July 31: Writing Prompt #212- Pat on the back

Tell someone you’re proud of just how proud you are.

I’m proud of my boys, both of them.  When they were 3 and 5, their whole world was turned upside down.  And when they were 6 and 8, life changed again. And at 8 and 10, and again at 9 and 11, there were more major changes in their lives that they had to roll with as if it was normal for every child their age to experience. It’s like they were born military brats, except they weren’t, and the changes they had to adjust to were more than just a change in school, place of residence, and friends.  They were changes in the core of their lives, their families. 

First there was their parent’s divorce, then mom’s move from a BQ back into a house (when they had to start going back and forth on a weekly and sometimes daily basis from one house to the other), then mom’s remarriage, and finally their dad’s move back to the states (and less than a year after, mom and step-dad’s move), which ended up separating brothers for what will possibly be the rest of their childhood.  That’s a lot to process and deal with in just a few short years of a child’s life.  But guess what, they have adjusted and adapted like nobody’s business.  They have rolled with the punches served and come out better on the other side, and I’m so proud of how well they handled each and every bump in the road. 

For example, when my babies went to counseling with their parents, and it was decided that the oldest be given a choice to move back to the states with his dad or stay in the islands with his mom, do you know what these sweet, young boys did? They talked it out together and decided that they didn’t want either parent to suffer the loss of both children, so one would stay with mom and one would go with dad, so neither would be lonely. What 9 and 11 year old boys consider their parents in this way?  I am amazed by them.  Today, at 11 and 13, they are thoughtful, mannerly, smart, sweet, and overall good young men, making choices that benefit not only them, but also their friends and family.  No, they are not perfect, as none of us are, and they sometimes have attitude and struggle with life, but considering all they have dealt with up to now, they have turned out pretty darn good, despite their parents missteps and mistakes.  Love you boys!! You are my sunshine and my moon, my day and night.  I rise and go to bed thinking about you and praying for God’s blessings in your lives. 

July 30: Writing Prompt #211-Drawing a Blank

When was the last time your walked away from a discussion, only to think of The Perfect Comeback hours later? Recreate the scene for us, and use your winning line.

Well, I’m “drawing a blank” right now. J It’s not that I’ve never walked away from a discussion and then thought of a perfect comeback, but none of these discussions or comebacks really mattered enough within the big picture for me to remember still today. More often than not, I walk away from a discussion that may have been heated or uncomfortable, and because I was worked up with a pounding heart and queasy stomach, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind, which is not always what I should or would have said (or how I would have handled the situation) if I had not been upset to begin with.  In fact, just today, I spoke before thinking about the circumstances, and I upset someone.  I was just trying to be honest and open with them, and I was frustrated with a difficult situation we were facing, but I did not handle it with as much grace as I could have.  Unfortunately, this is just a part of life. We are all going to sometimes react before thinking and respond to our stress in not so healthy ways.  The important thing is to make amends and to move forward with, hopefully, a greater understanding of each other and how we can be supportive and open without being reactive OR when we are reactive, that we immediately recognize that and apologize for it.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I’m NOT PERFECT and never will be. I make mistakes ALL the time, but my intentions are good, and it bothers me when I mess up.  I don’t like for anyone to be upset with me, and even though it may take a little time for me to get up the courage to approach someone I hurt after the fact, I don’t feel right inside until I have made it right with those I’ve upset.  So, if I did ever use the “perfect comeback,” I’d probably end up apologizing for it later because comebacks are usually more of a “quick reply to a critical remark.”  I don’t want revenge or to get back at anyone…even those who have wronged me. I just want to be at peace with others and help them find joy in each and every day, no matter what is going on.  Life is so much better when we can work through our days with a glass half-full instead of half-empty. No one said it was easy, but I do believe it’s possible to have more half-full days than half-empty, and that’s what I strive to do…keep my glass half or maybe even three quarters full, despite what is going on in my day, and if I can help fill someone else’s glass too, that causes my glass to overflow! J 

July 29: Writing Prompt #210-State of Your Year

Write up a mid-year “State of My Year” post.

Compared to 2014, this year (2015) has been quieter so far.  Settling more fully into work, making improvements on our home, finding our niche with the dog (who we’ve had less than a year), and generally spending time enjoying life with family and friends in the NW is what the first 7 months of the year have been all about.  For the last 5 months of 2015, the plan is for more of the same! It’s nothing fancy; there’s nothing spectacular to report, but that’s the best part. It’s a year well-lived. Hiking in the woods, enjoying time with family, sightseeing in the NW with friends, eating fresh, juicy WA apples and local gourmet food, checking out all the off leash dog parks in the area, tubing down the river, and viewing the wildlife close up from a tram are a few of the pleasures of this year so far….it’s the simple, daily joys of life. That’s what counts. Would you agree? 

July 28: Writing Prompt #209-Life After Blogs

Your life without a computer: what does it look like?

Life without a computer doesn’t look all that different than my life today. Instead of sitting in my recliner with this laptop, you would find a journal and pen in my hand.  And unfortunately, or maybe FORTUNATELY, you all would not be reading it, as it would not be posted for all to see.  It would remain unseen by anyone except me.  There’d be no “googling” answers to questions and searching for nearby hikes to take the dog on. Instead, we’d be scouring our “Day Hike” book on the Olympic Peninsula (Thankfully, we actually have this book), and I’d be reading my NW travel book from a hardback cover, not a Kindle.  We’d have to go back to using the dictionary, encyclopedias, and/or the library and tourist information offices for these sorts of travel/entertainment needs and general questions that come up in our daily lives.   Camera cards would be taken to Wal-Mart for processing pictures to put in scrapbooks as we used to do, and cell phones…considering they are now “smart”….well, if we didn’t have computers, we probably wouldn’t have cell phones either.  No more cell phone photos, games, calling from wherever you are at that moment, etc…

At my job site, not much would change either. We’d not longer have to monitor children playing educational games on the computers in the classrooms.  Lesson plans would have to be written by hand again, and communication between management, which is typically done by e-mail, would have to be done in person or by phone.  The Polaroid would be the best choice of cameras for the classrooms’ needs, so we could print pictures immediately (with no computers at work, we wouldn’t be able to print pictures anymore).  Trainings would ALL have to be in person, no online training or coursework for completing certifications and degrees.  And all hand done signs, marketing information, etc…instead of computer generated. 

How about you? How would  life without computers affect you? 

July 27: Writing Prompt #208-From A to Z

Create a short story, piece of memoir, or epic poem that is 26 sentences long, in which the first sentence begins with “A” and each sentence thereafter begins with the next letter of the alphabet.

An young, Alabama girl once left the only home where she’d ever lived for a little known island in the middle of the sea..

By day, she biked around the island and prayed for God to guide and direct her in this new life.

Certainly, nothing bad could come from such a lovely, warm place. 

Days, weeks, and months passed and suddenly she found herself with a family, including two small, precious sons. 

Every moment became consumed with motherhood, but….

Forever with her husband suddenly didn’t feel so comfortable anymore.

Gone was the little girl who left the Southern US for the South Pacific over 10 years ago.

How did she end up in this place…how could such an idyllic island suddenly feel like such a prison?

In time, all would right itself, but when she was down, the hours felt like days, all alone in her sadness with no idea how to fix it. 

Just wait….don’t make a move to change. Things will smooth out next week, next month, next year.

Knowledge is power.  Knowing the truth gave her strength to move on. Understanding herself and her situation provided her with courage she never knew she had.

Love is far from perfect, especially human love, but it also comes to you in the most unlikely times and places.

Many, many lessons can be learned from the tragedies of lost love if you are open to accept them, AND…

New love brings hope of a brighter future. 

Only God could reveal goodness from within the bad and bless her despite all her mistakes.

Pleased to be a part of life again, pleased to have found joy again, she could not believe her luck.

Queer that life would have to bring her more than 6,000 miles around the world to find her true love; however,

Reality often slapped her in the face during those post divorce years. Life was not what she had dreamed it was going to be, but it was not bad, just different than expected.

Something bigger than the island or herself was at work here, and she started dreaming again of what life could be. 

True that it would not be the easy journey she hoped it would be, but it would be grand and full of surprises, that’s for sure. 

Unique circumstances had brought her to this place, and she would make the most of it!

Very nervous and exciting for the future, she took another leap into the arms of her beloved and across the sea to the mountains of the West Coast.

Where did the years go?  Are her boys really 11 and 13 now? 

Xeroxing her previous life was far from her mind. Now, she knew what marriage was about and what she wanted and needed, so she would work toward making it successful and finding peace in all the little things that she never considered important before until she lost them.

You are all a part of her journey. You may only know bits and pieces, only remember her from her first 10 years on the island or her last seven, but she is the same girl she has always been, simply older and hopefully a lot wiser.

Zestfully, she approaches her life now, grabbing every chance she gets to explore, love, write, and live to the fullest.  Won’t you join her?