Imagine the Possibilities

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Story Challenge. Thanks to the co-authors of              Two Writing Teachers for creating this  supportive community.

The other day I was watching a news program and learned that a congressman (maybe a senator) left this message on something he was supposed to read: TLDNR (Too Long Did Not Read), and I started thinking about acronyms. Granted, I have used acronyms for years. Back in the 60’s when I was a teenager, SWAK was a popular sendoff in a letter to that special someone. And who can deny BYOB, RSVP, FAQ, and FIY?  When I started sending text messages I specifically avoided using acronyms for words that I could easily type out (it just didn’t seem right). I realize that if you are limited to the number of characters you use, some acronyms may come in handy, but it was years before I figured out what EOM meant at the end of an email message line. Some frequently used acronyms I have deciphered, like LOL and BTW, but sometimes it takes me longer to figure out what is being said than if the person sending the message would just type it out.

I got curious and of course turned to Google and found a site that lists the 500 (yes, 500) most commonly used acronyms. Here are a few of my favorites in no particular order:

CMIIW (Correct Me If I’m Wrong) – No problem there. If I can’t figure it out I will assume you are right. Looks like a Roman numeral to me.

DUCT (Did You See That?) – Seeing this in a text or email would conjure up rolls of duct tape for me.

FOCL (Falling Off a Chair Laughing) – I think there are more acronyms devoted to various degrees of laughing than anything else, many of which involve various parts of the body falling off or on. Really? I also found ROTFLOLWTIME How long would it take someone to figure out that is Rolling On The Floor Laughing Out Loud With Tears In My Eyes?

G2GTAP  (Got To Go Take A Pee) – Just TMI

GR8 or THX – With just a few more letters you have the word!

HAHA – This one was disturbing. It means Having A Heart Attack. If someone sent me this I would assume they were laughing, and that probably is what is means sarcastically, but why take the chance?

PDS (Please Don’t Shoot) – Again, I get the sarcasm , but all I could envision was someone texting the person mugging them!

Just something that I hope brings a smile today, FWIW.

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Story Challenge. Thanks to the co-authors of              Two Writing Teachers for creating this  supportive community.

I am not a great gardener or birder, but one of the best decisions I ever made was to keep a gardening journal. It helps me remember what I planted (and where), what worked or didn’t work, what birds are visiting. Today’s post is just a collection of thoughts I had yesterday as I walked through the backyard. The journal excerpts may help explain some of my thinking.

I walk the perimeter of the garden and notice. What is starting to show signs of life? What has survived the cruel March snow? What might change? I think and wonder…about some of the rebalancing that occurred last summer, about nature taking its course, about color and beauty and joy.

I’m confident that the peony bushes will once again burst forth this May in an abundance of pink and white blossoms.  5/17/16 – The peonies are bursting!

I worry that the house sparrows will take over the white bluebird house.  5/11/16 – Everything I have read indicates that house sparrows should not be allowed to live with blue birds or tree swallows as they are predators, but I feel conflicted. Might be best to let nature take its course.

I’m confident that the pink and purple tulips will bloom and join the yellow daffodils with the droopy heads.

I worry that the winterberry is lost. 5/6/16 – …I trekked out to Briar Rose for hanging baskets, geraniums, container plants. Best find of the day – winterberry!

I’m confident that the cardinals and chickadees and woodpeckers and finches will find places to nest and sing.

I worry that the bluebirds will not return. 5/19/16 – I peeked into the fancy house again today. I think the bluebird in there may be dead, but I know I must leave it alone.

I’m confident that there will be mulch to spread and weeds to pull and blue hydrangea blossoms to snip.

I worry that the tree swallows will not visit.

I’m confident that there will be surprises and celebrations and births and deaths, and I’m confident that the cycle of life will continue. 6/15/16 – The eggs in the bluebird house by the hydrangeas are gone, but the nest is still there. A bluebird was sitting on the box this morning, and a new bluebird nest has been started in the fancy house. Spotted the tree swallow this morning sitting on top of his box. They were swooping yesterday. Balance is being restored.

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Story Challenge. Thanks to the co-authors of              Two Writing Teachers for creating this  supportive community.

Last week I noticed that Kevin Hodgson over at Kevin’s Meandering Mind sometimes responds to a slice by lifting a line from it and creating a poem as his response. It reminded me of a technique Linda Reif suggests and often uses in presentations – lift a line from a poem or piece of prose and use it as is or let it speak to you in some way to give your writing a start. Yesterday Kevin wrote about how his neighborhood gets together as the final days of winter begin to wane to reconnect and celebrate spring. I lifted this line: We even helped an elderly neighbor, who has trouble walking, to the event… And then I remembered this:

Last fall I attended a weekend workshop on writing at the Highlights Foundation. A few days before the event I got a call from one of the organizers asking if I might be interested in giving another attendee a ride. “She doesn’t get around well and doesn’t drive, so she will have to take a bus unless she can get a ride, and I noticed you live in a neighboring town.” Of course I would take her. Thus began several phone calls back and forth with Jacqueline, my rider, which made me wonder just what I had gotten myself into. I picked her up at the agreed upon time along with her suitcases, canes, and walker. As we settled in to our three hour ride, I learned that Jacqueline, at 84 years of age, was a practicing marriage counselor (even though she herself had been divorced for about 40 years). I heard about her children and grandchildren, her experiences (she had just gotten home from a cruise!) and the children’s books she was working on. Her stories were delightful, as was she, and I marveled at her desire to create and try new things even as she got older and life got a little more difficult. By the time we reached our destination, I knew I had found a new friend.

The accommodations at Highlights are cabins and walkers do not really work well on the gravel paths. We decided that the canes would be better, but Jacqueline needed an arm to guide her. So every morning, before breakfast, I helped an elderly neighbor, who has trouble walking, to the event.

That weekend I learned a lot about writing, and so much more – persistence, patience, trust, and the importance of living life to its fullest.

Thank you, Kevin.

Thank you, Jacqueline.

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Story Challenge. Thanks to the co-authors of              Two Writing Teachers for creating this  supportive community.

I try to eat in a healthy way as much as possible. I watch my carbs and dairy intake, have green smoothies for breakfast several times a week, snack on almonds, and try to drink plenty of water. But last night when Allan suggested we try a new burger place that recently opened, I jumped at the opportunity not to have to cook.

Let’s go!

Smashburger is a step above fast food, but offers lots of choices so you can at least attempt to eat a healthy meal, or kid yourself into thinking that you are. You can choose the type of burger and bun you want and build your own creation with a variety of add-ons. I was excited to see that one of the options was a black bean burger, so I chose that on a multi-grain bun with spinach and their special sauce (not sure what was in it, but it tasted good). Allan and I shared an order of fries, and while this is not the healthiest of choices, they were a shoestring cut, tossed in olive oil, and flavored with rosemary and garlic. Different, so we decided to try them. I topped it off with a cup of iced green tea.

I was feeling pretty good about the whole thing until, on our way out, Allan said, “How about a trip to Rita’s on the way home?”

Busted.

Sometimes to just have to indulge.

(The mango gelati was delicious.)