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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. Kiya's gift. I love it!
Daily Cascade
Since my old blog "Everyday Canvas Open in new Window. 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.


image for blog


September 14, 2024 at 10:52am
September 14, 2024 at 10:52am
#1076788
Prompt:
"Opportunity is fleeting and judgment is difficult."
Let this quote from Deborah Harkness inspire your entry.


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I believe the original of this quote belongs to Hippocrates as, “Life is short, art long, opportunity fleeting, experiment uncertain, and judgment difficult.” Checking up on who Deborah Harkness is, I found that she was born in 1965 and is a scholar and has written novels, at least one about black magic. I am guessing this quote is from such a novel.

At first sight, the quote points to the tension between the need and urgency to act and the difficulty of making a decision before an opportunity is lost.

As such, opportunities are temporary and can vanish in the blink of an eye. Most need a decision on the spot and quick action. Then, making the right decision on the spur of the moment is also challenging. It's tough to know if you're making the right choice in that moment because judgment isn't always clear.

For this and other side reasons, I'm always flustered when I have to make a quick decision since my judgment may not be clear. Except for the life and death matters where I have to trust myself and dive in. And diving in was exactly what I did when a friend's baby fell in our pool and her mother just froze. This was more than ten years ago. Yet, when it comes to choosing between two plumbing companies, you can be sure I'll do some homework. In such situations, I just can't trust instinct.







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