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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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Daily Cascade
Since my old blog "Everyday Canvas "  became overfilled, here's a new one. This new blog item will continue answering prompts, the same as the old one.
Cool water cascading to low ground
To spread good will and hope all around.
April 10, 2025 at 12:25pm April 10, 2025 at 12:25pm
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Prompt:
"Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after."
Henry David Thoreau
Write about this quote in your Blog entry today.
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This prompt reminds me of my childhood when my two uncles went fishing in a boat, and often, they took me with them. I learned a lot from them about fishing, but what were they after, sitting in a boat in the middle of the sea under the sun?
So, I asked. One uncle said, "When we are out there, we don't think of the world and the whole entire crap it shoves our way. We only worry if the fish is biting or not."
His words still make me think: What are we really after? Not just with fishing, but with everything else?
We might think we want recognition, goods, wealth, appreciation, etc. Yet, beneath what we go after lie the desire and longing for freedom, love, recognition, and meaning. Often, we realize this much later in life and/or somewhere inside our maturity's curve, if we can ever realize it at all.
This quote, therefore, is a reminder to reflect on our pursuits and thoughts. Are we chasing the "fish" — a surface-level reward — or are we seeking something deeper, something harder to name but far more valuable?
And just maybe, the real catch isn't out there in the world —but it's already within us. 
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Prompt: "Holding the ocean back with a broom."
Write about this quote today as this applies to life and the problems we face.
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Can I sweep the tide back with a broom? Nope, and so many times that I've tried, the ocean didn't care about me or my broom. No matter how I swept, the water kept coming.
Yup, that's life most of the time.
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All those things I couldn't control...all those forces bigger than me. What hurt the most was probably the uncertainty, followed by change, loss, and grief. Nothing ever stopped coming at me just because I wasn't ready.
But, here's the thing--I still try and I still sweep and I hold on to my broom as if it is a life-saver. Yet, it isn't, is it!
So what's the point? What's the point when problems keep multiplying, responsibilities become endless, losses are a dime a dozen, and grief doesn't heal on my schedule?
The point, I'm finding out, is a quiet, stubborn hope. It's my way of saying, I'm still here; I'm still trying.
The point is, I don't always sweep because I hope or think I'll win. I sweep because this is an act of love for the Creator and the creation. Then, maybe, it is dignity, courage, and my way of saying, "I’m still here. I’m still trying."
The ocean will always be bigger. But so is my heart, big enough for me to show up, no matter what!
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Note:
Thank you for the prompt, Princess Megan Rose  , and for letting me rant. 
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Prompt: Swimming
What swimming-related topics would you discuss if you were a stand-up comedian?
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Oh, swimming! Instead of the topics, let me stand up instead. Then, since I'm standing up, I can't swim, can I? Anyway, here I am as your very new and very raw recruit stand-up comedian.
Aaahem!
Swimming is one of those things where, if you stop doing it, you die...especially if you're in the middle of the ocean. That's why they invented the swimming lessons and swimming pools so we can throw our two-year old babies into them, so they learn swimming. I should know. I did just that with both my sons, but with the swimming instructor sticking around.
I did it because I know that swimming is not a sport, but survival with style. If you dare, go argue this point with the Olympics people! They'll tell you a mouthful of nonsense. And they are weird. Just like swimming itself, as it’s one of those few skills you can’t really brag about, without sounding slightly like a psychopath.
Picture this:
Someone says, “Oh, I’m a runner.”
Cool, health nut, you think.
Someone says, “I’m a swimmer.”
Oh... so you trained for when the land betrays us?
And just how people describe swimmers? "They’re like a fish in water!"
Okay, but you know what happens to a fish out of water?
Dead in ten seconds.
Plus, let's take a look at swimwear versus other coverings of the body, such as clothes, veils, chador, armor, fashion...and then, we get to the pool and strip down to the smallest piece of elastic underwear held together by hope and we flaunt it to everyone around.
At the end, when all is said and done, I respect swimmers, especially those long-distance in the ocean kind, who dunk themselves out there, beating physics, racing inside the water like a submarine or a super hero.
But me? No way, at my age! I'll just stick around by the pool or if I dare, I'll be holding on to a float at the shallow end.
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Prompt: Pets
What is the most important reason for having a pet? And which kinds of people shouldn't have pets?
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I don't know what the most important pet-adoption reason is, but I adopted my pets because they were either strays or their owners didn't want them anymore. Research suggests most people get pets for companionship.
My last pet-companion was Noche, a black, very sweet, old cat, unwanted by her previous owners. She passed away a few months ago at 16. This last pet of mine proved what the research said. She was a wonderful companion. I still miss her. Will I get another cat? No. It wouldn't be fair to the animal because I'm old, and who would take care of it after me! Also, sending an animal to a shelter after it gets used to an owner and a home would disturb it, I think.
All pets fill a very human need for bonding. For children and the young people, they teach and encourage the feelings of empathy and responsibility, and for us all, they can improve our mental health and provide emotional connection.
Then, not everyone is in a good position to care for an animal — and that’s okay. Pets aren’t accessories. They’re living beings with needs. Also, it takes time and energy to care for a pet properly. Then, what about people who travel constantly or are away from home for long periods? Should they get pets? I think not, unless their place is fully staffed to take care of an animal when the owners are absent.
In addition, pet care can be expensive. Thus, people who have unstable housing or lack of finances to care for a pet shouldn't get one. Also, lack of patience and lack of empathy for animals do not belong in a pet owner, either, especially if they are not willing to commit for the long haul of the pet's entire life.
What I mean to say is, pets are not for status, aesthetics, trends or impressing one's boss or friends. Adopting or buying a pet should be because we want to give love and care, and not just, only to receive it.
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Prompt: New Ideas
In what ways can one make room for new ideas to emerge and grow for any situation in any area?
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Just as a garden needs space, light, and nourishment for plants to grow, my mind needs openness, stillness, and curiosity, which I can't get all the time, but I do get it in bits and pieces. Maybe that's why my ideas take root in bits and pieces.
Then, just maybe there is a reason for that. Sometimes, my mind is too full, with opinions, feelings, pro or con, and old and weary assumptions. Then, I try to give it a rest and disconnect.
A while afterwards, I empty it...my mind that is... from clutter as much as I can by asking myself, "what if I'm wrong?"
And I search and listen, just like I did with today's prompt in "Dew Drop Inn" , I hadn't even heard of death cafes before. My first reaction was, "Why are people so stupid to discuss grim subjects like that? Don't they have any guts to accept life as is?" But then, I thought it over and came to the conclusion that, as human beings we are entitled to use any means in order to face difficult subjects.
It was like playing in a play space, and I enjoyed writing that poem. I like play because play invites experimentation without the pressure of results. This is when ideas often arrive when I am not trying to force them and I am patient with uncertainties. This puts me in a receptive mode. Then, clarity comes with time and a bit of work.
Sometimes, what emerges isn’t a new idea but a new question, and this is fine, too. Now, that I'm almost done chewing the fat on this subject, my kitchen waits for me to cook for the day. Although cooking is not a new idea, but a distraction to ease and keep my mind on a simpler more user-friendly job.
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Prompt:
Imagine you’re a detective. What’s the most bizarre case you’ve solved?
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Dexter is Missing?
What was it about this case! Bizarre? That word isn't even enough to describe it.
I knew something was up when there was a knock on the door of my office. Since the secretary was out that day, I opened it myself.
Here was Mrs. Winslow with a short-cut, salt and pepper hair, standing in front of me. She was a thin woman of average height but with knotty fingers. Arthritis, I guessed.
How did I know she was Mrs. Winslow? Because of the appointment calendar. That's how. .
I showed her in. So far normal, right? Nope, not after she told me what she came to me for. It was her missing cat, Dexter. Nothing unusual so far. So an old lady has lost her cat. So what?
But, that wasn't all. At first, I snickered (totally, inside me) about this weird situation, until she told me more about what I, at first, didn't believe. And why should I believe her! She was old, and though her hair was lush, her mind might be thinning..
Mrs. Winslow swore her tabby, Dexter, had vanished into thin air, casually walking into her kitchen wall...and disappearing. No cracks, nothing, the cat was just gone. I raised my eyebrows and humored her. Honestly, I didn't believe her, until she opened her big bag and shoved a VHS tape in front of me, saying this was from her security camera.
'Oh, my! Who ever uses those things, anymore?' I thought. But being a pack rat myself, I pulled out of the storage my old friend, the VHS player. Yes, the security camera had captured it all!
So the next day, I went to visit Mrs. Winslow in her home. And yeah, it was the same kitchen, the same wall the cat, Dexter, walked into. Mrs. Winslow might not be lying or hallucinating.
I didn't know what to do. So, she asked me to stay the night and watch that wall. I did. Just as I was dozing off, on the armchair I was sitting on, the light shimmering from the wall alerted me to open my eyes. A very strange light...
I checked my watch. It was 3AM, and out of the wall, strolled a huge tabby cat with a tiny gold crown on his head, followed by two other cat attendants. Was I hallucinating or what!
I pushed the button on my watch for recording, so I could show it to Mrs. Winslow. When she watched my footage, her eyes opened up like sink holes and she nodded. "That's why I asked you over for the night," she murmured.
Bizarre? Yes, but it might be more than that!
It turns out, that wall might have served as a portal to some cat kingdom, and Mrs. Winslow's cat Dexter was, in fact, royalty. I told Mrs. Winslow to go along with whatever the cat wanted to do, as some mysteries don’t need much solving — just respecting.
And I'll never ever take another missing pet case again.
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Prompt:
Use these words in your entry: blank, margin, definition, startle, maneuver, roads, and click.
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No More Blank Page!
I sit at my desk relaxed, since I'm in no rush
but a *blank page waits in a *margin's hush
then suddenly I *startle, my thoughts take flight
I swiftly *maneuver on a *road of light
no clear *definition yet, but the ink flows free
I let the keyboard *click for lines to be
many twists and turns, and my words are in place
such a shock, for a poem's born with a yucky face
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Prompt: "A thing of beauty is a joy forever. It's loveliness increases and it will never pass into nothingness."
Write about this in your Blog entry today.
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I smiled when I saw this quote. "A thing of beauty is a joy forever. It's loveliness increases and it will never pass into nothingness." For it was the catch phrase or rather motto often uttered by our art teacher in school, Miss Blatter (RIP), who said it all the time. That was more than or about 65 years ago, If you ask me, though, everything passes into nothingness, eventually, but I digress.
Coming back to Miss Blatter, she was an old woman, then, and she had taught art in China for thirty years, and she was very strict. If she wanted to tell us something, she'd say, "Pencils down, hands up!" And we were all expected to raise both hands in the air as she spoke.
Nowadays such strictness by a teacher would get the local school district's attention. Not then! In those days, we were the clay the teachers were there to shape and mold us into whatever they wished, and in any old way they wished. Now, while I think of this quote, this bit of memory in itself feels like a thing of beauty.
The quote is from John Keats's poem "Endymion," and it signifies that beauty, whether natural or man-made, is a lasting joy and pleasure, with its loveliness increasing over time. Endymion, in Greek mythology, was a shepherd, whose beauty was of such joy to the moon Goddess, Selene that she requested Zeus to make him immortal.
In fact, so many beautiful things exist in nature to give us the feeling of immortality, such as the sun, the moon, the old trees, the roses and other flowers, the forest, the ocean...but are they really immortal? After all, even our planet is not immortal, and I suspect nothing is.
Still, just about everything in nature can bring smiles to our lips, be it mortal or immortal. If we can only raise our hands up and pay attention, as I and my classmates did in Miss Blatter's art class.
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Prompt:
"Like a familiar melody recalls a beloved song, the sweetest perfume of blossoms sprouting from the earth reminds our hearts that spring has arrived."
Write about this in your Blog entry today.
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I gather this quote is all about sensory experiences. Sometimes, with me, a few notes or bars of music can trigger a recall of an entire song or a memory attached to it. Just maybe, there's something deeply human about comparing nature to music, but also other senses can come into play.
Now that I have allergies, my nose isn't as effective as it used to be, but a whiff of spring flowers awakens more than a sneeze in me. It awakens something that belonged to my much younger years. So, possibly, my sense of smell might have been messed with, but my heart remembers.
What I and others usually experience through our senses is like taking snapshots or suddenly coming across old snapshots of earlier times. This makes me wonder with awe at the depth of the memories of our sensory perceptions.
Just where does a mind store all that? How does it bypass our logical brain? Why does it stir deep emotions, to boot? Does this mean one spring was the mother of all the others that came later?
It is as if my senses are writing my autobiography and digging up stuff I would never have recalled consciously. Maybe what my mind cannot remember exactly, my heart always will.
And yes, spring also has arrived to just about everywhere.
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Prompt: April Fools Day?
"Here cometh April again, and as far as I can see the world hath more fools in it than erver."
Charles Lamb
What are your thoughts on April Fools' Day? And do people need to wait for April to act foolishly?
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I'm not much into pranks, hoaxes, and deceptions, playful or otherwise. Then, this quote suggests, even if humorously, that each passing April brings on more fools. Being a fool myself, however born in March, I am not too keen on other fools.
Each April 1, I'm on edge and don't know who'll throw what on my lawn or on the top of the roof. I have read somewhere that when the beginning of the new year was changed from April 1 to January1, some people kept on celebrating the new year on April 1. Thus, they were called the April Fools. Or otherwise, this may also have something to do with the Romans of the old days, but I was never too keen on Romans either, except for Seneca.
I am now fearing all the fake stories online and elsewhere and companies announcing absurd product launches, as if their products weren't absurd already. So today, I'm not getting out of the house. And my son from NY who is visiting me at this time, is out to enjoy the sunshine for a few hours. I hope he is safe from any pranks, also, since he isn't too keen on them like his mother.
But then, what can we poor fools who cannot take weird jokes and pranks do? I guess, we either sharpen our skepticism or embrace the humor in being the butt of others' so-called jokes.
On the plus or rather the minus side, the heat has descended on Florida, today, and the AC came on full blast. No wonder, today is April Fools' Day, and the weather is pulling a prank on us, but I fear this prank will last until the end of November.
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March 31, 2025 at 12:36pm March 31, 2025 at 12:36pm
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Prompt: Enthusiasm
"Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity."
Robert Foster Bennett
About which things are you enthusiastic?
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Nowadays, I am enthusiastic about books, reading, and writing. During my earlier years, I admit, I had much more enthusiasm for many other things. I guess I've lost enthusiasm for things I cannot do acceptably enough.
The prompt says, "Enthusiasm is excitement..." Yes, there is a part in it that has to do with excitement but it is more than that. And the prompt adds those as "... "inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity."
I doubt though that excitement comes first. I mean how can I be excited about something I am not inspired to do, and something I lack the creativity and motivation? I think excitement comes after the inspiration and not before. Then, motivation adds persistence, pushing me forward my goal even when challenges arise. With creativity, a rare occasion nowadays, comes innovation, as it allows me to approach tasks with new ideas and unique insights.
Then and only then, enthusiasm has the power to turn an ordinary moment or an idea into an extraordinary one. As the result, the amount of work that is needed feels like an adventure.
Usually, as I've noticed, enthusiastic people not only uplift themselves but also they may inspire those around them. This way enthusiasm becomes a purpose-driven energy, pushing them (and me) toward enjoying life by making it more meaningful. May we never lose the enthusiasm for things we enjoy and care about!
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Prompt: Learning
"Learning should be a joy and full of excitement. It is life's greatest adventure; it is an illustrated excursion into the minds of the noble and the learned."
Taylor Caldwell
What is learning to you? Should it be a lifetime effort?
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On learning, Wikipedia's too-long article starts with: "Learning is the process of acquiring a new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, attitudes, and preferences. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, non-human animals, and some machines; there is also evidence for some kind of learning in certain plants."
Wow! That means everything learns! That means learning is the essential part of all existence. How silly of me that I once thought only humans and animals could learn! Although recently some new technological aids have been in the picture, also. Come to think of it, maybe I should be panicking. Should I though?
With or without the help up technology, if I wanted to stay alive on this planet, I had already found out the importance of learning, a long time ago. But now, the tech and its machinery and such have entered into the picture as well. Wow, again!
Learning, very shoddily, meant at one time "acquiring facts." And not only to me but to the entire school systems and to most teachers.
Still, much earlier in my life, say during my grade-school years, I figured out learning also meant adaptation. If I didn't adapt, I didn't get the praises or the goods. But was that enough?
I now think learning goes far beyond acquiring facts and adaptation. It also involves developing critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and the capacity to apply knowledge in personal experiences and real-world situations. And then some.
Our wish for learning stimulates curiosity and creativity, enriching life with new skills, hobbies, and perspectives. It keeps the mind active and engaged, which can contribute to mental well-being.
Then, of course, learning has to be lifelong. Inherently, it already is, but if we pay even more special attention to it, we can reap more benefits out of it. This is because learning encourages curiosity and creativity, enriching life with new skills, hobbies, and perspectives. It keeps the mind active and engaged, which can contribute to our mental well-being.
That is why I feel I am rather fortunate to live in this time and age for there are many more resources for learning like that of the internet, even if, at times, I get worried and suspicious of such new forms of intelligence, in case they might mess up our well-being and the way of life; however, so far, aside from being a buttinsky, any newest technology has only been helpful.
So, I'll say, power to learning, in any way and with anything that helps us along while we are alive.
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March 29, 2025 at 11:02am March 29, 2025 at 11:02am
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Prompt: "There is no glory in star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye; There is no fragrance in April breezes till breathed with joy as they wander by. "
William Cullen Bryant
Let this quote inspire your entry today.
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So, here comes the way our human perception works. I gather this is about how natural beauty is seen, understood, and then philosophized by us, nature's creations on two feet. Anyway, by us, I really mean here the American poet, William Cullen Bryant. That is to say, I'm not as perceptive as he was.
I guess my reality is more objective than his words, and in my first reading of the quote, I thought he might be challenging the objective reality of nature. Yet, he isn't making a statement about physical existence, but he's exploring nature in its further subtlety. I got that when I thought about this more.
I now think Bryant has explored how his consciousness (or maybe ours, too} creates meaning from what we see. In other words, insight from sight.
When Bryant says, "There is no glory in star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye," he suggests that beauty isn't just a quality waiting to be discovered, but rather something that comes alive through appreciation. Also, a star may emit light for billions of years, but its "glory" or its ability to inspire wonder and awe exists in a conscious mind that appreciates it.
The way I see it, that "loving eye" does all the work here. His reference to fragrance in the second sentence also needs human perception and, through that perception, human joy. As living things breathe so do Bryant's words; they 'breathe with joy.'
Now that I've so clumsily analyzed this quote, I thought about me and nature.
What makes me 'breathe with joy' is not a standing-still flower or a tree or a motionless star in the night sky. I think I like motion a lot more than any still beauty.
In other words, while Bryant appreciates beauty, I appreciate motion more. Such as clouds rolling by in the sky, trees dancing with the breeze, birds flying in flocks, a cat playing with a ball, a friend smiling at me with understanding.
To each his own, as they say, and I guess, with me, motion begets emotion.
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Prompt:
Okay, bloggers what books are you reading? Are any of the books you're reading on the list that msn posted?
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/entertainment-celebrity/people-are-shari...
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Unfortunately, I couldn't open that link. I don't know why. It could be because my computer has all the Norton stuff and Norton sometimes is a pain. Anyhow, I don't read books from others' lists. Not that my picks are so great but they are my picks. 
I just started on Margaret Atwood's Writing with Intent. It says in the beginning of it, "Essays, Reviews, Personal Prose: 1983-2005. I bought this book in hardcover, black and thick, all because I like Margaret Atwood a lot.
Since I just started reading this book last night, I only read the introduction and after the introduction, the two pages in which Atwood talks about herself and her background. The next chapter is her review of John Updike's The Witches of Eastwick. I haven't read that review, yet, but a long time ago, I read Updike's books, including The Witches of Eastwick. So, I'm looking forward to see what she has to say about that book.
Atwood’s fiction and nonfiction have always seemed as great accomplishments to me. This is because, especially with non-fiction, she sticks to her subjects and doesn't butt in with her views. To other reviewers and writers of non-fiction, her style should be an example.
Concerning this very topic, she points out in her introduction about reviews and such, this: "There's a legal echo here--assault with intent to injure comes to mind--and a tricky assumption, too, about the difference between the kind of writing and say, fiction or poetry, which might thus be defined as writing without intent, thus free of instigated designs upon the reader." She certainly hasn't injured anyone to the best of my understanding despite the amount of her writing and reading. She tells, however, the truth.
At the end of the next two pages, in which she talks about her background, family, and her work, her last paragraph talks about her feelings about the world in 1989, which impressed me greatly, if only because it mirrored the way I had felt then. Here is the last paragraph:
"How euphoric we felt for a short time, in 1989. How dazed by the spectacle of the impossible made real. No more cold war! Now, surely, peace and prosperity could become possible for all. How wrong we were about the brave new world we were about to enter."
Not only Atwood's talent in fiction, but also her work as a thinker, teacher, and reviewer is impressive as she published close to 40 books that show how wide-ranging her knowledge is.
I can hardly wait to read the rest of this book, but I don't know how to contain myself from reading all of it at one sitting, yet I won't. This is because: first, my eyesight isn't so great with print books, but more importantly, I decided to read it one chapter at a time to get all the benefits from Atwood's wisdom.
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March 27, 2025 at 12:36pm March 27, 2025 at 12:36pm
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Prompt:
You have to have a past before you can have a future.
Write about this in your Blog Entry today.
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Donning a philosophical, analytical cap that is way too big for my head, I believe this quote digs deeper than the first thought that jumped into my mind: "Time moves forward."
Yes, time does move forward, and in addition, our past is our foundation--not that I think we are all built from stone and wood like a house. As human beings, however, our every experience, every mistake, every triumph builds us up. Without those, without a past, we'd end up becoming unthinking, unfeeling, useless organisms.
In the same vein, isn't it a hoot the way some of us try to escape from our pasts! Our pasts, as beautiful or as rotten as they may be, aren't just collections of memories. They are our teachers, and they are our blueprints and compasses to show us the way to the future to shape us into who we may become. From this angle, the quote isn't saying we're trapped by our past, but quite the opposite.
Don't we all remember an embarrassing situation that happened to us in school or in a crowded place? The relationships that didn't work out quite right? Our parents whom we thought of as sub-par? They taught us resilience and they became springboards that forced us to move or jump ahead. In other words, we have earned every scar for a reason: to face and be able to live in the future.
After all, our pasts should not weigh us down but give us the power and push to soar into the future.
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March 27, 2025 at 12:36pm March 27, 2025 at 12:36pm
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Prompt:
You have to have a past before you can have a future.
Write about this in your Blog Entry today.
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Donning a philosophical, analytical cap that is way too big for my head, I believe this quote digs deeper than the first thought that jumped into my mind: "Time moves forward."
Yes, time does move forward, and in addition, our past is our foundation--not that I think we are all built from stone and wood like a house. As human beings, however, our every experience, every mistake, every triumph builds us up. Without those, without a past, we'd end up becoming unthinking, unfeeling, useless organisms.
In the same vein, isn't it a hoot the way some of us try to escape from our pasts! Our pasts, as beautiful or as rotten as they may be, aren't just collections of memories. They are our teachers, and they are our blueprints and compasses to show us the way to the future to shape us into who we may become. From this angle, the quote isn't saying we're trapped by our past, but quite the opposite.
Don't we all remember an embarrassing situation that happened to us in school or in a crowded place? The relationships that didn't work out quite right? Our parents whom we thought of as sub-par? They taught us resilience and they became springboards that forced us to move or jump ahead. In other words, we have earned every scar for a reason: to face and be able to live in the future.
After all, our pasts should not weigh us down but give us the power and push to soar into the future.
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March 26, 2025 at 11:01am March 26, 2025 at 11:01am
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Prompt:
"The season, the air, were all favorable to tenderness and sentiment."
Jane Austen
Write about this quote in your Blog Entry today.
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I might be too old to chew the fat for Austen's sentimental quote. So instead, I wrote a short story, using the quote.
First Kiss
The season, the air, were all so favorable to tenderness and sentiment. Spring had painted the world in soft pinks and yellows bleeding into the evening sky. Cherry blossoms drifted like snow, collecting in Sarah's dark hair as she walked beside me.
We'd known each other since oh well, I'd say first grade. We had lived through twelve years of friendship and homework and shared lunches and movie flicks. But something shifted that evening, like a photo coming into focus.
She stopped walking and turned to face me. A petal caught on her eyelash, and without thinking, I reached out to brush it away. My hand lingered longer than it should have. Her breath caught – a small sound that seemed to echo through the empty street.
"David," she whispered, and in that moment, I understood why poets wrote about spring... I suddenly knew why they filled pages with words about awakening love and renewal.
The kiss, it came then, all on its own, and it tasted like possibility.
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Prompt:
“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Do you think life can be a garden, and if so, do you like flowers? Which ones?
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Oh, who doesn't love a garden! Once upon a time, I had a huge garden, in which I raised many kinds of plants and flowers. Now what I have, in a different state and house, is lawn that other people take care of, but this is okay, too.
In this quote from The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett talks about the power of seeing what's been dealt to us with optimism, and not only looking without understanding. The key phrase here is "If you look the right way." This phrase points to the way we see and experience life.
A person who appreciates life notices with hope the beauty in everyday life. Such a person's internal view will be of flowers, alive, colorful, and beautiful, instead of dirt and weeds, unlike the internal view of a person who only focuses on the negative.
This goes to show that even in difficult circumstances, we have the opportunity of transformation just like a garden that flourishes under the care, attention, and patience of its gardener. In fact, this quote is a reminder of the fact that the way we look at things shapes our reality. If we can be smart enough to choose hope, potential, and beauty, life will reflect that back to us.
In my own imaginary garden, therefore, I would like all kinds of flowers, especially roses, violets, asters, daisies, orchids, lilacs, and even weeds, which have powers little-known by us, with which they enrich the soil; however, I would never let the weeds take over the garden, but I would only use them here and there for learning from negative experiences.
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March 24, 2025 at 12:51pm March 24, 2025 at 12:51pm
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Prompt:
What are negative experiences and adversities good for? And do you know how to protect and look after yourself when facing an adversity?
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None of us ever opts for a negative experience, do we? Some of us, however, climb mountains or go on safaris, but even those people are doing it for kicks and excitement.
Throughout history, our kind has dealt with ice ages, hunger and starvation, wild animals like phytons, wolves, or saber-toothed tigers, and plagues. And humanity has come out AOK. In fact, we've multiplied so much that, now, we've become the plague of the planet. No wonder nature sent us that Covid thing!
This resilience of ours shows that we humans have a knack for survival. Maybe because unsavory events present an opportunity to reflect and learn from the bad stuff, even though we may not consciously seek negative experiences.
Case in point, when a negative anything happens, it forces us to reflect on why it happened. This activates our thinking in-depth, even while we are grieving over that loss, and it brings about some looking inside ourselves to see if and how we could have prevented that loss, and if we couldn't have prevented it, could there be a reason behind it, even though that reason may be beyond our reach. In short, we try to understand the meaning behind the pain, which brings its own kind of sense and reflection into our lives, gluing together happy events with sadder ones, turning our scattered encounters into a whole, unique, and more mature life experience.
This all shows that finding meaning in life isn't only about happy experiences. It can also come from insights into our lives that may take the form of enhanced meaning, for now we can understand more how any negative event fits into our fight for survival and search for happiness.
As for me, I am not sure I can always look after and protect myself while facing intense bad experiences. So far, though, I've lived through quite a bit of sad and disconcerting life events and losses, and I'm still surviving. I find that, when such a negative thing happens, instead of any rushed or long-term plans, living through the exact hour, minute, and day -as well as I can- helps the most. Then, later on, when I am calmer, looking back into that unwanted and unwelcome experience helps me to accept it and deal with it much better.
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March 23, 2025 at 11:36am March 23, 2025 at 11:36am
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Prompt: This Moment
Omar Khayyam said, “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life."
How difficult or easy it is to really live in the immediate exact moment, even while knowing it is a happy one?
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Happy feelings have a way of putting a person in the present. But then, the mind wanders. For example, I used to say to myself, "This is great! But what about so and so or a family member having a bad time these days? What about that nasty look my neighbor gave me? What about the world situation?" Then, at the same time, I might be worrying about that beautiful moment's quick departure.
A beautiful moment, even if something ordinary or extraordinary that flees by--such as laughter with family and friends, the warmth of my sons' smiles and hugs, a lovely sunset, or watching how the salamanders dash across the driveway--brings about an awareness of joy. But also, this very awareness can make me or anyone anxious about its passing.
It took me a long time to learn to quiet my hyperactive mind so I could be just in one special moment, be it a moment of joy or of sorrow. So nowadays, at least some moments feel immersive with no effort needed. I can now get lost in writing, music, cooking, and deep conversations. Now, I can be fully present and stay inside a moment.
All this is because I took a simple notebook and found some questions on the web involving Jung's shadow work and wrote longhand, answering those questions, plus adding to their answers anything of my own. This practice became some form of a meditation or an exercise of mindfulness. So now, without my mind jumping around, I can trust and be fully inside a moment rather than worrying about its flight or trying to capture it to make it stay. As a reward, my good moments often linger a lot longer. 
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Pumpkin! So cute! I so love cats.
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