dailyprompt – Page 21

CAN’T!

I don’t know about many people but I do know that “can’t” is up there on my list of words that jump up and scare the hell out of me!

When it shows up, it means that I have to face something of the unsavory nature and not to my liking. I don’t like a lot of things, I’m a stick in the mud as I have said before but that’s not all. Fear steps in and “can’t” shows up before anything else. I dig my heels in and refuse to budge. Then, I go within and come up with excuses as to why I can’t. Believe me, there are plenty of reasons why and it doesn’t have to make sense either! It’s my tried and true method to fight whatever it is that is causing the problem and to keep changes at bay.

I’ve lived with “can’t” all my life and it has made my life miserable. Things could have been a lot easier if I had looked at the problem like any normal human being would do but instead I take the other route. The crazy route where I sweat bullets and convince myself that I just can’t do what is asked of me.

Making headway into this problem took a long time. My journey of self-discovery has helped but it still crops up when I least expect it. Old habits die hard as they say. Coming back to the Daily Prompt, I do think that there are people out there who have the same problem I do. We just don’t like changes but unfortunately, life is not going to take a “NO” for an answer. Learning to live with what comes your way, accepting the changes and taking small steps to change your perception of things does help. Here’s the thing, most of the problems I thought I couldn’t handle turned out to be the ones that taught me how capable I am of doing exactly that.

Daily writing prompt

What is a word you feel that too many people use?

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Unshakeable Peace!

Peace is something I seek on a daily basis, and sometimes it is there and sometimes it is nowhere to be found.

The kind of peace that is superficial is easy to find. It is on the surface, it doesn’t go deep and when something walks in and rattles it, it splinters and takes off leaving you to wade through chaos. Been there, done that many many times.

These days, I am looking for the unshakeable variety. The kind that can take a beating and still stand strong. Walks in nature help me to get there. Clearing my mind of what doesn’t serve me is a surefire way of finding peace and to keep everything in balance. Deep breathing is a state of nirvana that I can’t do without. Whether it is a few minutes or half an hour, doing different kinds of breathing brings peace into my life. The one thing that brings me unshakeable peace is my mindset. If I will it, I can do it. I am finding that peace is a state of mind one of your own making.

It takes constant work and you need to make it a priority. Otherwise, it is the wishy washy kind. I know life is not easy and it has a way of throwing hurdles in the way, but those things I listed above do bring me peace and it takes more than something unknown rattling my nerves to rile me up the wrong way. Peace needs work, daily constant work.

Daily writing prompt

What brings you peace?

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The Profession I Admire

I was never a highly ambitious person and in my younger days when others were dreaming of changing the world, I had my head in the clouds. A dreamer so to speak. I never thought in terms of one particular profession, I was all over the place.

Writing was something I loved and having published my first short story in a well-known magazine at the age of 16, I wanted to do that all the time. The “high” was addicting. However, even though the story made cover page, I learned that writing didn’t pay well and I also learned that not all who write are writers after getting my share of rejections. Anyway, I got $600 for that story, back then a pretty good sum but still not enough to make a living on. I kept writing but other things stepped in. I would go on to publish more than a 1,000 articles but all done from the sidelines while I pursued more lucrative options. University was where I thought I wanted to be someone. One of the things I admired was speechwriter for the President no less! Journalism was next on my radar. However, writing about the mundane and sometimes about murders which required your actual presence at crime scenes made me step back and I nixed that idea quickly!

Fashion Editor was next. It was fun at first. Celebs, supermodels and designers were all part of my job. Then it got boring! Now, I’m a published author. Where that will take me I don’t know. The book will be out at the end of August and who knows if it is a success or a flop. It’s wait and see now.

Oh, one thing I admired as a young girl were the nuns. Yes, the habit wearing ones. I wanted to be just like them. I glamorized that vocation and I wanted to be in the service of God. Yes, you guessed it. Some of those daily bible study lessons had rubbed off on me! Unfortunately, I grew up! The boys came a calling and being a nun went out the window as well. My eyes do light up when I see them on the streets now and then!

I think I still have my head in the clouds but not as much as I used to. I don’t have any specific profession I admire, but the next time around I want to work at the White House where there is never a dull moment and life is never the same day in and day out!

Daily writing prompt

What profession do you admire most and why?

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NOTHING!

Photo by Anna Nekrashevich on Pexels.com

Grrr! Another question that I have no answers for!

First of all, I wouldn’t open up a shop. If I did, it would be one way to bring all the stress back into my life again. My life would be regimented and free time would be a thing of the past. So I wouldn’t open up a shop.

However, if I had to, I would have a shop with nothing in it. What kind of a concept is that? Mine. The sign at the entrance would say, “Come in and browse.” The shelves would be empty except for my table, it would have a laptop and some magazines to while away the time. If customers ask with a puzzled look on their faces, “What are you selling?”

ME: “Nothing.”

THEM: “Why do you have a shop then?”

ME: “Just because.”

THEM: “Just because what?”

ME: “Just because I was told to.”

THEM: “She’s crazy!”

ME: “You got that right!”

Nothing to clean up, nothing to stock up and no money coming in. Who cares?!! I’ll have my peace and if they, the customers come in they can look at me with a puzzled look all they want. I’ll call it the future way of shopping. Do your shopping via the internet and if you have to venture out, you have somewhere to go but nothing to buy!

My imagination is on overdrive today! Next question please…..

Daily writing prompt

If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?

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My Constant Companion

I can say many things like my ID, money, credit cards but I never thought I would say this! It is my iPhone. I was never a big cellphone, handy, mobile phone fan. I had something for emergencies and it worked just fine or rather I was more than content with it.

Along came my friend, a tech-savvy guy who was into all the latest gadgets! He couldn’t understand how I could survive with the thing I was carrying around. One birthday, we went to the next village to have dinner and as we walked past a computer store, his eyes lit up. “Let’s go in,” he said. They had everything and more as far as technology was concerned. He headed straight to the iPhone section. I was thinking he wanted something new for himself. Nope! He picked out the latest and it was a done deal. Then he handed it to me and said, “Part of your birthday present.” You don’t want to know what the other part was! Anyway, I had a brand new iPhone that could do hoops and much much more.

That’s when the Google addiction started. I was amazed at what I had at my fingertips! He is gone but that technology he gifted is a part of my daily life. I never leave home without it and it goes everywhere with me. There is a certain safety that comes with it because if caught outside with car troubles or I needed to call someone, it is there to fulfil my every wish. Sure, lesser and cheaper gadgets do that as well but not as efficiently as this does. Worth the money? Definitely. And it gives me peace of mind as well.

Daily writing prompt

What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?

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Eradicate Racism!

My posts and articles showcase many things but my core focus is social injustice with special emphasis on racism. Racism is a “pandemic” and it should be treated as such. It is not a small thing as some make it out to be and neither is it harmless. It has the potential to destroy human dignity and it does exactly that on a daily basis.

I have a friend who once said, “You can’t change racism. It is here to stay.” Perhaps, he is right but that doesn’t mean that your voice must be silenced to accommodate what the majority thinks. I’ve spoken up where others have stayed silent, I have faced backlash and I march on hoping that one day things will change. My writing is my megaphone to get the message across.

A world free of racism is a wonderful place in my opinion. Each and every individual can have their say, go about life as equals and learn to get along with each other. We are still a long ways off from that ideal reality and if racism will ever take a backseat, that is still to be seen. However, my voice matters just as yours does.

What change would I like my blogs to make? Exactly that. Eradicate racism and let’s give every individual a chance at a decent life, one that is not based on appearance, skin color or religious beliefs for that matter.

Oh, what a wonderful world this would be….

Daily writing prompt

What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?

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My Alternate Universe

I would go back and change everything! Starting with the night I met my two-timing ex! What started out as a chance meeting at a dance at the university and later morphed into something more was a big mistake. I would erase all of that.

How far would you go for love? It’s a question that is asked in certain circles and it’s a question many ponder over when in love with someone a continent away. Some are brave enough to throw caution to the winds because “love” is all that matters. It did at the time. I gave up everything and moved to Europe thinking I had “forever” in my pocket. It didn’t turn out that way.

There are many hurdles to cross when you move to a non-English speaking country. First, comes the meeting up with the culture and the customs at close range along with a feeling of being like a duck out of water all the time. In my case, I had to raise a child in an atmosphere of, “We know everything better!” Team it with a husband who was never there because he was on business trips all the time and you get the picture. I learned what unhappiness was and with a mother-in-law from hell in tow, my life became something else.

Here’s the thing. In my alternate universe, I would be in America and with someone else. Someone who has character and is noble enough to stand beside his wife which was sorely lacking in more ways than one.

My advice to someone contemplating a move to somewhere faraway, make sure you have a backup plan when it goes down south. Luckily, I was able to survive what came my way, and this is home now because my son feels more at home here and considers himself European as well.

If I get to do it all over again, my alternate universe would be a lot more different than what my reality is and peace would reign supreme!

Daily writing prompt

Describe your life in an alternate universe.

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Most Money Ever Spent on a Meal

Here’s another question and nothing comes to mind! I don’t think I’ve ever spent a lot on a meal when I had to pay for it on my own. Mostly, it has been just simple meals and nothing much to speak of.

However, there was one time when I was invited out for dinner and the cost blew my mind. He was a Qantas Airways pilot, who lived in Australia but was used to flying in and out of Asia and he invited me out to dinner. I was thinking it would be a simple restaurant so nothing spectacular. I was wrong.

The restaurant was high up somewhere in the clouds, on the 70th floor, and a revolving one at that. We were met at the entrance by a Russian soldier dressed in medieval gear. He looked menacing. We had to wait at the bar to be seated. When we finally got our table, it had a beautiful view of the city and it was lit up like a Christmas tree. The scenery kept changing and that was more than interesting. First course, was a big plate of oysters on ice with black caviar and sliced boiled eggs. I had never had oysters or caviar before. The oysters looked unappetizing but he insisted I try one. I did and it was not to my liking.

They made a big display of opening the wine bottle and since I don’t drink, it was nothing for me either. Then the main course came. It was steak in a sumptuous sauce. I don’t recall what else came with it because the steak was melt in your mouth and blew everything else away. What came next? Dessert I think. but I’m not sure. Everything was perfect but nothing was lined with gold or anything like that to warrant what came next.

The bill was a whopping $350 dollars!

I think that was the most expensive meal I had ever been invited to and the fact that he thought I was worth it was mind-blowing as well.

Daily writing prompt

What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a meal? Was it worth it?

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Sydney Sweeney’s Jeans Ad

Photo by Alina Matveycheva on Pexels.com

My platform has always been about bringing light to social injustices, racial inequalities, racism in all its ugly forms and anything else that is considered out of the ordinary and reeks of one thing or another. I’ve written articles on the shooting deaths of Black men by law enforcement to the plight of the Rohingyas and everything in between. Sometimes the atrocities are blatant and at other times, they are subtle and are aimed at disguising what is not evident at first glance.

The Sydney Sweeney jeans ad is about a pretty girl in a pair of jeans. Nothing spectacular and nothing else stands out unless you’re into jeans and what’s new out there. That’s just at first glance.

Take a closer look and something else emerges. The clothing company, American Eagle, faced its share of backlash when it was accused of promoting “eugenics,” by using wordplay on jeans/genes in the ad.

“Sydney Sweeney has good genes,” referencing Sweeney’s white, blonde and blue-eyed looks. Some have accused the brand of promoting, “eugenics,” and “Nazi propaganda.”

Eugenics is defined as a doctrine “adopted by the Nazis to justify their treatment of Jews, disabled people, and other minority groups.” It is a study on “how to arrange reproduction within a human population to increase the occurrence of heritable characteristics,” those deemed as sought after traits or of the blond and blue-eyed variety.

In the campaign, Sweeney posing in jeans is seen whispering:

“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue.”

The video has since been removed from American Eagle’s social media channels but the backlash continues. The ad comes in the wake of President Trump’s White House policies aimed at slashing diversity efforts in the federal government and the targeting of immigrants. Some say, the ad is reminiscent of the Calvin Klein campaign which starred a 15-year-old Brooke Shields posing provocatively and therefore, just “an overt sexualization of a minor,” and nothing more. The problem to this theory is that Sydney Sweeney is no longer a minor.

The company has issued a statement saying, “the campaign is and always was about the jeans. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”

Agreed. However, trying to promote a message beyond that of “just about the jeans,” and using wordplay to get the message across is something else altogether. In the current atmosphere of, “let’s do away with all that is different,” this ad is more than alarming. My take on this is, they should have known better!

Daily writing prompt

Scour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.

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My Happiness List

Wow! What a question! Not 10, not 20 but 30 things that make me happy. Once I get done with this, I will either be deliriously happy or feel like the air has been let out of my being!

I recall when I was a young girl, mom and dad had a ritual. Bible study was an everyday thing and it was painful for a girl who had her head in the clouds. We had to say what we were thankful for and each child had to come up with something. I hated it but there was no getting out of it. I would always make it as short as possible so that we would finish and I could watch cartoons on TV. However, one sister had a different plan. She would go on and on! It was a never-ending litany of things she was thankful for or happy about but I think she wanted to get in dad’s good graces and it worked! She was his favorite.

Anyway, here goes.

Chachi, the cat.

Morning coffee.

Birds chirping.

My quiet time.

Meditation

Deep Breathing

Beauty Rituals

A call from my son.

Conversations with friends.

Walks in nature.

My workouts.

The sky above.

My favorite TV shows.

Writing

Imagination

My house (my sanctuary)

The Dyson fan (a godsent on hot days!)

Rain!

Cheesecake

Banana Muffins

Friends

Family

Peace

Love

Freedom (to be who I am)

PJs ( I love hanging out in them)

My laptop

My Posts

Feeling Safe

Feeling like I can handle anything. (Basically taking lemons and making lemonade out of them!)

There! I’m feeling like I need another cup of coffee and a nap after this one! Just kidding.

Daily writing prompt

List 30 things that make you happy.

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