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About This Author
My name is Joy, and I love to write.
Why poetry, here? Because poetry uplifts its writer, and if she is lucky enough, her readers, too. Around us, so many objects abound to write about. Once a poet starts with a smallest, most trivial object, he shall discover that his pen will spill out what is most delicate or most majestic hidden inside him. Since the classics sometimes dealt with lofty subjects with a lofty language, a person with poetry in his soul may incline to emulate that. That is understandable. Poetry does that to a person: it enlarges the soul and gives it wings. Yet, to really soar, a poet needs to take off from the ground.
 
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Everyday Canvas #926248 added January 3, 2018 at 1:27pm
Restrictions: None
Answers to Four Prompts
Kitchen Utensil
Prompt: What is the one kitchen utensil you could not cook without?
I have a big Ginsu knife, which I use the most. Then, I have tongs for picking hot things out of the pots and pans. Those two I love, although I could do without them if push came to shove.
2017-2018
Prompt: I’ll never forget 2017 because….
And I’m looking forward to 2018 because…
2017 with all its ups and down showed me the true character or rather the favoritism and predisposition of human beings, how they can blindly defend an indefensible person of their own persuasion, gender, or whatever. I hadn’t quite realized, earlier, as species, we could be as stupid. Then, I learned a few things about myself. Things I thought I couldn’t do, I found out I could and with extras if I pushed very hard.
2018 is just a baby. I can’t detect which direction it is going to bend and pull us along with it; however, I am looking forward to it, to whatever it will bring and which lessons I’ll learn from it. Frankly, I have no alternative either. There is no going back.
Productivity—January 2, 2018
Prompt: “True productivity is not about volume of work. It is about doing what matters on demand, without the pressure of external deadlines or forces.”
Nicholas Erik, from The Writer’s Productivity Crash Course
What does productivity mean to you--in writing, in personal life, or in general?
I somewhat agree with the quote, but only with reservations because sometimes, the volume helps the outcome; for example, writing everyday helps the ease of writing. Doing effectively only what matters is of course important and it is a short cut, but there is that learning phase of effective action in anything we do.
Also, one’s direction matters, too. What one likes doing, where he or she wants to end up eventually, what the road to the end will be like or if that person can bear the hardships of that road are all important things to consider. This has to do with focus, too, as one’s focus needs to be trained, so the action one takes is effective as the result.
Part of productivity has to do with good planning in advance for any possibility; that is, without going overboard.
Some people work well by setting goals. I don’t. If I set a goal or a new year’s resolution, I’d end up beating myself on the head while working and that is not healthy. I don’t mind small goals or easier deadlines but a long-term, difficult goal would do me in; for example, I’m going to become a state senator (!) and change the world, lol! On the other hand, I give myself goals I can do. For example, I am a big reader. I probably read 50-100 books a year, if not more. I don't usually set goals of reading this many books in this short a time. Goodreads, on the other hand, wants us to do just that. I was evading them. This year, they kept writing to me and wanted me, for their weird reasons, to pick a number. So, I said 30 books, which I knew I would read very easily. The extras will be a bonus. Then yesterday, they e-mailed again, saying "You read two books already," which is correct because I read in bed regularly at least for half an hour each night. Daytime reading is extra, also. On top of asking to commit to reading a certain amount of books, if they told their readers how many books they read during the course of the year past might help, too.
As much as I don’t like long-term goal-setting, I do like building good habits and encouraging positive mindsets in me. Those things matter the most, in the long run.
Productivity has also something to do with energy management. I neither need nor want to deplete what little energy my mind and body has. So I try to do different things throughout the course of a day, hoping that varied undertakings would be less taxing on my constitution.
Energy Level --Dec 31
Prompt: Does your energy level or your relationship to your body change during certain seasons? Does your body feel, act, or respond differently in the winter? Summer?
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If my body responds to seasons, I haven’t noticed it. I lived in NY and other places and also in FL. I didn’t notice any change in my mindset.
Now, what the seasons brought according to location is another matter. In NY, I had terrible allergies in fall and spring. Then, cold weather triggers the asthma, too, but my energy level or mood has been more or less the same.
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