Here we go again. Haven’t I put enough out there already? Okay, I’ll try to answer this one to the best of my ability without giving too much away.
I was always shy but there was a time in my life when I loved spending time alone just as I’m doing as a self-proclaimed recluse with my life right now. However, my “introvert” phase was an excruciating time. It didn’t matter how many compliments I got and how many times I got asked out, inside I WAS NOT ENOUGH! That was my opinion of myself but it mattered because that opinion dictated how I lived my life. That period in my life stayed for a long time until one day I broke out of that cocoon and like that butterfly I began to spread my wings and then there was no stopping the little “field mouse” who was now ready to fly.
Suddenly, I was oozing with confidence and there was no going back to that shy girl period ever again. I was lucky because most introverts have a hard time breaking out of that mold. I am still the quiet person but I don’t shy away from speaking my mind and neither do I feel inadequate. I know that I am ENOUGH!
Daily writing prompt
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
How did it make me feel? I can’t say for sure because I was happy when I started to take it easy and not do anything of importance or one that would require too much brain power. The output would be very little and I thought I would be feeling good by the end of the day. Guess again!
By the end of the day, I was feeling more frazzled and very anxious. It seems having nothing much to do makes me feel that way. Truth be told, it wasn’t just a day with nothing to do. I did my daily walk in nature and that was fantastic as usual. I walked home looking forward to another cup of coffee and than DOING NOTHING! “Not that quick” said life. The phone kept ringing, then I had mail that needed to be taken care of and a date if I wanted it. Got your attention? Yes, a date. It was the cheesecake guy. I hadn’t heard from him in ages and thought it was water under the bridge. To tell you the truth, I was glad that we didn’t have to do the relationship dance anymore. Chachi, the cat, was glad too. He never liked him. Anyway, he was on the other end saying he wanted to meet, just for coffee and a chat. I thought why not. I agreed to a date and time. Getting off the phone, I felt agitated. Dates make me feel that way!
I decided my mind needed something to keep it occupied. This “doing nothing” was getting on my nerves! I looked at my other projects, a sequel to “The Excellent Adventures of Honey and Hubie.” It is finished and has been accepted but I thought it needed brushing up so I pulled out the manuscript and went to work. Chachi plays the lead role in that one and he does a mighty fine job. I got bored after a while and looked at my other project, a novel that spans three generations. Whoa! Yes, right. It is a huge project, 362 pages done and I am lost. Not sure how to proceed. Bah hambug!
What am I doing? It was supposed to be a lazy day. So I put my feet up, cuddled with my little guy and was feeling rested until my ex showed up. We talked for a while but I could feel something coming to the surface. It wasn’t good. I cut the conversation short and sent him on his way. It was downhill from there. My lazy day was nowhere to be seen and I had to keep moving to keep my mind from going to places I didn’t want it to go!
So do lazy days make me feel rested or unproductive. I can’t answer that question because I don’t think I have had one so far!
Daily writing prompt
Do lazy days make you feel rested or unproductive?
She is a British-American fashion icon who served as the editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine for 37 years. Dame Anna Wintour worked her way up the ladder from humble beginnings to one of the most influential figures in the fashion industry.
Her no-nonsense attitude and with her iconic pageboy haircut, the lady demonstrated that doing things her own way is not a bad thing after all. She began her career in the fashion department of Harper’s & Queen in London. In 1976, she took over as fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar. From there, the world was her oyster as the saying goes. In 1986, Wintour returned to London as Chief editor of British Vogue.
“I want Vogue to be pacy, sharp, and sexy. I’m not interested in the super-rich or infinitely leisured. I want our readers to be energetic, executive women, with money of their own and a wide range of interests.”
Her style of management was often critiqued which in turn earned her nicknames such as, “Nuclear Wintour” and “Wintour of Our Discontent.”
Did that stop the one-woman force named Anna Wintour? Not one little bit. In 1980, Wintour was named editor-in-chief of Vogue. During her three-decade reign, she restored the magazine’s clout and produced some mammoth issues.
Wintour stepped down after 37 years at the helm but during that time it never stopped her from speaking her mind, her restless drive or her no-nonsense approach.
At a time when criticism was and is the norm where the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, is concerned, Anna Wintour chose to go against the grain. At the Paris Fashion Week, she delivered this compliment to Meghan who was dressed in an all-white ensemble by Balenciaga.
Ms. Wintour: “How are you?”
Meghan: “Nice to see you.”
After exchanging a kiss on the cheek, Anna looks at Meghan’s outfit and says,
“Beautiful cherie. You look amazing.”
That was the nail on every critic’s coffin that rang around the world. The top person of the fashion world had spoken and so it was.
To drive the nail further in the coffin, “Vogue recently featured Meghan Markle on its best-dressed list” for her appearance at the Balenciaga show during Paris Fashion week in October 2025.
Anna Wintour was and still is a force to be reckoned with.
Daily writing prompt
When you think of the word “successful,” who’s the first person that comes to mind and why?
Someone who is quiet, helpful, stays in their lane and is not a gossip monger. Those are some characteristics that I find necessary to being a good neighbor.
People around here usually keep to themselves but gossiping is a necessary evil in this village. What starts out as a small piece of gossip gets shredded and passed around until it comes out on the other end as something big and hard to believe or digest! I think it stamps from people not having much to do. Most are old and the only thing they have got going is keeping up with their husbands, household chores and gardening. Lest I forget, their window seat is their best friend! Nothing gets past the womenfolk here.
That said, there are those who are very helpful and caring. My neighbor across the street calls when she notices that I had left my garage door open. I have a tendency to forget and when the phone rings and I hear her voice, I know it is the friendly neighborhood watch person reminding me to shut the garage door! Then there is the one who brings me a jar of homemade jam made from the harvest of fruits in her garden. I find that to be very sweet. The gesture is often returned. Today, I gave away the ripe figs from my garden and she asked, “Would you like some apples?” I pointed to my apple tree and said, “I’m trying to do the same!”
I am lucky to have some good neighbors. Most are quiet and noise is not something I have to worry about. Most days, it is extremely quiet and I love it that way. I think I am a good neighbor. I’m helpful, friendly, and I make it a point to bring a bouquet or two of flowers to some of the women around here. It is well received and I’m rewarded with a great big smile!
It works both ways. It’s a give and take sort of thing. If you want a good neighbor, you have to start being a good one yourself. All I can say is that I have good neighbors and I am thankful for the peace and serenity that surrounds this place that I call home.
What could I try for the first time? Absolutely nothing comes to mind! I am drawing blanks but I could be just tired from keeping up with this challenge, the Daily Writing Prompt that is.
I see it as a challenge and it gets my brain working first thing in the morning. Some days it is easy to come up with something and some days like today when I’m feeling like I want to get out in nature but the weather isn’t cooperating, I have no ideas coming in at all. Oh well, that’s par for the course.
Today, I have nothing to add to this question. I’m happy where I’m at and I really don’t have a desire to try anything new for the first time.
There are several principles that define how I live my life, but there are four intrinsic values that I adhere to. They are honesty, integrity, empathy and kindness.
These four make up the cornerstone of how I live my life. Honesty is important and I try to be as honest as I can. There are times when the “white lies” creep in but those moments are few and far between. However, those “white lies” do come back to haunt me. I am learning to be more straightforward without being hurtful.
Integrity is a must as far as I am concerned. I stand by what I say and when I promise something, I do it. My word is my bond and it really is with me. It basically means that “a person’s spoken promise is a serious and unbreakable commitment, just like a legal bond.” This signifies the highest level of integrity. I know many people who don’t stand by their word. It seems to be a norm these days but I do stand by what I say and you can count on it.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It is about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes and it means to understand and consider another person’s feelings and lifestyle without judgment. I try but sometimes I fall short. It is a work in progress.
Kindness is important. I try to be kind, generous, friendly, and considerate to others. It makes for a better world and one act of kindness is all it takes to put a smile on someone’s face when they’re having a bad day or to show them that someone cares.
Those are the principles I live by. There are others but these four are front and center when it comes to defining how I live my life and they help to guide me on the right path and to keep me grounded.
Each year, it is the same old stuff. When fall rolls around, it is time to turn off the water supply to the garden so that you don’t get frozen pipes that could cause a lot of damage, car inspection to get it ready for winter, check the salt supplies to make sure that I have enough when cold weather rolls around and get my summer clothes bagged up and bring out the winter stuff. There are other things that need to be done but I usually wind up putting them off until I really have no choice!
Just looked at the weather forecast and it says a cold polar blast is going to show its face around here early next week. Temps should be in the minus and that means warmer clothes. I wouldn’t say it’s a mad dash to get my winter clothes together but since I have a lot of them, it means sorting, cleaning and getting it ready. Grrr!!! Not my favorite thing in the world to do.
I’ve got the wash running and getting what I need cleaned and ready. The rest will need to go to the dry cleaners. Yes, a major job and I’m not in the mood for it as I wanted today to be nice and easy. Cuddling with Chachi, the cat, and sipping from the soup I made yesterday to watching something good on TV. Looks like I will be dealing with putting summer away and bringing winter to the forefront. Not to mention the shoes as well. I forgot those. Boots, scarves, socks, gloves, and whatever else is needed to keep me warm and toasty will need to be sorted out as well.
I used to be a clotheshorse. I say, “used to be” but judging from what is coming out of the closets, I still am! The clothes seem to be multiplying right before my very eyes. Oh well, that’s what I have been putting off doing. Now, back to work so that I can meet the new season in style!
You may be saying, but she hangs out in PJs all the time so why the hassle? I ask myself that very same question. Let’s just say, I like having them ready just in case. Chachi is saying, “Not on my watch mommy!”
I think it was when I had my first job during the school holidays. Not sure how old I was, perhaps fifteen. The job was nothing to brag about. I worked in a store as a sales person. It was my first step into feeling like I was doing something productive. The job itself was boring and one thing I knew, I wanted to do better than that.
Anyway, when I got my first paycheck I was over the moon. It was money I had earned on my own and there was pride in that. Okay, it was a paltry sum but back then it felt like a whole lot of money! On my way home, I stopped at a Chinese restaurant and picked up some food to go. I think it was a noodle dish and a stir fry of some sort. Happy as a lark, I made my way home with the food containers tightly in grip and a big smile on my face.
I walked in the door like a grown up. Walking over to the table I placed the containers on the table and declared, “I brought food home.” I think I was glowing from head to toe! Watching my brothers and sisters dig in was something else and when my parents did the same, I felt like a grown up for the very first time.
It was my first grown up experience. However, these days kids are different. My son had everything handed to him and he led a privileged life. Work was nowhere in the picture and when he had to step out in the real world, I thought this is going to be a difficult transition. Well, it was. Amidst the complaints of working for a living and falling flat on his face, he is learning to be a grown up in his own way. Thank God for that!
Daily writing prompt
When was the first time you really felt like a grown up (if ever)?
Some of these questions do give my brain a workout not that it needs that much stimulation! It does alright on its own as it is.
Anyway, if I had a million dollars to give away, I would not give it out to one person. I’ve always wanted to set up a soup kitchen of sorts for people down on their luck so that’s something I would look into. Also, I would set up a place where people can sleep for the night or nights when the weather is unbearable outside. I think a million dollars would do much in that respect.
Last year, I met a young man in the supermarket parking lot and he had his hand out for some help. I gave him 5 euros. It wasn’t much and he was more than thankful. He told me that he had been sleeping at the train station and was looking to find his way back home. True? I don’t know but he looked rough. That chance meeting stayed on my mind. The next day I returned hoping to find him and to give him more money and some warm clothes but I never saw him again. I hope he made it home safely.
A million dollars? It would open up a whole world of new possibilities for some people and in a good way.
Daily writing prompt
If you had a million dollars to give away, who would you give it to?
Wow! I would attempt a lot of things. That guarantee could open up many doors, ones I have steered away from.
Let’s see. Sky diving is one thing I would definitely attempt. I’ve always wanted to fly like a bird and the next best thing to that is to jump out of a plane knowing that I can have my cake and eat it too!
Next in line. I would definitely attempt hiking the Himalayas. Tibet is one place I would like to see and experience but it is dangerous territory and there are no guarantees that you’ll make it out alive. If it’s not the rock slides, earthquakes and or the dangers of a woman hiking alone, I would definitely attempt it.
Hmm…next on the list would be the Amazon rainforest. Lovely place but filled with dangers that could swallow you whole! So if I had a guarantee of success, I would definitely attempt it!
You get the picture. I would try all of the above and more but without a ” no fail guarantee” it’s a no go. Guess I’ll go to my grave dreaming of those places!
Daily writing prompt
What’s something you would attempt if you were guaranteed not to fail.
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