September 11: Writing Prompt #254-Thank You

The internet is full of rants. Help tip the balance: today, simply be thankful for something (or someone).

Today, I am thankful for warm sunshine on the tops of my bare feet while I nap in the camp chairs on my back porch.

What about you?

September 10: Writing Prompt #253-Six of One, Half-a-Dozen of the Other

Write a six-word story about what you think the future holds for you, and then expand on it in a post.

The journey continues with adventures galore!! What do I think the future holds for me?  I believe it holds LIFE. Hopefully many more years of it where I can continue to watch my sons grow and become young men, enjoy my parents’ later years, spend more quality time with my brothers, my in-laws, extended family, close friends, and most especially, my husband. Years of life to grow in my career and find my perfect niche where I can be the most service to everyone and find purpose and fulfillment.  Years of life to enjoy nature, 3-day weekends, and holidays spent in the comfort of home. Years spent in the business of simply living and enjoying life…

Regardless of what the future holds, I will seek peace and contentment in whatever it brings, and whether the experiences it brings are challenging, exciting, scary, sad, or insanely joyous, it will be a journey filled with adventure, just as it has been so far.  That’s all I know and all I care to know. J 

September 9: Writing Prompt #252-What a Twist

Tell us a story — fiction or non-fiction — with a twist we can’t see coming.

Okay, so you are going to have to give me a free pass on this one.  Why? Because with my schedule change at work, I am now getting up at 3:30 in the morning and as you can see, not making it to bed until around 10 pm in the evening, only to do it all over again. My body is achy and tired, and my mind is melted cheese right now. I can’t think of just a plain story, boring and short, much less a story with a twist you can’t see coming.  I can’t even see what’s coming in the next few minutes, except for bedtime.  Thanks for your patience with me as I continue my journey to write something every day for a year.  I never said it would be interesting and insightful every day, but I am ending my day with writing, just as I have for the last 251 days so far! Thanks for reading and for your support. Tomorrow is a new day with a new topic to explore! I promise it will at least be better than this one. J

September 8: Writing Prompt #251-The Excitement Never Ends

Tell us about the last thing you got excited about — butterflies-in-the-stomach, giggling, can’t-wait excited.

I thought this was going to be tough because I couldn’t come up with anything, and then I broke down and asked my husband, and it just so happened that the thing he got butterflies in the stomach, giggling, can’t wait excited about was the same thing for me…waiting to get our dog. 

One Saturday, almost a year ago now, we went as a family to the local animal shelter to see if they had a small dog that our son might like.  Well, when we arrived, there were no small dogs, only a few medium to large ones.  We visited with one outside for awhile and decided he was not for us, but on the way back out, we saw Gunner, sitting quietly and handsomely in his kennel. My husband talked about how beautiful he was, but also how much work he would be.  We decided to visit with him in the outside area for a bit just to see….then we left the shelter and discussed the possibility of adopting him while standing out front.  There was just something about him we couldn’t resist despite the fact that he would prove to be much more challenging then we ever could have imagined that day, and the fact that he wasn’t the small dog we had entered the shelter looking for.  The trouble is because he was a large dog, and the animal control officers had to come to our house to do a fence check before they would adopt him out to us, we had no choice but to leave him there over the weekend and through the first part of the week, 3 whole days!! We left feeling terrible that we couldn’t release him from his “jail cell” that day.  I can’t believe how long those 3 days felt, worrying about our newest addition to the family and making sure we were prepared with food, a dog bed, toys, etc…for him when he arrived to his new home.  Neither my husband nor I had owned a dog of our own ever. We had grown up with family dogs and always wanted one of our own, but the time was never right, until Gunner.  We had waited so long that our excitement was extremely high, and the end result is a very, very well loved dog. Some might even call him spoiled!! J

September 7: Writing Prompt #250-Luxurious

What’s the one luxury you can’t live without?

This may not sound like a typical “luxury” to most, but for me, it’s my house.  After getting divorced and having to move into a BQ (Bachelor’s Quarters) where no one under 21 was allowed (which meant I was NOT allowed to live with my children for 3 years), having a house with room for all of us plus some is very special to me.  Usually, shelter such as a house would be considered a basic necessity, not a luxury, but the home we have is a luxury after living for 3 years in a one room BQ and then another 4 years in a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 940 square foot house owned by the government. The house that we now own can support not only my two boys in their own individual bedrooms, but also an additional family of four (when we have visitors) and our 65 pound spoiled dog who likes to sleep on the most comfortable bed or couch in his home.  So, for now, I am going to enjoy the “more than enough” room we have in our very own “luxury” home as it is not something I would want to live without again anytime soon.  J