In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Be the Change.”
What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world? ~ Daily Post 1/2/15
It is highly unlikely that my blog would make any major changes in this world. But if I can make a difference for the better in even just one person’s life, it will have been worth it.
This world has too much hate, bitterness, and ugliness. What is needed is people who love, care, and understand each other and the more this happens, then this world becomes a better place.
My blog may not make bells ring or fireworks explode, but when I feel I have made the difference, for the better, in someone else’s life, then those bells ring and fireworks explode for me. (And hopefully, also for the other person).
Who knows? Maybe we can end wars, stop hate, bigotry, and bitterness in the world – just one blog at a time. My blog and your blog.
All of us together as one, can make all the difference that this world needs – to change.
Post Idea
In Due Time at Christmas
Why, Daily Post, is my Daily Prompt for today not showing up
on the grid?
Deadlines. I both hated them and loved them during my working life. I hated them because, well, they were deadlines. (We called them, “drop dead”). I also loved them because they were a challenge to conquer. Challenges helped me to learn and become better and it felt good to have them conquered.
Holidays always approached, bringing along a great deal of stress. There were lists to be made, gifts to purchase and wrap. Next, I would have to stand in line at the Post Office to mail them. There were decorations to put up and a Christmas tree to decorate. There were meals to plan, food and ingredients to purchase, then all the food to prepare. There were endless tasks to complete to make sure the occasion was perfect for family and friends. There never seemed to be enough time to complete them all. The stress would gradually increase and exhaustion would slowly consume me.
The celebrations would be wonderful and 'almost' perfect. Next, the disappointment of it all being over would envelope me. There always seemed to be a sadness when the celebrations were over.
Now that I am retired and my children have homes and children of their own, I understand this sadness much better. There comes a time when that houseful of family with hectic schedules and endless things to do, will be gone. The duties will have been handed over to the children to do for their children. Even though there is a sigh of relief, there is even a louder sigh of quiet despair. The despair that says, “It will never be the same again.”
The other day I went to the store to make a purchase. As I was standing in line to pay out, I noticed the cashier was heavy hearted. We began talking about the upcoming holidays and she told me she was going to be alone.
“It's okay to be alone for Christmas. We can still have a nice Christmas,” I told her with a smile on my face. (We both knew that wasn't completely true). After I had given her the cash, I asked her, “I would really like to give you a hug, would it be okay if I give you a hug?”
She looked at me with tears in her eyes and answered, “Yes,” and held out her arms.
I left the store a little happier than when I went in, and something tells me that she was happier too.
Remember those people who are alone this Christmas. Give them a big bear hug and enjoy the happiness that single act will bring.
And… may yours be Merry and Bright.
Daily prompt: http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/in-due-time/
Ten Minutes of Me
Daily Post Prompt for November 12, 2014: Free-Flow Writing
We are to write for ten minutes about anything that comes to our mind.
What comes to my mind this morning is about writing. I know that I am not a very good writer and submitting my stories is a leap of faith. Actually, probably more than that. I know that there are problems throughout my writing; poor grammar, poor sentence structure, keeping the readers attention, choosing correct wording, improper use of adverbs and adjectives, and on and on.
Inspite of all my misgivings, I have decided that although I do care about all of these writing problems, the best thing I can do for my writing is to submit it – no matter how bad I think it is. No matter how much others may scoff at it, laugh at my poor writing, no matter how embarrassing it is for me. Why? Because I also know that the only way to become a better writer, is to write.
Someday I will be able to submit stories and other pieces of writing that I will not feel inadequate about submitting. Someday, all my incorrect grammar and poor writing will be a thing of the past. Not only will I be a much better writer, I will also have thicker skin.
Those who read my writing and like it makes me feel very good but still leaves me wondering, how could I have written it better? Will people feel comfortable enough with me to give me constructive feedback? I hope so because only by their constructive feedback will I become a much better writer.
I only have two minutes left of this free flow writing and I am asking everyone that reads this to please give me some constructive feedback.
I read everything that comes across WordPress that will help me improve my writing; information that will help me publish work that people will feel is “well done.”
Thank you for reading! (The beeper is beeping!)
Extraordinary Language Translator
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a special power to be able to speak and understand any language in this world? If you could choose any language, other than your own, which would you choose? Well, I am a bit greedy in this matter because I want the ability to speak and understand ALL of them.
While I was contemplating this, I realized this may not be too far off the possibility scale. In time, I think there will be a “gadget” and software that will allow us to do just that. After all, who would have thought, in the 1700's there was going to be automobiles and airplanes? Or, in the 1800's there would such a thing as television and computers, or that we would put a man on the moon? Or in the early 1900's that we could actually be far away from a person and see them and talk to them at the same time? Obviously, someone imagined these ideas sometime in the past. As long as mankind is still on this earth, there will be many more wonderful and amazing inventions.
For this reason, I truly believe that someday we will all be able to understand one another no matter what country we live in or which language we speak. I can see it being part of our computers, iPads, Phones, and tablets. I can also see a headphone you can put on which hears the foreign language and translates it into your native tongue. When you communicate with the other person, you talk in your native tongue and their headsets will do the same for them. Who knows? Maybe it already has been invented but is being fine-tuned before release.
As with every new invention, it's first introduction is of a product that is large and bulky, but in time, it is fine-tuned into something that is streamlined and practically weightless. So will it be with this Extraordinary Language Translator.
Someday, when we are all outfitted with this gadget, you will remember this post and think, “Dang, she was right!” And I will be thinking, “Why in the hell didn't I patent that idea?”
My Special Ingredient
I have a secret. There is an ingredient in my kitchen that I absolutely cannot cook without. When I do try cooking without it, my meals are just “so-so”. When I use this ingredient, my cooking is fabulous!
I found the seeds of this ingredient when I was a very young child. Once I planted these seeds, the ingredient started growing ferociously. When it blooms, it is instantly ready to use in my meals.
This ingredient really isn't a secret. In fact, every kitchen has it. Sadly, many cooks choose not to use it.
Personally, I cannot cook without it. Well that isn't really true. I can cook without it but I choose not to. I want my meals to be more than so-so. I want my meals to be fabulous.
Every recipe has “ingredients” specified. My special ingredient is found in-between the lines of those recipe ingredients.
When the recipe says, add 1/4 cup of such and such, my mind sees it as saying, “add 1/4 cup of such and such PLUS a little of this and a little of that.”
When the recipe says, “add 2 teaspoons of this,” my mind sees it as saying, “add 2 teaspoons of this PLUS a pinch of this and 2 pinches of that.”
This ingredient isn't found growing in vegetable gardens. Instead, it is found in the fertile garden of our minds. The seeds are planted while we are very young children. With proper care, the ingredient continues growing, making our personal worlds all the more wonderful. We see more colors, smell more smells, feel more wonderous things and taste many more delicious foods. We become so much more than we could become without it.
Try using this ingredient next time you cook. It is called imagination. Search in-between the lines of your recipes and these special ingredients will jump right out at you. It makes cooking so much more fun, and eating the food much more enjoyable.
Now that my secret is out, everyone is going to be cooking extra delicious meals.
That's okay though. It's been lonely up here at the top.
Daily Post: Ingredients: What is the one item in my home that I cannot cook without?
Me Versus Household Tasks
Today's Daily Prompt today: What household tasks do I dislike doing the most? Why? Is it the task or something more?
Housework makes me think of the age old saying, “Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”
The first thing I hate doing the most is cleaning the bathrooms. I hate hate hate cleaning the bathrooms. They get done of course. Once I start the task of cleaning them it isn't so bad after all, but I still have a looming dread prior to the task.
The other household tasks, I really don't mind doing and most of the time, I am motivated in doing them. I want my home to be clean and fresh and even more so now that it is on the market.
However, this week for some reason, I have had some lack in motivation. On Monday of this week, I put my furniture polish and rag on top of my old television with the purpose of dusting. Today is Thursday and the polish and rag is still there (and I haven't dusted). This week I am procrastinating.
I think it is okay to procrastinate once in a while and give yourself a break. For me, it is like a pat on the back for ever doing housework at all.
It helps me to remind myself, “IT IS OKAY TO GO ONE WEEK WITHOUT DUSTING. IT IS OKAY NOT TO BE PERFECT. IT IS OKAY TO NOT WORRY WHAT OTHER PEOPLE WILL THINK.”
I get wrapped up in, “What if someone comes over and sees dust on my furniture? Or, what if potential buyers come in and see dust on my furniture?”
GUESS WHAT!? THE WORLD WILL NOT END! With that in mind, I think I will simply do blogging today.
Besides, why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?
Hee Haw Hee Haw
The Daily Post challenge: Embarrassment.
When I was working for a large company in our area, I was in charge of our yearly “Awards Banquet” for quite a few years. As part of the Awards Banquets there was always an “employee entertainment” where employees put on “skits” (short plays) for the attendees.
In order to put together the Awards Banquet I had to chair an “Awards Banquet Committee.”
One year, several of the people on the Committee came up with the idea to base our skits on “Hee Haw.” Hee Haw was a popular weekly television show in the 1960's-70's. We all agreed this would be our theme for that year. Together, we began writing out our various skits. We had a lot of fun writing the scripts and came up with great ideas.
Everyone on the committe had some type of role in the skits, as well as any other employees that we could “rope” into it.
We all practiced faithfully and came up with some great skits, costumes and props.
Finally, the Awards Banquet night came. We were all excited and of course, very nervous. I was particularly nervous because of having to get up in front of so many people and “act.” I'm not the type of person that enjoys making a fool out of myself, particularly in front of all the supervisors and managers of this company, including the President and Vice Presidents who came down from Headquarters to attend.
One of the last times I had gotten up on stage in front a room full of people was when I was six years old. Our classroom had to get up on stage and sing Christmas songs for our annual Christmas pageant. I was so scared that I started nervously giggling (instead of singing) and snot came running out of my nose. (I had a cold). That upset me and embarrassed me so much that I then peed my pants. Obviously, after that, I was not enthusiastic about getting on stage in front of a lot of people.
Everyone at the Banquet was dressed very nicely. The women wore long beautiful gowns and the men wore fancy suits. Those of us on the committee wore men's flannel shirts under old worn out denim overall bibs carrying pitchforks and brooms. Our faces were adorned with freckles and we women wore our hair in “pigtails.” We looked just like we were suppose to look; hillbillies from the backwoods of the Ozarks.
We all got up on the stage to do our respective skits. One of my skits included my partner and I moving up and down by bending our knees (like they did in Hee Haw) and singing. Of course, par to course for me, I got confused by the up and down movement and singing our song at the same time, that I forgot part of our song. I WAS SO EMBARRASSED. I wanted to run to the restroom and hide for the rest of the evening.
Because I was the head of the Banquet, I had to go through the evening as if nothing happened.
(At least I didn't pee my pants).
The New Miss Marilyn Monroe
Since we are dreaming today for Daily Post: The Show Must Go On I have chosen to act and to be the new Miss Marilyn Monroe.
My idiot producer just came into my dressing room and screamed at me, “Be out there in five minutes and DO SEXY!”
Flippantly, I answered, “Sorry bud, I don't do sexy!”
His anger was burning red hot in his face.
“Like I said, be on the stage in five minutes and BE SEXY!” He growled.
Continuing to put on my make-up and without turning to look at him I retorted, “NO! I am NOT going to BE sexy!”
“What the hell Marilyn?! That is what you were hired for, to DO and BE sexy!”
This is when I turned to stare him right in the face, “To HELL with you Bob. You hired me to be ME. GOT THAT?! ME ME ME!”
I turned back to the mirror to finish my makeup while Bob sat down on the couch,
“Marilyn, that is what your legacy is, it is SEXY! The show will be ruined if you don't do SEXY!”
Once again, I stopped putting on my makeup, “Bob, you know how my life ended. I took a fistful of pills and KILLED MYSELF! Are you wanting me to do that again?”
He put his face into his hands, “No, of course not. I just WANT YOU TO BE SEXY!”
“Nope.” I answered, “I will not be what you want me to be.”
“Why?” He asked with obvious frustration, “You don't drink anymore. You don't take your pills anymore. NOW you don't do sexy? Why for Heaven's sake?”
“Because I want to live. I get ONE CHANCE for a do over, and this is my chance to change what happened to me. I am changing! I have changed!”
Sounding defeated, Bob replied, “Well Marilyn. The show must go on.”
Bob left the dressing room with his head down and slowly walked out on the stage and announced to the audience, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to the New Miss Marilyn Monroe.”
I walked out onto stage and the entire theatre stood up clapping and whistling. I had a nice peach colored gown on. It was slightly fitting to my body, but wasn't considered “sexy.” I still had the audience. They still loved me. I was so happy. What was even better, Bob was too.
The play, “The New Miss Marilyn Monroe,” was a hit. The audience loved me! They loved a girl from a hick town that doesn't get up in front of them and shake her “girls.” I was finally being treated with respect. R-E-S-P-E-C-T, something I didn't have in my previous life and it felt good. It felt DAMN GOOD!
But that was forty-five years ago. As I look at my reflection in my mirror, I see a beautiful woman that doesn't look a day over thirty. My acting days are over. All I want to do now is to spend time with my husband and family. Today, my grandchildren are here and my husband and I are taking them to the zoo.
As I hurry down the stairs, I see my precious grandchildren and my loving husband. I am so thankful, so very thankful to have been given another chance. My maid, Maria, has prepared a nice breakfast and it smells delicious. I hear the children as they coming running toward me with my husband in tow,
“Grandmother! Grandmother!”
“Hello my precious little cherubs!
Suddenly, Richard (my husband) yelled out, “CUT! THAT'S A WRAP!”
It had been a long day of shooting and I was very glad the day was over. My husband, the producer, walked over to me and planted a kiss on my cheek. Through the corner of my eye I saw a movement coming toward me. I turned to see and it was Marilyn Monroe. She walked up to me and grabbed my hands, “You were wonderful playing me!”
I was shocked! I didn't know she was even here. As I gasped, I managed to ask, “Marilyn, I didn't know you were here.” I felt so small compared to this big name celebrity.
“My husband and family were up in the loft watching the take.”
About that time a handsome man, about her age, and two small children walked up to join her.
I shook her husband's hand and introduced myself.
“Sure, I know who you are. Marilyn has been talking about how wonderful your acting is.”
My husband gave me a squeeze.
Marilyn introduced us to her two young grandchildren, Isabella and Christian. She and her husband both said their goodbyes to us and then took the hands of Isabella and Christian saying to them, “Let's have breakfast and take off for the zoo.”
Still in shock, I looked at my husband, “She doesn't look a day over thirty!”
(Photographs from Pinterest).
Learning a Lesson at Walmart
After being snow bound for three days in my home from the heavy snow and ice that hit our area, I needed to get out of the house. I really needed to get out of the house. I thought if I didn't, I was going to start climbing the walls. Since I needed to replenish a few groceries, I decided to take a walk to the nearby Walmart.
The weather had turned beautiful. The sun was shining and the snow that was left was glistening from the sun dancing on top of the white fluffy flakes. I enjoyed the beauty for the short time it will stay. “Snow is beautiful”, I thought, “but it sure makes a mess when it melts.” Just as I thought that, a newer green car passed me splasing some of the mess from the puddles onto my clothes. “Serves me right,” I thought, “I should have just said “snow is beautiful and leave it at that.”
The walk was short because Walmart is only three blocks from me. I took my list out of my pocket and scanned over it again. “Milk, bananas and avocados.”
The parking lot was full of cars. “Oh no, this is going to be awful. There is so many people in Walmart right now,” I said aloud to myself.
As soon as I entered the door carts full of groceries with half crazy people came rushing at me. “They're using the ENTER door as an EXIT door,” I thought. I was slightly annoyed about it because they almost hit me. As I moved farther into Walmart I realized that it was packed with people and I was horrified because I don't have much patience.
I moved over to the produce and just as I was putting a bunch of bananas into my basket, I saw an elderly woman barely able to walk, pushing a grocery cart. Along side of her was an elderly man that appeared to be in slightly better shape. I heard him say,
“Darlin, should we get some bananas?” He said sweetly to the elderly woman.
“Yes honey, pick us up a nice big bunch of bananas and make sure they aren't too ripe.”
I moved over to the section where the avocados were and put five into a plastic sack and tied the top of it.
The elderly man and woman moved slowly down the produce isle. “Honey, we need some potatoes.” The elderly man picked up a small bag of potatoes and set them in their basket.
Then it struck me, the love and respect they showed one another and how well they worked together. As she was shuffling down the isle, he had his left hand on her shoulder, as if comforting and guiding her through their grocery shopping. Then I heard her say,
“Get us a bag of carrots and a bag of celery.”
Then I watched as he quickly moved over to the celery and carrots and picked up a bag of each and went back to the elderly woman and placed them in their basket.
I moved away from them quickly to get to the section where the milk was. I grabbed a gallon of 1% milk and placed it in my basket. As soon as I set it down, it occurred to me I needed some canned tomatoes to make chili. I briskly walked to canned goods isle and ran into the elderly man and woman. (Actually, I didn't run into them, they were on that isle).
“Honey, get us two cans each, corn, green beans, and spinich.” The look in her eyes told me she was exhausted and in pain. The elderly man picked up the items two by two and placed them in their basket.
He turned to me and asked, “Would you mind going and getting us a loaf of whole wheat bread?” I said, “Certainly.” He further told me, “My wife has cancer and she wanted to get out of the house so badly and asked if she could come to the store with me, but I'm afraid she has already done more than she should.”
I quickly went to the bread isle and picked up a loaf of whole wheat bread. I placed it in their basket. They both thanked me and left toward the cashiers.
The lines were long at all the cashiers. I noticed the elderly couple in line with several customers in front of them. Directly in front of them was a child sitting in the child's seat of the basket. I overheard the child say,
“You are old.”
The elderly woman and man just smiled. Then the elderly woman said, “Sweetie, it took me a long time to get this way and I am proud of it.”
The child's mother turned around with a look of exasperation on her face, “I am so very sorry. Please forgive my child.”
The old man wrapped his arms around his wife and smiled, “It's quite okay. Don't worry about it.” Both of them looked at one another with such love and tendernesss, I felt tears coming to my eyes.
I walked home from Walmart that day realizing that this was one time that I didn't get upset about Walmart being so crowded. Then I realized, today, I was thinking about someone other than myself.
Life’s A Choice – Spiritbath
Today's zerotohero challenge asks us to link to a post that we made a comment on and further expand on our comment.
Yesterday, for our zero to hero challenge http://zerotoherochallenge.wordpress.com we were asked to find three blogs to follow and leave comments on these blogs.
I am linking to to the blog post of Spiritbath. The video shown on this blog post was awesome and I wanted all those who are following/reading my blog to see/listen to it. However, there was not a button to “Press This”. My comment asked them to add this widget to their blog.
Please take a minute and listen to this video. It really is awesome.
Spiritbath: Lifes a Choice Between Love or Fear/Come on People We Got This
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
http://spiritbath.com/2014/01/13/lifes-a-choice-between-love-or-fear-come-on-people-we-got-this/
BEAUTIFUL WORDS 