It is entirely your choice to use either one or both of the images as prompts. I chose the image below.
Prudence became momentarily frantic while searching for her cellphone. She needed to know the time! How long had she been ambling along the serene, wooded path? What time IS it?! “Okay Prudy, breathe…just breathe.”
Moments ago, she’d watched chipmunks scurrying in and out of a tree trunk. But for “How long?” She still grasped a little of a blissful, weightless, freedom. She hadn’t known the time and, for once, didn’t care. But now, Prudence needed to know! She’d been a slave to time since… well, forever. Forever was indisputably a long time and “NOW” couldn’t work without the anchor of a clock. Everything needed a time stamp- a before and after. It was the lifeline and essential compass that sustained her.
A distant voice came out of nowhere, just in time. “Prudence? Prudence, open your eyes.” A white light made her wince as her eyelids separated. The first thing she was able to focus on was a large analog clock with a bright red second hand on the recovery room wall. Her heartrate immediately slowed to the rhythm of that ticking time and she relaxed. Next, that same nurse’s voice announced from somewhere behind her, “You’ll need to take some time off to fully recover, Prudy. Maybe somewhere where you can stroll in the woods?”
While drawing in a jagged breath in order to scream, Prudence fainted.
When I was a kid, the saying “Sticks and stones will break my bones but names can never hurt me.” was the ‘law’ of Natural Selection. It didn’t matter “why” someone said cruel things, it was our individual choice not to listen to them. That saying served as a powerful response to what is now considered “bullying”. Let’s face it, people sometimes have bad days and have their own problems that they sometimes try to impose on the rest of us. But we aren’t supposed to be required to allow them to.
Young women experience wild mood swings once their hormones start flooding their bloodstreams. It was impressed upon me (and since to my granddaughters) that those feelings are our own to handle. To just release a whirlwind on the world, was/is NOT how we should handle it. That philosophy applies to our entire character. A familiar saying at my house is “deal with it”.
But there’s a strange turnabout in the “individual responsibility” genre these days. We are supposed to ‘guess’ why someone acts out, and after that, we’re supposed to respect, even support, the other person as if their emotional state has priority to your own. First, when did we all become mind readers? Secondly, why are we supposed to take responsibility for everyone else’s ‘feelings’ before our own? Compassion doesn’t require an active response. We can ‘care’ without needing to ‘take care’ of others. By not getting ‘all up’ in their business we likely return them to their own empowerment. If they’re filled with self-pity, it doesn’t seem generous to feed that ‘beast’. There’s a BIG difference between offering a smile, hug, or ‘helping hand’ to someone who’s struggling and bowing to (or enabling) someone else’s destructive behavior. Aren’t we supposed to (allowed to) distinguish between someone in ‘real’ trouble and someone who is ‘playing the victim’? Sorry but IMHO those two kinds of people are not equally deserving of our concern. But somehow, the term ‘hater’ is thrown around when we don’t comply with, or reward, every single complaint.
Seems the patients have taken over the asylum, folks.
Our society is throwing individual responsibility and freedom overboard and replacing it with “group think” and “the collective”. Hope you know that those changes are a direct step toward Marxism. Not good for you and not at all healthy for America.
The ‘adults’ who are left are the ones courageously just saying, “NO”.
Nothing invigorates me like a good discussion. Today did not disappoint. It evolved into “What is capitalism?” and whether it still existed. Like the definition of “What is a woman?”, the definition of “What is capitalism?” is quite simple. Only those ‘schooled’ to conflate it with all the waste and power that’s unabated at the present time, seem to have a hard time. Capitalism aka Free Markets can be very simply defined. It is a marketing philosophy that’s dependent upon consumer power and preferences and accountable to the will of the people. My claim that it no longer exists because of government control of, and interference with, free markets was not received well by a fellow blogger who thought that being wealthy from personal risk and innovation was unethical.
It was just revealed to me that she’s a “socialist”. Well, that explains a lot. She believes ‘humanity’ belongs to, and is supported by, unaccountable powerful people who use the wealth that others have earned to bring a ‘promise’ to the masses. I’ve heard that story before. Never mind.
The “containment” had become nearly complete. Only pockets of revolutionaries and elites remained free to roam. Green energy proponents had gotten their way. Without reliable energy, people had become prisoners of the diabolically imposed reduction of human wealth and mobility. The Police State slipped in easily… virtually unresisted. Covid-19 had proven how easily fear could control the masses and fear was easily and ubiquitously propagated by every media platform through AI. Disarming the public had, as expected, sealed the deal. The gates were now locked, and the concentration of human foot traffic caused the environment within to turn muddy brown. Yet, Nature could not be intimidated nor propagandized. Although the trajectory of human prosperity had been interrupted, there were signs of life carrying on that offered hope to those plotting a restorative escape. Life, and human determination, always finds a way.
Are you utterly minimalistic in your lifestyle, an absolute clutterer hoarder, or just messy?
I am a clutter bug who knows exactly where everything is on most occasions. Organization is IMHO its own artform but NOT for me. If I know where things are I have little interest in the time it takes to be, or maintain being, organized. I’ve had to reduce the kinds of clutter since I retired from day care in order to add new kinds. Playpens, tons of markers and crayons, and paperwork from those days are mostly gone. The likelihood of homeschooling my granddaughter again (I’m thrilled about that.) keeps me clinging to maps and articles for use in that purpose though. The day care kids, and I, created parade costumes and handmade gifts for years by recycling household paper waste. That too is gone. But the clutter continues with my new projects and interests. According to many psychologists, people who have a tendency to be ‘messy’ are more creative and likely have higher “outside of the box” levels of intelligence. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it! LOL
Do you prefer to sit on a chair, cushion, bench, floor or something else for comfort and which?
It would depend upon for how long. The older I get the more padding I like my sitting spot to have. But I will sit awkwardly contorted on occasion to avoid disturbing the dog’s life of luxury. 😀
What is the most challenging part of your writing process?
Trying not to be too political. My mind gravitates toward the pressing problems of today and since every single topic (purposely) has an element of politicization, it is hard to avoid. Speaking about it helps me come to terms with it. Those who feel assaulted by contrary opinions IMHO have made conclusions. I need to put more thought into my opinions since I’m cautiously unsure if there is a correct answer. But since my blog is almost entirely for my granddaughters’ benefit, I don’t feel any pressure not to express my opinion on topics I deem important and feel strongly about. I enjoy the following and friends I’ve made here. The ultra-sensitive types have courteously culled themselves for the most part. Seems only the ‘grown-ups’ are left, and I like that. BUT we are all individuals who have hearts and minds for other more fanciful topics, and I want that to be a part of my blog too.
Do you think you are an addictive or non-addictive personality?
My propensity to get distracted [LOOK a squirrel! LOL] seems to indicate that I don’t dwell or get hyper-focused on anything. I even stopped blogging for two years awhile back.
Do you feel in any way, shape or form threatened by the arrival of AI [Artificial Intelligence] opportunities or welcome the progression into your life with ease?
There’s a lot of buzz about it and I’ve lived through the Y2K and Covid-19 hysteria, so I don’t know what to think. I DO know I don’t have any influence on what will happen. As all human inventions have a good use and a bad use, I’m sure it will present an interesting new era for mankind. Trusting anything we see or hear on electronic devices will be the dangerous part. Perhaps, word of mouth and real-life observations will return to their pre-computer status? More than ever, our children need to be taught to think critically for their own survival. As for dangers arising, mankind has always innovated counter moves when presented with danger. We have the capacity to handle evil practices as they arise, but the scarier question is “Will we have the freedom to innovate and solve them?” Maintaining FREEDOM is essential to our future. It’s slipping through our fingers in the guise of a Global Utopian Reset and I hope we correct that course very soon!
What subjects or topics inspire you to create the most concerning your writing?
Children are always my focus whether it’s observing their innocence or protecting their futures, they are what’s most important to me.
When was the last time you walked through a graveyard?
Frequently. My whole backyard has a cemetery property that adjoins it. The children and I have roamed through it taking note of the stories there. Many soldiers and young children from the 1800s are buried there. Tragic tales of whole young families succumbing to illness are there. The perspective of seeing the difficult times that preceded us, makes us grateful to be alive today. All of these “scares” about people’s feelings being assaulted don’t carry as much weight and seriousness when you get a glimpse of true dangerous and difficult times when life itself was the daily struggle.
What are your top five favourite flowers?
White wild phlox are my personal favorites. They remind me of my grandmother’s house in the summer. Seasonal ones like lilacs, wild azaleas (known as swamp pinks), and peonies come next. Their appearance marks the progression of Spring. And Chrysanthemums that explode and persevere at the onset and into the Autumn season with colors that define that time of year.
What would you say would be your writing quirk?
It seems that writing with pure honesty is a modern day ‘quirk’. Not trying to please, or align with, anyone in particular is easier than it appears when you’re confident about your own values and intentions.
Every Wednesday I post a photo (this week it’s that one above.) You respond with something CREATIVE.
Learn to Swim
Cries for ‘safety’- the ruse used to scare for control. Only works on the ones who can’t swim. Fear’s a poison meant to capture your soul. Cries for ‘safety’-the ruse used to scare for control.
Achievement can’t happen without a brave goal. Containment destroys every whim. Cries for ‘safety’- the ruse used to scare for control. Only works on the ones who can’t swim.
Since so many other online writers have blogs dedicated to their writings, I’ve decided to jump onto the bandwagon. All posts published here will be either fiction or poetry, some new, and some previously published on various places on the Internet. Some of my works are conventional, and some are quirky. All fiction posted here, except for fan fiction, will include the letters "rose" somewhere, as a tribute to my Baba.
Sillyfrog's Blog 