Tag: dailyprompt

I need to stop being too nice! This “niceness” bit sometimes brings trouble and instead of shutting it down immediately, I try to find ways of making things easier for the other person and “BOOM” I find myself in the same old boat. I wind up asking what happened and why did it happen?

Let’s look at this example. I meet a guy and I can tell from the start that there is nothing that connects us. NADA! Instead of giving a flat out no, I play, “Here we go around the Mulberry bush!” The guy thinks that there is a chance so he keeps trying harder. I get frustrated and think, “Don’t you get the message?”

He doesn’t because I don’t give a forceful NO! Let’s look at another example. I have a girlfriend who is never on time. I put up with it because I am this “nice” person, not a pushover but nice. Anyway, this last time, we made an appointment to meet and I was there 10 minutes early. Twenty minutes in and she was a no show. I wrote but no answer. Forty minutes in and still no show and no message. Forty-five minutes later, she writes nonchalantly, “Ooh, I forgot!” If there ever was a straw that broke the camel’s back,” that was it! I finally came out of my “nice” mode and gave her a piece of my mind. It’s been two weeks and we haven’t heard from each other. When we do, I hope punctuality is at the top of her list as far as I am concerned. I can only hope.

I want to take niceness out of the picture and replace it with speaking my mind, saying it like it is and NOT mincing words! It is a hard ask but those are some improvements I would like to make in my life.

Daily writing prompt

What’s one small improvement you can make in your life?

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You’ve probably read many posts about him but there is never enough I can say about this person. He walked in when my world was in shambles and little did I know then that he would take my hand and show me the way out.

He was tall and handsome with reddish blond hair. His eyes were green and he had a kind way about him. When we met, I liked him well enough but I kept my distance. After a few months, he told me he was all in. I couldn’t tell him the same. I wanted to but I couldn’t. What more could I ask for? He made me feel like a million dollars and treated me like I was made of glass. I guess at that time I was. I was fragile and I was vulnerable. The divorce had almost destroyed me and I wasn’t ready to let anyone get close to me ever again. We carried on as very close friends. He was of Irish-American descent so his name for me was, “Lovely.” I don’t know if that is an Irish thing but it sounded like it was. More importantly, he didn’t know it at the time but that name gave me my self-esteem back. I was feeling bruised, hurt and far from LOVELY! The name stuck and even to the very end, that name stayed. The last words he said to me were, “I like you with your hair down. You look lovely.” That was two days before he passed away.

What can I say about my angel. He was there in my deepest darkest moments and he held my hand and showed me how to laugh and to live again. Our time together was devoid of drama. It was peaceful and it was filled with a special kind of friendship. This was needed to get me back to normal again. When his job was done, he left me behind. As I have said before, angels never stay for long. Soon another anniversary will roll around and I will think of all the moments we had shared but mostly I will think of this person who was there when I needed him the most and who showed me what real love was all about even if I couldn’t show him the same.

Here’s to you my angel. Some days I wish you were still here to show me the way but the journey forward is mine alone. I know we’ll meet again of this I am sure but until then, thank you for what you gave me, the precious gift of finding myself again. I will be forever thankful to you but you already know that.

Chachi, the cat, wears that name with pride now. It is only fitting because he was your gift to me. I know you are at peace, free of pain and flying with the angels and looking down at me because you promised you would.

Until we meet again.

It used to mean financial security, a loving man by my side and not having to worry about anything.

Well, that has changed. Freedom today means PEACE. It also means being able to do whatever I want to, whenever I want to. Financial stability is still important but my whole world doesn’t revolve around it.

I find freedom during my treks outdoors. I find freedom when I am sitting outside watching the birds and the bees. I find freedom when I don’t have to answer to anyone. Freedom has been defined as, “the state of independence where one can do whatever one likes without any restriction by anyone.” Freedom is what I make it and often it is not about monetary or materialistic things. It is what brings calm to my mind and gives my soul wings to fly on.

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will.”

Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

Daily writing prompt

What does freedom mean to you?

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It is hands down the man with the orange face and the one who thinks he has commonsense!

I pretty much disagree with all of his policies. The tariffs are a bust! His immigration policies are under scrutiny. Gestapo tactics are not working and for obvious reasons. Common sense is nowhere to be seen and intellect, well that is sorely and totally lacking. What do you expect from someone who can’t even make a proper sentence let alone know what he is talking about! Picking fights like a schoolyard bully is not working and he is getting trumped from all sides and since no one wants to play with him anymore it is time to cry foul!

His administration is comprised of Fox News alums most of whom are unqualified for the high-ranking posts they are holding and it is all about brown-nosing to the highest order! The latest addition is Fox News host, Judge Jeanine Pirro who will be appointed interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. Either he has a love affair with Fox News or he thinks he can’t find anyone better out there! And that right there is the problem.

Enough said.

Daily writing prompt

What public figure do you disagree with the most?

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I am currently a children’s book author. I love giving voices to animals and especially Chachi, the cat. He will be the main guy in my next book. The little fur ball makes for a cute addition and the book is filled with some interesting animal characters. The next book will be out sometime this year, it is in the final stages of production and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it gets out there before Christmas.

Other than that, I am also working on a romance novel. It is taking forever because I get to a certain point and can’t seem to move forward. It happens now and then and sometimes I am just too lazy and that is a big problem. Productivity and creativity is suffering currently because I want to spend my days sitting out in the garden and whiling away time! It is just too nice to stay indoors at the moment.

I am already thinking about a sequel to the current children’s book but I’m stuck. Nothing new there. Some days I can’t stop writing and at other times nothing there at all which is frustrating. However, I like this new version of me. No more hectic and no more pressure. It is working out just fine.

Oh well, back to the garden to see what the bees are doing!

I can’t remember! I recall that I was in the front row and my blond beauty of a friend had a total crush on the guy but I can’t remember his name! I only know that she was screaming so loudly that I felt my ears go numb! Plus, I had a headache the day after.

My son is into rock concerts and going to live performances is all the rage. He loves the head-banging variety. I can’t understand why he would want to be there amidst the huge crowd bopping along but I guess “music” is different to every generation. The concerts he goes to are usually loud and since I am a “recluse” now, noise is not to my liking. I love the peace and quiet so I am glad that those days of tagging along to see whoever we had a crush on are over with.

I wouldn’t mind going to a stand-up comedy show. It’s something I am into now. When I need some cheering up, I turn to the funny variety to bump my mood up. It usually works.

Nothing fascinating to talk about but that’s the way it is when your world revolves around nature, meditation and the like. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Daily writing prompt

What was the last live performance you saw?

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Not much at all. This is a tiny village that time forgot. There is nothing exciting going on here and everything seems to be on an even keel. There is virtually no crime to speak of and even the volunteer firefighters have nothing at all to do! Once in a while the siren goes off just to let the villagers know that they are still there and waiting for anything unforeseen.

The streets are clean, the gardens well-kept and the people, well, they are hard-working and since it is an aging population, much time is spent outdoors in summer keeping everything spotless and like it should be. There are no soup kitchens. Most people get by well enough with what they have and on an afternoon like today where the sun is shining, there is no noise out there. Even the birds have gone silent and are enjoying their afternoon siesta. I call it paradise.

I can’t think of anything that I am involved in except once in a while I bring flowers to some of the older ladies living alone. It’s just a nice gesture and the twinkle in their eyes and their smiles is reward enough. Other than that, when help is needed I volunteer. Not much is expected of you here except to be a good neighbor, to smile and wave and to say “good day” when we pass each other on the street. Come evening and the streets are deserted and so is the main road. Everything has an eerie quietness but I LOVE it!

Daily writing prompt

What do you do to be involved in the community?

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I think I would like to be a fly on the wall in the White House! Not sure if I would get paid for doing that but who cares! It would be interesting to listen in on all the top-level and secretive meetings going on there.

It would definitely be interesting and perhaps even mind-boggling because of how this administration works. What are they going to cut next? Probably anything they consider as WOKE and pertaining to DEI programs. They are calling it by another name, projects that don’t deserve funding, but it is blatant racism and they are not fooling anyone.

The fly on the wall would listen in and then make its way to where that information could be put to good use! If only wishes could come true!

Where is that frog?!! The one that doles out wishes!

I used to be a Fashion Editor and my world revolved around designer brands or rather labels. I loved all of them some more so than others. Writing about what was in and out and being involved in what the celebrity world wore and what the designers had in store for the upcoming season kept me wrapped around a materialistic world. Those days are over. I’ve hung up my heels. I won’t name the brand but you can’t wear them here where I am now. Designer shoes and cobblestones are a no go. I have traded them in for sneakers and comfort is the name of the game now.

My closet has been revamped and those very expensive shoes have landed in someone else’s closet. The clothes are a different story altogether. I have given many of them away especially the much dressier pieces but I am still holding on to the ones I love. Coming to bags, I still have them! One in every color and designer labels all! However, I have the one I love these days and that is a hiking rucksack and it is my steady companion. The rest are gathering dust and begging to be used. Maybe I will, one day soon.

These days, I stick to the European labels. Zara is a favorite. Massimo Dutti is another. The pieces are classy and never go out of style. Joop is another designer, the pieces are well-geared towards an outdoorsy life, less flashy and more wearable. I stick to a favorite few but if you ask me, I still love the comfort of my raggedy sweatpants and tops!

There are the greats like Martin Luther King. He taught us “to love others and not hate because love always wins in the end.”

Buddha emphasized the Middle Way. The message was to avoid indulgence extreme asceticism and he advocated for moral conduct, wisdom, and skillful actions. There is a lot one can learn from the Buddha’s way of life.

Lastly but not least, Confucius. He advocated for peace and respect for others. He came up with the Golden Rule: “What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.” He believed that all people deserved respect.

I love what these “greats” had to say and how their messages of love, tolerance and the moral way still resonates with us and within me.

Daily writing prompt

List the people you admire and look to for advice…

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