line in my thinking is, why make others so uncomfortable! Even my sons become uncomfortable when I have to tell them what to do with stuff after my demise. But this, I have to do. It is unavoidable, so I try to fill them in small doses. True, I have a will and some written instructions and I showed them where those documents are. But these are physical things and can be destroyed by a fire or a hurricane. So at least, the very basics, my sons have to know about and hear them directly from me. So, I guess, we have to tell people what could be important to them eventually, but as far as I am concerned, my own personal life, feelings, and thoughts are my own business, as I said in the beginning. |
| Blog City: "Dear December, Please take your weather back. This is not what I ordered for the new year." Let this quote inspire your entry today. ------ I guess what this quote is saying so playfully is in the minds of most of us, however not so playfully. After all, who likes to shiver? Then, while we expect a fresh, hopeful start to a new year, we are met with the cold and dreary remnants of past December. In my case, the new year started with a few mishaps already, aside from the weather, as I mentioned a few but not all, in an earlier entry. Then, why we seek a symbolic renewal with the start of a new year passes me by. Unless, we have tried and fixed our old selves. Now that would be something, wouldn't it! I have no bones to pick with an optimistic spirit. though. For this optimistic spirit feels it has been betrayed by the cold and ice and gray skies. Where I live, luckily, we still have bright skies and, once in a strange while, we face really cold weather, and this year has started with a cold bang and a boom that I'm not used to. Regardless of me feeling this cold spell, I do appreciate the humor in the quote. Just maybe, this quote is inviting us to laugh off disappointments and embrace the unpredictability in anything. Now that's the attitude I really like and hope I can live with. ---------- And an addition: For those of us who like to enter competitions outside the WdC, somebody sent me this. Although I don't deal with such contests and competitions anymore, I'm posting it here, in case our WdC writers may use it: The Launch Pad Prose Competition https://tblaunchpad.com/competitions/prose/? Check out the site for all the rules. In a nutshell: "Manuscript not completed, no problem. As long as you have sample pages accompanied by a thorough synopsis, you are welcome to enter! Our readers and judges will review up to 50 pages of every submission, as well as a synopsis for book submissions". Accepting short stories as well as full manuscripts—one winner per category. All entries must be electronically submitted by midnight on their respective deadlines, as PDF Documents. Enter Now: Deadlines Jan 20, 2025 Early Feb 20, 2025 Regular Mar 20, 2025 Late Apr 20, 2025 Final Announcements |
| Prompt: What is the most interesting thing you saw today? Write about this in your Blog entry today. ------ I don't know if it's interesting, but we are having a cold spell, here in South FL, and last night baby salamanders took refuge in between the screens and the glass parts of the windows, plus inside the porch under the tables and chairs. It was fun to see tiny salamander shapes stuck to the glass as if some artsy thing. And they were very cute. When the sun rose up, they all left to frolic about near the bushes and on the lawn, to enjoy the sun. Luckily, no bird flocks are in sight...yet. Another interesting thing is finding out how my sons are changed, but how they are still the same after they've made it to being over 45. I won't go into details here, but I love the changes in them as much as I loved their child selves. I only hope they like the changes in me, which--especially after they left our home--commenced from correcting their ways to accepting almost anything about them, now. One thing though: "Mom, you never forget anything! How come you say you forgot this and that, now?" This is what my older son said last night. So I reminded him of my age. On the other hand, so far, although I wrote several checks and things, I haven't dated anything as 2024 here in 2025. Now, that is something, but the year is still young, and we'll see! Then, I always find Florida so interesting, too, especially weatherwise. You see from the inside that very bright sunshine spreading all over, but when you go out, you shiver; however, only when the temps dip down. Then, sometimes, it looks cloudy and foggy, but if the temp is high, you end up perspiring. I won't even go into the hurricanes and storms and what not, just in case my thoughts become magnets. Better leave the well enough alone, until July 15 when the hurricane season really starts. |
| Prompt: Do you feel 2025 is off to a good start? Why or why not? Write about this in your Blog entry today. ------ I don't think this world is off to a good start, but being the optimist me, I'm hoping things will get better. First, none of the old problems as to wars and fights between nations have subsided, and worse yet, everyday a new one pops up, such the terrorism attacks in our own country. One of those attacks I read in the Hindustan Times first and I thought theirs was a fake news. Two days later, our news people reported the same thing. I don't know if powers-that-be are holding our news people back or our news people are too lazy to deliver the news on time. Your guess is as good as mine. By the way, that's why I read the news from the many different world sources because I can't trust our own news people. Even the evening news in all the TV channels is more ads than news. Go figure or should I say, go live with it! Then, on the personal front, I'm having such difficulty with the companies not training their workers properly with the recent Ai changes. This goes for all companies. And it isn't the fault of the advances in the technology. If they want to change their mode of operations, shouldn't they really learn the technology first? Also, in my own house, one of the toilets flooded during the last week and I had to clean and change the whole thing. Luckily, I have a reliable plumber, and he could come the next day. Then, my internet provider Comcast is giving me such a trouble, especially with the email. Five years ago, I went to their local store with my husband's death certificate and changed the whole thing into my name. Now, they keep dumping me from my email and asking me to re-enter with the Xfinity ID that was my late husband's. I don't even know what that is. Then, my local bank closed its branch near me, just when I needed to get into my box in their vault. Luckily, their closure was temporary and they opened up, again, after a week. On the plus side, health-wise, I seem to be doing acceptably. Thank God for that! I wish God would help with all the companies I have to deal with nowadays. Only because I am always on the alert, wondering which company will do what because they don't know how to handle technology. Then, one can get a heart attack or lose the mind due to dealing with the long waits on the phone to be suddenly dumped. or worse, to get some agent who has no inkling of what's going on. Still, I have my sons and my health and Writing.com. Thank you God, for these big favors! Now, Dear God, if You would just....fix all the other stuff in 2025? Pretty please? |
| Prompt: "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." George Orwell Is it easy to tell people something, about anything, that they do not want to hear? And which kinds of things do you think people wouldn't want to hear even if what is said may be the truth or to their benefit? ============= No, it isn't easy telling people negative stuff. Try telling such a thing to your own children, especially when they are teens or young adults. You can't. During those ages, people know everything. Yet, it gets better after they grow up a bit, say when they are in their fifties. Even with friends, believe me it is like walking on thin ice. This is because, mostly, people don't want to hear negative comments about themselves, their appearance, their loved ones, or things they care about. They also don't care much for any advice they didn't ask for. Possibly, that something people don't want to hear could well be the truth. This is understandable, and there are good reasons for this type of a resistance. The first one could point to that ego thing. The ego is a barrier and a defense mechanism. This is because anything that challenges self-perception, beliefs, or decisions is usually taboo. The results of pushing that ego barrier can lead to denial, rationalization, or insults. That's why I'd rather not touch anything that could scrape anyone's ego. Also, when people don't want to hear anything they don't agree with, they may not interpret any feedback or truth as it's intended...even if they trust my best intensions. They may simply misunderstand my words or tone of voice or my speech. Still speaking for myself, I have an inbuilt aversion to confrontation, and I don't like much to be rejected or misunderstood, and neither do I like to turn my good relationships into stinky ones. I also don't like to say something that would trigger defensiveness, anger, or hurt feelings in other people. Plus, I don't trust my own delivery at all, unless I think and plan on it ahead of time. Yet, sometimes, even if years later, the other persons may understand and appreciate anyone's effort to make things better for them. So, I guess, timing and the right words, words and ways that do not blame, as well as attitudes that show empathy and compassion do matter. In short telling anyone what they are not ready to hear is an act of courage and care. For that, sensitivity and skill is immensely needed. As to George Orwell's exact quote, I'd rather not exercise that kind of a personal liberty, unless the others' actions can lead to huge tragedies. After all, most people have very good minds to figure things out for themselves. |
| Prompt: “Your new start is only as far away as your fear has parked it.” Craig D. Lounsbrough What does this quote mean to you? And/or are you planning any new starts in the coming year? And which kinds of joys and fears come to your mind about the next twelve months? ------------- Isn't fear the cause of many ills, setbacks, and missed opportunities with anything new and with everything else! I believe this is because fear creates a distance between us and the workings of the world. Some of us are not only fearful of failure, but also rejection, the unknown, or even success. Any "new start" represents a goal, a chapter in life, a wish we'd love to pursue, and any new opportunity. When fear steps into our minds, then, it is time to look where we place this new start. Fear never eliminates opportunities, but the way I look at it, it freezes them into immobility. So to us, those opportunities seem out of reach. Just think of all the wonderful poets and writers who weren't known at all during their own lifetimes. Remember Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allen Poe, Kafka, Lovecraft, Marcel Proust, and Fredrich Nietzsche? I always wonder if some kind of a fear held them back. Of course, this also could be due to their indifference to fame and fortune, and I do understand that since like some of us, I cherish my privacy. These people, however, did not only held themselves back but also, they could have stopped the others from enjoying and benefiting from their talents. What if, by some chance, their works were lost to the world? Could we call their holding back "selfishness"? This makes me think of all the good works and culture our world is now missing through that kind of a selfishness and the fear of the unknown. There is an accountability, here, isn't there? My answer to the question in the quote is: I am not a fortune teller and I don't know anything about what the new year will bring where fears and joys could be concerned. And no, I'm not planning any new ventures in 2025, but this doesn't mean that I'll stop doing or planning anything new during the next twelve months. On this day and hour, if I could work on the old ones and make them better, I'd be quite satisfied. After all, the future is an open book. |
| Prompt: Why does January feel like a year- long Monday? ----------- Does it? I haven't noticed any dragging. It may feel like it's dragging since we have a long year ahead and we may be worried about the way the world is going to you-know-where-in-a-handbasket. Yet, to my knowledge, in only online and social sites January is christened as the longest month. Still, it lasts just 31 days, like several other months. It could also be what we might call this the holiday slump. Since December has the overload of all the fun, excitement, and action. January, afterwards all that, becomes a letdown. Also, with January, we get the worse weather in most places. Even here, in FL, I'm wearing a sweater today, although the sun is shining full force outside. Another thing is, people make resolutions for the new year that they cannot possibly keep. That's why I never make any new-year's resolutions, by the way. I have enough on my plate as it is, and I know my limits. Then, let's face it, this is a new year and it comes with new pressures, such as financial ones, the change of the president, and tax time looming on the horizon. Just thinking about all this makes me want to zoom to another space and time. Yet, no pain is eternal. We must keep that in mind. And let's not forget. January is only 31 days. It won't last forever. |
| Prompt: Use these words in your entry today: selflessness, heroic, determination, fierce, longshots, peanuts, and timeouts ------------- Defeat his *heroic *determination, immense selflessness* reigned, and he made sense my husband said, "Be brave, no one is here to stay" while I chased his *longshots, faraway and I was *fierce and bold, against all odds I challenged medicine with doctors its gods yet never got a break, tiny like *peanuts for *timeouts and doom reshaped my struts since, "brave" alone was never enough losing a loved one for the heart is rough. |
| Prompt: 2025. What are your plans and hopes for the new year? ----------- To answer your question, to live through it in one piece. At my age, this is the best I can do. In addition, I hope no more businesses will close due to financial problems or any other ones. And my bank stays put where it is. I'm worried they'll close the branch close to me and I'll have to travel to the next town. Then, I hope all wars will end, and at least while I am alive, no ruler or no country will start more wars and acts of terrorism. I also wish that my sons and everyone else's kids stay happy, healthy, and successful. On the other hand, there’s really not much difference between an old year and a new one. I don’t need a new year to make positive changes in my life, I can do that anytime. However, what better time than now? Now is an "always" word. Now means the moment or time I'm in and I'm always in the "now." And "now", if I want to see some real, positive change in my life, it’s going to take some hard thinking. "Change is always difficult, but it is so worth it," they say! Really? In old age, any change is almost impossible to handle because we don't have the same material and capability in our bodies and minds. My kids argue this point with me. They say, "But didn't you hear about the 97 year-old man who climbed such and such a mountain?" But, my dears, an exception doesn't make the rule. Luckily, I've been "so far so good." In other words, still manageable...somewhat! We'll see! |
| Prompt: What impresses you the most and how about the role that a certain activity (sports, theater books, music, etc.) has had on your life? And can you predict what will impress you in 2025? =========== Even without a second of hesitation, I can say what impresses me the most is good writing and word usage, and sincerity. After that, books and theater take the front row. As to sports, I liked them only when I could play them somewhat, but just the simplest ones, like tennis and bowling. Watching others on TV play them so well pains me now. Where music is concerned, I'm a piano-playing dropout; however, I love music especially if it's in the background while I'm reading. I don't know what is going to impress me in 2025. World Peace would, I guess, and greatly, too! I would also be impressed if my own memory and eyesight improved a lot. Then, if nothing broke down in my house and the economy got much better in our country and if I could handle the new technological changes and AI much better, those things would impress me greatly, too, and quoting Emily Dickinson: "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.” I hope, therefore, for all our lives in 2025 to turn out to be fantastic with good health, happiness, and much success. So I say, cheers to this new year and to another chance for us to get things right. |
| Prompt: Worldview A worldview is a person's or society's fundamental way of thinking about the world, including their knowledge, culture, and point of view. Do you ever challenge your own worldview or any other views? And have you ever replaced them? -------- Have I ever replaced my worldview! Several times and in big ways, too. Especially with all the so-called revolutions taking place all the time and changes in my personal life and especially because of losing loved ones. Still mostly, my worldview is getting renewed all the time due to not being able to keep up with the all the new ways that seem to change in an instant, without any warning. For example, this morning, I went to the bank and the bank was closed, and even its ATM was closed. It isn't even a bank holiday, today. I used to like this bank because it is close by. Now, I think banks should have the courtesy to at least put in their online pages if a certain branch would be closed aside from their regular holiday closures. I mean this may be something temporary or not, but gone are the days when businesses were more customer-friendly. Today the lens through which I view reality about this bank and its place in my life has changed big time. Worldview is exactly that, the lens through which we view reality and ideas about life, morality, human nature, spirituality and everyone's place in the world. Personal experiences play a big role and other beliefs and education help, too. Add to all this the changes in media and technology that is always jumping up suddenly, my worldview keeps going into revision after revision. On the plus side, exposure to new ideas and disciplines, travel, reading, and being curious other perspectives can be beneficial for personal growth and open-mindedness. Yes, there may be many benefits that can come with good and timely changes. I find, however, the older one gets, the more resistant is one to change. In my case, no matter how I strive to keep up with the changes, I am falling behind. And if worldview is related to social identity, oldies like me have something to worry about, because it seems, not only in my case, but in the case of many other people close to my age, our views of personal competence are going down the drain in a big way--partly due to technology and partly due to how we treat one another--together with the ways we view this world. |
| Prompt: Today is National Card Playing Day. What card games do you enjoy? Do you ever play cards for money? ----- Cards and Me When I was a young kid, I was allowed to spend the New Year's Eve at one of my uncles' house, where several other family members and their friends, and better yet, most of my beloved cousins would be present. That was when I was introduced to the card games. Not cards themselves, mind you, for my mother used to tell her own fortune--and she was very much into that--through her own personal cards, but I wasn't allowed to touch them. They were sacrosanct. In those days, however, every household had several decks of cards. Coming back to the New Year's Eve at my uncle's house, I was the worst card-player ever! My uncle would pass secret chips to me under the table so I wouldn't fall into disgrace by losing all my play-money. I may not remember the games but I do remember, with much love and gratitude, all the attention our extended family gave to me. I can also recall some women, who were friends to the family, who used to play bridge and who had bridge parties, in those days. I can still not wrap my mind around Bridge and other games like that, and I don't recall ever using real money in a card game, at least not in my family. I bet I am still not good at card games, even though I recall my mother's cards' rushing into each other as she took the deck in her hands and shuffled them to randomize them more. I believe I liked those sounds very much. Nowadays, I don't think anyone I know plays with actual cards. Some play online, and others play with friends they know in real life, but still online. As to my incompetence with cards, nowadays I like to play games by myself on my computer: Word Games. math games, games that challenge the memory, and games that emphasize strategy. I'm still bad with most of those games, as before, when I was a kid. Except maybe word games, some forms of Mahjong, and solitaire. Solitaire, maybe because I was an only child once. Also because I have to take after my mother in some way, haven't I! |
| Prompt: Have fun with these words: explode, promote, reasonable, density, composition, compose, moment, prediction, reconcile and shallow. ----- How I Write when thoughts of *density take hold a *composition I muse, wild and bold can I *reconcile dreams I might chase and *reasonable lines I may place? thus a *moment hangs by a fragile thread while stars *explode, my fears are fed I stand and face a *prediction unfound to *promote my words, my rhymes rebound beneath my plight, *shallow brooks flow I *compose this poem and whisper low ideas in fragments line up to be named for after the chaos, my storm is tamed |
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