dailyprompt – Site Title

Someone Else for a Day?

I can say a lot of things here and pick some influential people who changed life for the better but I’m going to go with someone who makes my life a joy and one who is there from the moment I wake up to the time I turn off the lights and go to sleep.

If I could, I would like to be Chachi, the cat, or rather Little Einstein as he likes to be called. Some might say pick a person but this little furball is a person to me. I would like to see life through his eyes for a change. Sometimes I wonder what he thinks as he looks at me with those big green eyes, I see love but it might be something else altogether! I want to see what is missing in his life and what could be made better.

The little bundle of joy has me wrapped around his paws in more ways than one. I think a cat’s life can’t be beat, well, I am speaking about HIS! There is nothing to worry about, life is a breeze and now that I’ve removed the big Japanese cherry tree from blocking his view in front of the kitchen window, Chachi has a wide-screen TV! He spends his days following me around like a second shadow and his needs are taken care of. When he is bored, he sleeps the day away and when he feels like company, it’s Mommy time! Cuddles, hugs, and kisses are all part of his daily existence and he gets plenty of those. So I say, I would like to be Chachi for a day. The laid-back existence is appealing and “no thinking” and “no worries” makes it a life I would like to experience for a day.

Daily writing prompt

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why?

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Most Ambitious DIY Project

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I think it was to renovate one of the rooms upstairs. The door needed some painting and the walls as well. I wanted to turn it into a nice guest room and instead of getting a professional to do it which would have cost a lot of money, I decided to give it a try. A “TRY” is the main word here since I had no experience doing what I was about to undertake.

I Googled and than YOUTUBED to get some knowledge on how and where to start with this project. It seemed like a monster undertaking but I had time on my hands and ambition on my side or so I thought! The beginning went as planned. I got the “stuff” I needed and was pleased as punch with my progress. Then it went downhill from there! Nothing seemed to be going right and I was covered with paint from head to toe in no time at all! I had forgotten to put a plastic cover on the floor to protect the carpet so I had another mess going. Halfway through the day, I gave up! It was time to call in the people who knew what they were doing. An amateur was no match for this huge DIY project.

Long story short, the guys came in, took one look, laughed and got the job done in record time. I spent the next week trying to get the paint out of my hair, fingers, arms and everywhere else! Lesson learned and I kowtow to the people in the know. DIY is not for me, I am a klutz in more ways than one!

Daily writing prompt

Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on.

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Cuss and Slur Words

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Sometimes we need that duct tape over our mouths! There is not just one word but several that I would like to see permanently eradicated from usage simply because they do not add but detract from the English language as a whole.

Their use is easy to those who have a limited vocabulary and to those who think some of those words are “power words.” I detest the “F” word. Listening to someone using this word like confetti strewn throughout a sentence makes my skin crawl. I grew up in a household where cuss words, swear words and racial slurs were not allowed and if caught using them, there was hell to pay. A younger brother rebelled against such restrictions and the “F” word became his favorite word to get his disgust, anger or whatever else he was trying to get across. I heard him using it one day and told on him! Yes I was a tattle-tale but it was for his own good. Dad read him the riot act after hearing about it and we didn’t talk for a long time after. He did forgive me at a later point in time and I never heard him use it again or maybe not just around me!

If I have to cuss or use a swear word, I SPELL it out. It seems to take the sting out of it or so I think! A former boyfriend asked me, “Why can’t you just say the “F” word and be done with it?” My answer, “I can’t!” Fortunately, there are not many occasions where I’ve had to resort to such words and I can count them on one hand! Coming back to cuss words, George Washington once said:

“The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it.”

However, Mel Brooks had this to say: “I’ve been accused of vulgarity. I say that’s bulls**t.”

Two sides of the coin right there. I think eradicating such words especially of the hurtful nature such as racial slurs is a must but I can wish and hope and stand on my head and turn blue in the face but change will be a long time coming if ever!

Daily writing prompt

If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?

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My Challenge

Whether it is a six month challenge or something longer, I’ve accepted the challenge and there is no going back now. It is not about bringing a new book out, it is not about finding a new guy, and it is not about changing my life for the better. This time around it is not about any of those things.

Many of you know about my son leaving to start a new job and it will be happening sooner than later. Thursday of this week, he will show up here with his dad and it will be a long time before I see him again. His life will be changing and the new job will demand his focus and presence there. Along with it comes a six-month trial period which is normal for jobs here. It will also include going to Berlin for two weeks and then back to where he needs to be to jump in head first into the unfamiliar.

My challenge or rather my mission if I choose to accept it is to look after his two cats while he explores the unfamiliar. I’ve agreed to look after them, to make sure that they are well-taken care of and to keep them safe for him. The good thing is Chachi will finally have friends to play with while I pull my hair out! Knowing Chachi, I know that he will be over the moon for a few days but I think he will want his peace because we both lead boring lives and being on his “paws” the whole day will wear him out.

The two cousins as I call them are Shiro, a white Persian with startling blue eyes and Galahad, a grey British short-haired cat with orange eyes. Shiro is daddy’s little princess and Galli, as I call him, is much bigger than Chachi and a no-nonsense sort of guy. Chachi seems to think that he can take them both at one go. Poor thing, he has something else coming!

Here is the thing, I’ve been spending time thinking about this big responsibility. I have Chachi and we love our time together. Adding two more to the equation seems like a huge thing and perhaps it is. On one hand, I am a little nervous and on the other hand, I think I am fully capable of handling the challenge and helping my son along the way. I know that he is sad about leaving them behind, I can’t see myself without Chachi around. So I know what he must be going through. Plus, his babies will be sad too and they will miss him horribly. The first couple of days is going to take some getting used to for all of us. Afterwards, I hope we can get back to normal. Still, it is a little scary this huge responsibility but with all things, it is going to take some shifting of my priorities, Chachi getting used to them and reeling his macho personality in and I hope the house survives the turmoil and chaos!

We shall see.

Daily writing prompt

What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?

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An Important Piece of Advice

I was fearless running around like a wild child during my younger days. It all changed when I hit sixteen or so and life changed. I became fearful and I don’t know what happened. The young girl who was fearless suddenly found herself being fearful of life and the unknown.

I took to my bedroom and did some armchair traveling through my books. It was my safe zone from the outside world. Reading was my way of being out there without having to venture out if you know what I mean. Writing gave me an outlet from the fear and I was able to put my feelings down on paper and that helped too

When I turned 18 I came out of the cocoon that I had built around myself but “fear” would be an integral part of my life. It kept me from experiencing life to its fullest but it also kept me away from danger.

My advice to my teenage self would be to give “fear” a boot out the door! Take life by the horns and go for it. Fear is an emotion that has a tendency to destroy and it stops you in your tracks. Even though it is a protective mechanism, too much of it is destructive. Learn to overcome FEAR would be my advice to my teenage self.

Daily writing prompt

What advice would you give to your teenage self?

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Boredom

At first glance I want to say nothing since I am the “epitome of boredom” itself! If you had a chance to look into my life you would agree. Let me explain. I lead a very boring life. There is no longer the pressure to perform as I used to. I went from churning out articles at an accelerated pace to next to nothing. Nowadays, the “daily prompt” is about as much excitement as I get throughout the day! I wake up looking forward to the questions that someone puts out there for us mere mortals to come up with answers if we wanted to that is. It makes for some good reading!

Now if there is one thing I hate or I find totally boring is the weekends. Paradise, as I know it, meaning the fields are no longer my own at weekends. It is more like paradise lost during these times when the locals decide to get out there in droves and from greetings to the masses (what I call more than five people) the place loses its beauty or its thrill and for me that is absolute quiet and peace where my mind is allowed to take off into its imaginary realm. I usually stay indoors at the weekends and that is totally boring but I am finding ways to combat that feeling. Meditation and working on things I need to get down and on me as a whole is working fine for right now and if that goes down the drain, I’m sure I’ll find other things to keep me occupied. Boredom is in the mind as I usually say, change the mindset and you’ll be just fine.

Daily writing prompt

What bores you?

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Favorite Drink?

I don’t drink alcoholic beverages. It is just my preference and I don’t think it tastes great either! Tried it once in my late teens. It was a beautiful looking glass of something red, an almost glowing liquid with an umbrella and a slice of pineapple for added effect and the guy I was dating at the time ordered it not knowing that I didn’t drink. It came, I drank it like a fool and got myself drunk! That was my last and only time coming face to face with alcohol of any kind. I’ve been to places where alcohol was served but I always refused. A stick in the mud? Call me whatever but I have willpower except for cheesecake of course!

I stick to coffee in the mornings and fruit juices and water throughout the day. I love tea too and I’m discovering that there is a tremendous variety to whet every taste bud on the market. Alcohol out but anything that does wonders for the body as a whole is a definite in.

Daily writing prompt

What is your favorite drink?

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My Favorite People

I’m not too particular about people I hang out with, however, I like the nice types. Easygoing is my middle name, aside from complicated but that’s another story. I tend to be pretty down-to-earth so I generally get along well with people. The 100 watt smile that I flash every chance I get usually makes for a seamless hanging out option.

However, there are a few people that I think might make very good companions. People who smile a lot, I’m attracted to. I give out free smiles everyday, have always done so, and I think smiles make a person more attractive and approachable. People who place a lot of worth on integrity, punctuality, honesty are next on the list. I also like people who don’t go from zero to 100 in seconds. The “anger monsters” are not my type of people. Let’s see, what else? Gentle, kind, and compassionate people have a certain pull and I tend to gravitate towards them.

Since I consider Chachi, the cat, my people (yes plural) because he is just fun to hang out with and seems to be several people combined into one! I don’t like people who love to irritate or are looking for ways to let their frustrations out and if you’re in the vicinity, it’s fair game. Definitely stay away from such people.

All in all, I tend to be a nice person and easy to get along with. Looking for the same in people I hang out with.

The Imelda Marcos Syndrome

Yikes! This is a tough one for someone who owns a lot of shoes. I think I can give Imelda Marcos a run for the money! I don’t have a shoe tick but I used to collect shoes and loved looking at them staring back at me safely nesting in their cubbyholes! Recently I did get rid of several pairs simply because I am decluttering and working towards a simpler lifestyle, one that doesn’t involve too many material things and a muddled mind!

However, there is a favorite pair and it doesn’t carry a designer label but it is an old pair of walking shoes that has seen better days but I refuse to give it up because the comfort factor is there even if looks like it has seen the expiry date many times over. It’s the one I reach for when I head out the door to go for a walk and sometimes it is caked with mud but none of that matters. It is like a friend or is that a battery which keeps on giving! So why do I need all those other pairs of shoes? There are no answers just that women are complicated creatures with a mind of our own and it’s just because!

Daily writing prompt

Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.

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A Gift Like No Other!

This one makes me emotional. As gifts go this gift didn’t cost any money but it went straight to the heart and has stayed there through the years.

I remember my five-year-old son was late coming home from kindergarten. It was a short walk from there to the house but he was about an hour late and needless to say I was climbing walls! I was ready to give him a piece of my mind when he rang the doorbell. A sigh of relief rushed through me but there was anger still there or fear or both. I opened the door ready to let him know that it wasn’t ok when he looked at me with those big innocent eyes of his and handed me something he was holding in his hands. It was a small bouquet of wild flowers and they were crushed and there was no life left to be seen in them! “For you mommy,” he said. “I picked them on the way back from school.” He took the wind right out of my sails and I was left speechless which doesn’t happen often. I hugged him tightly and the smile he wore said it all. He was in love with his mommy and I was the most important person in his life at that point in time. I took those flowers carefully and put them in a small glass of water with tears in my eyes as he watched me with love in his.

It was the start of many more gifts to come. The next one came when he went on a school excursion to a zoo. I had given him some money to get an ice but instead he bought me a necklace. It was the ugliest necklace I had ever seen. Some wooden pieces were strung together and in the midst was a wooden turtle! He made me wear it for days on end and I DID. Even though I had received much more expensive gifts from others, that simple ugly piece still has a warm place in my heart and takes the place of best gift of all time, right up there with those crushed flowers.

The gifts have stopped coming , he is a young man now but once in a while he still surprises me. Sometimes it isn’t about how much money is spent on a gift to make it special, all it takes is thought and caring to show someone how much they mean to you. And those gifts did exactly that.

Daily writing prompt

Share one of the best gifts you’ve ever received.

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