A Meditative Quality . . . Prompt #695

  • A Meditative Quality . . . Prompt #695

    “To my mind, the idea that doing dishes is unpleasant can occur only when you aren’t doing them. Once you are standing in front of the sink with your sleeves rolled up and your hands in the warm water, it is really quite pleasant. I enjoy taking my time with each dish, being fully aware of the dish, the water, and each movement of my hands . . . The dishes themselves and the fact that I am here washing them are miracles!” — “Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life,” by Thich Nhat Hanh

    Prompt: Write about a mundane chore, or something you routinely do, that has a meditative quality.

    Marlene C

  • Make Light in the Dark

    Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page.

    Make Light in the Dark

    A Letter of Forgiveness to Myself

    by Caryl Sherman

    Dearest

    pale, broken, and lonely

    sit up

    stretch out your arms

    take a deep cleansing breath

     

    You don’t have to hold

    yourself apart

    from others anymore

     

    Cradle your intention

    slowly rock away the fears

    long to see the light

    listen to the raindrops

    splash away the tears

     

    Forgive yourself

    be a better purveyor

    of your own destiny

     

    Ever changing and growing with age

    intentionally litter your psyche

    with sprinkles and

    multi-colored streamers

    Dance

     

    Make light in the dark

    hold yourself

    in the palm of love

     

    Your humbled heart

    is right here…

    in the best place

    at the right time

    in our mutual care

     

    Live joy no matter what

    reminisce in laughter

    forgive again

     

    You are renewed, refreshed, and emboldened

    have trust and solace in your self pride 

    rest easily

    cast away all doubt

    throw kisses to the wind…

    Caryl Sherman: In the words of the very famous, and beloved cartoon character, Popeye the Sailor Man, “I y’am who I y’am and that’s who I y’am”.

    I am the artist, and musician, formerly known as Leigh Anne Caryl. I thought using a pen name would give me the veil of protection and credibility I needed to write authentically; but that turned out NOT to be true. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

    My authenticity is in who I REALLY am, just as honestly flawed and mismanaged as I was meant to be all along.

    So, I start anew, shape shifting my writings, in all its tempestuous glory; by my given name, in the hope that you accept me for who I really y’am!

    Marlene C

  • It’s Just The Programming

    Do you wonder why you think what you think?

    “It’s just the programming.” Ted A. Moreno offers these words for contemplation:

    We believe what we’re told. That’s what we do as little kids. From the time we’re born until 8 or 9 years old we take in everything as absolute truth. So when people come to my hypnotherapy office because they don’t feel good about themselves, or they feel less than, I tell them “Hey, It’s the programming. Just the programming. The mind viruses you caught from someone else. It’s not your fault. It’s not who you are, it’s just how you are thinking and what you believe, and the good news is that you can change your thinking and what you believe.”

    Excerpt from: “Embrace Your Place: Powerfully Claiming Your Existence, Episode 408”— November 17, 2022, by Ted Moreno

    Ted A. Moreno is a hypnotherapist, success performance coach, published author, educator and sought-after speaker who helps his clients become free from fear and anxiety, procrastination and bad habits such as smoking.

    He is a Certified Hypnotherapist, Certified NLP Practitioner, and holds the Master Certification as a Therapeutic Imagery Facilitator. In addition, Ted is an Honors Graduate of the Hypnosis Motivation Institute and a recipient of the Director’s Award from HMI, awarded for exceptional professional achievement during clinical residency.

    Ted’s book, “The Ultimate Guide to Letting Go of Negativity and Fear and Loving Life” is available on Amazon.com.

    Marlene C

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  • In Praise of Christmas Tree Farms

    Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page.

    In Praise of Christmas Tree Farms

    By Sus Pareto

    Yesterday I drove to Larsen’s Christmas Tree Farm, about two miles from my house. It was a balmy fall afternoon, and the road to the farm was lined with poplars and willows dappled in gold.

              Up ahead, I saw the red and green sign pointing to a narrow driveway which led to a dell where a yellow clapboard house and outbuildings gathered. Just a normal, traditional Petaluma farm — except when Christmas tree season opens. Like an explosion, the quiet dell surrounded by acres of orderly pine trees becomes a bustling hub of people and cars. As if by magic, gossiping groups of pre-cut trees have popped up while a tree-bagging station, ticketing station, and cookies-and-hot chocolate stand wait nearby. The barn has become a Christmas wonderland of sparkling trees and lights and ornaments. In the background, Christmas music weaves through the fragrant scent of pine trees.

              It’s the scent that gets me. So fresh and pure. Timeless. Like being in the middle of a mountain forest on a sunny day.

               I stroll along soft dirt through the aisles of trees. Voices float and mingle with the sunlight in the needles. Kids play hide-and-seek, parents discuss the merits of one tree over the next. Dads stand by with measuring poles and saws. Couples with their first babies. Grandparents and dogs. It feels all so safe and glad, and serene. The excitement of Christmas — the feelings that start to swirl and take on energy during the holiday season — is still on the horizon. This day is simply about strolling on a sunny fall afternoon through pine trees destined for felling with people you love, or like.

              I was not sorry to be alone. I enjoyed it. I paid my $95 (including shaking, bagging, trimming, and sales tax) and then watched my tree go through its handling: A quick shake on an old metal compressor to remove dry needles, then onto a rectangular table and into a funnel where it gets bagged in netting. A fresh cut to the trunk with a chain saw, and it’s ready for my car.

              I can hardly wait to get it home.

              No matter what I say about not caring about Christmas “this” year, about not wanting to make a big deal out of it, don’t believe me: I’m a liar. I can’t help myself. No matter how cranky I can be, every Christmas I temporarily forget any resentments I have, about how I don’t want to spend money, or don’t want to bother with decorations because nobody helps me put them away. When I hear the first Christmas songs, when I see the first decorations, when leaves start to fall and days get short and nights beckon for a fire, my resolve weakens.

               And when the Christmas tree lots appear, it fails. Every time.

              Trees beckon from parking lots, stores, and farms, and I’m powerless. ‘Oh screw it,’ I say to myself, ‘This year I want a really big, beautiful tree!’ And off I go to the Christmas tree farm. The floodgates open, my heart expands with warmth and joy in anticipation of another Christmas.

              Forget the thoughts of putting everything away in January, ignore thoughts of paying my credit card in February, now is the season to draw together, to love our lives, our homes, our friends, and even the worst family member. Let the house fill with the scent of pine and fake pine cones, cookies baking, hot roasted vegetables and meat. Let the pitter-patter of lights everywhere gladden our hearts. It’s Christmas.

    Sus Pareto writes and lives in western Petaluma, California with her dogs, cat and husband.

    Marlene C

  • Who Influenced You . . . Prompt #694

    If you could thank someone (living or dead) for their influence on your life, who would you thank?

    Many people would think of a family member.

    How about this:

    Write a thank you note to someone (living or dead), excluding family, for their influence on your life.

    Just Write!

    Marlene C

  • Letter Delivered Years Later. . . Prompt #693

    “It is a relatively little-known fact that over the course of a single year, about twenty million letters are delivered to the dead.”— “The Girl With No Shadow” by Joanne Harris

    Prompt: Write about a letter delivered 25 years after it was written.

    Or 33 years after it was sent.

    Or 18 years.

    You can write from the point of view of the recipient, the sender, or both.

    Or write about the unintended recipient . . . the person who now lives at the address the letter was sent to.

    Does the letter reveal disturbing or euphoric news?

    Just Write!

    Marlene C

  • View from a window . . . Prompt #691

    Write about a view from a window.

    Perhaps the view from your kitchen window.

    Or your living room window.

    Or the view from a public place.

    Just Write!

    Marlene C

  • Have fun with clichés . . . Prompt #690

    Let’s play with clichés.

    It goes like this:

    I’ll write some clichés with missing words.

    You get to fill in the missing words. It’s sort of like Mad Libs.

    For example:

    More than one way to skin a cat becomes: More than one way to [verb] a [noun].

    Ready? There are no wrong answers!

    1. It’s [verb ending in “ing”] [noun] and [noun]
    2. You can’t [verb] a [noun] by its [noun]
    3. The [noun] [verb] always [adjective or noun] on the other [noun]
    4. [Verb] your [noun] right
    5. It’s an uphill [noun]
    6. [Verb] between the [plural noun]
    7. A [noun] is only as [verb] as its weakest [noun]
    8. A [noun] and his [noun] are soon [verb, past tense]
    9. A [noun] of a different [noun]
    10.  A [noun] of a [number] [verb] begins with the first [verb]

    Whatever responses you came up are fine. Can you use any of your re-imagined cliches in your writing?

    Clichés used:

    1. It’s raining cats and dogs
    2. You can’t judge a book by its cover
    3. The grass is always greener on the other side
    4. Play your cards right
    5. It’s an uphill battle
    6. Read between the lines
    7. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link
    8. A fool and his money are soon parted
    9. a horse of a different color
    10. A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step

    Definition of cliché

    A cliché is a tired, stale phrase or idiom that, because of overuse, has lost its impact. What was once a fresh way of looking at something has become a weak prop for writing that feels unimaginative and dull. Clichés are what you write when you don’t have the energy or inspiration to think of a new way to express an idea.

    More clichés. (scroll down)

    Prompt inspired from the Sept/Oct 2022 issue of Poets & Writers magazine.

    Marlene C

  • The Stories We Tell

    “Jo [Gaines] shares how the process of writing her new book led her to see more clearly the fullness of her story: Every piece, worthy. Every chapter, a bridge. Every moment that shaped her, brought to the surface.” Winter 2022, Magnolia magazine

    “I ended up discovering a lot in my story: clarity, healing, deeper truths I didn’t know I could get to. But mostly, these pages brought me back to myself, back to those tender little moments I thought I’d lost. In writing down my story, I had the chance to relive some of the very best chapters of my life.” —Joanna Gaines, Winter 2022 issue of Magnolia magazine.

    Your turn: Books like Joanna’s as well as The Write Spot books might help you write your stories, and like Jo, you might find clarity and healing, remembering what you have forgotten.

    “The Stories We Tell: Every Piece of Your Story Matters” by Joanna Gaines and all The Write Spot books are available from your local bookseller and from Amazon.

    Marlene C

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  • 50-Word Stories

    “A 50-word story is a piece of fiction written in exactly 50 words. That doesn’t mean ‘roughly’ 50 words; it doesn’t mean ‘as close to 50 words as possible’; it doesn’t mean 50 words or fewer. It means exactly 50 words.

    As with any other form of fiction, a 50-word story should have a beginning and an end, a plot and character development (even if they are only implied), and a theme, meaning, or purpose of some sort. Many 50-word stories are built around twists or climactic moments.

    50WS posts two reader-submitted stories every weekday. To submit your stories for possible publication, see the Submissions page.”

    Marlene C