Category Archives: Blog Hops

Five Minute Friday: Mercy

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The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, or over thinking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Mercy

A few days ago, I was standing in line to buy lunch at a fast food place. There were many people in line to order and just as many in line to receive their food. I was there for a few minutes doing what I often do in crowds – people watching.

I noticed someone also waiting, and I totally judged this person in my head without even thinking about how I consider myself a non-judgmental person. I did not judge her fairly at all and based her character solely on the way she presented herself. I played out a few scenarios in my head in the minute or two that I waited for my food, and then went about my day.

About 30 minutes later, I ended up having contact with that same person in another setting. I was flabbergasted at myself when I realized that she was the person I had not so positive thought about, and I probably flushed with embarrassment, even though she had no idea of the thoughts that raced through my head just 30 minutes earlier.

You know what? I was completely wrong about who I assumed she was, and I’m thankful for the lesson. I do try to consciously be a non-judgmental person and not fall into the trap of assuming or pre-judging a person before I know the true person. I can honestly say that I make a conscious effort not to be judgmental. I learned much about myself that day.

You know what else? It’s mercy that reminds me that I am human and far from perfect. While I may have not presented any actions against the woman through judging her before I knew her, in my heart I was not giving her a fair chance. Mercy is there to save me from negative behaviors and tell teach me that while it’s not okay to assume I know what kind of person someone is just by looking at them, it is human nature to do so. Mercy also reminds me that lessons like this should make it easier in the future not to fall into that trap again.

I also pray that Mercy comes along and reminds someone else that I am not the person I may appear to be when they judge me before knowing the real me.

Read other Five Minute Friday posts on the topic of ‘Mercy’.

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Memories of Shelton

Posted in Random, Shelton Saturday by

Mother's Day 2013

I’ve put off writing this post for nearly a week now. I wanted to write it when my emotions were still raw and on the surface so that I didn’t forget my feelings. That’s my biggest fear – forgetting how I felt when he was alive and when he died.

Warning: This could trigger some unwanted feelings if you’ve been through the death of a loved one. I am not responsible for any tears beyond this point…and it’s a really long entry!

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Five Minute Friday: Comfort

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The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, or over thinking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Comfort

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Somehow I got out of the habit of not writing for Five Minute Friday. I actually missed the comfort of knowing that once a week I could just let the words spill out of me without over thinking what I was going to post and if it was going to be epic.

I don’t know about you, but I often find comfort in some of the smallest things. One area, in particular, is habit and continuity. I like having things planned out, so when something is already planned out for me, it’s (usually) even better! I also find comfort in familiarity. I’m probably not alone in these comforts.

Lately I’ve been reaching to food again for comfort and having a really hard time breaking that habit. I’m working on it, and I’m also looking at getting my medications adjusted, because I’m pretty sure that they are contributing to the increased appetite. I’m about halfway to my ultimate weight loss goal, so I don’t want something adding to the already difficult road that I am on.

So what do you find comfort in? Are your comforts positive, negative or a little bit of both. Obviously, I have a little bit of both. That’s probably normal, too.

STOP

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Sunday Scribblings: Fuzzy

Posted in Blog Hops, Sunday Scribblings by


On Sundays, I participate in Sunday Scribblings, a weekly writing prompt challenge. There are no rules within the challenge, however I am imposing the same rules that I follow for Five Minute Friday: Write for five minutes (or so). No editing, revising, or over thinking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Fuzzy

It makes me sad that my memory has become so fuzzy over the past few years. People keep telling me that it’s just the way age is but I’m really not convinced. My best friend from childhood, Liberty, has an amazing memory. While my memory has not failed me on the big events in life, her memory can summon even the smaller moments. Maybe that’s why God has brought her back into my life; to trigger those happy days again and not dwell on the loss of my own memory.

I talked to my mom yesterday, and she had been to a party with one of my dad’s brothers, who has early stage of Alzheimer’s Disease. He’s maybe 10ish years older than my dad. My dad also has an older sister and another older brother whose memories have started failing pretty badly. It hit me last night that this could not only be my father’s near future but also my own, as Alzheimer’s and dementia are strongly related to genetics.

So if my memory is already so fuzzy at 36, what will it be like when I’m 66 like my father? Will it hit me sooner? Is there anything that I can do now to help keep it from happening?

This is why I write. This is why I blog. This is why I need to get back into the habit of writing on a regular basis again. Winter is gone, so hopefully my Seasonal Affective Disorder will soon take a vacation, as well.

Read other Sunday Scribblings posts on the topic of ‘Fuzzy’.

 

Sunday Scribblings: Flood

Posted in Blog Hops, NaBloPoMo, November 2012, Sunday Scribblings by


On Sundays, I participate in Sunday Scribblings, a weekly writing prompt challenge. There are no rules within the challenge, however I am imposing the same rules that I follow for Five Minute Friday: Write for five minutes (or so). No editing, revising, or over thinking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Flood

I have called Nashville home my entire life and have lived in or around Nashville all that time, with the exception of my 4 years spent in West Tennessee for college. I’m proud to be from Nashville and call it home, but a couple of years ago those feelings of pride increased ten fold.

Nashville experienced a huge flood in May 2010. I’ve heard it called a Hundred Year Flood and also a Five Hundred Year Flood. Whatever you call it, it’s one of those natural disasters that don’t occur often. Everyone in Middle Tennessee was affected in one way or another by the flood, whether it was your home or workplace flooded or even if it was just the roads that you take to get around were flooded and closed. I am thankful that no one really close to me had problems with their home being destroyed by the rising waters, but I am rare.

What makes me proud to be from Nashville now is how everyone in Nashville came together to help others out. We helped people we didn’t know and went well out of our way to make sure everyone was taken care of and received the help they need. The flood occurred around the same time as the huge oil spill in the Gulf, so the oil spill got more new coverage than the flood, but we were okay with that. We took care of our own.

The phrase, “We Are Nashville,” was born of the disaster that touched our lives in May 2010, and it speaks volumes of being a Nashvillian.

Read other Sunday Scribblings posts on the topic of ‘Flood’.

During the month of November, I am participating in the National Blog Posting Month, also known as NaBloPoMo, hosted by BlogHer. Most likely I am following these suggested prompts, but I might just get crazy and change things up every once in a while. I‘m one wild and crazy gal! 

NaBloPoMo November 2012

Five Minute Friday: Stay

Posted in Five Minute Friday, NaBloPoMo, November 2012 by

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, or over thinking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Stay

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So the first thing that popped into my head when I read today’s prompt is the song, “Stay Just a Little Bit Longer” by Maurice and the Zodiacs. You know, the song from the 60’s that was re-introduced to my generation when it was featured in Dirty Dancing in the late 80’s? Yeah, that song. Now I can’t get it out of my head to come up with anything worthy for this post!

*clears mind*

Last weekend ended up being one of those weekends that I needed to recharge. This introvert had been on the go way too much, and my weekend was filled with various activities that first meant that I was not going to get my much needed recharge. What ended up happening was that my Saturday plans were cancelled, plus I started feeling ill (not because the plans were cancelled). Because I wasn’t feeling well, I ended up not doing anything all weekend and cancelled my plans on Sunday, as well. I stayed home all weekend to sleep, relax and read. My Weekend Staycation was just what I needed! I felt revived and energized by Monday morning.

This weekend is filled with several activities again, and next weekend we’ll be in Detroit visiting family for the holidays, then I’ve got another full weekend after that. I am thankful I was able to relax and stay home last weekend in preparation for a busy three weekends in a row. Christmas will be right around the corner, so I’m sure most every weekend until the end of the year will be a little bonkers. MAYBE I’ll find another Staycation weekend somewhere in there.

“I had a lot of dates but I decided to stay home and dye my eyebrows.” – Andy Warhol 

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Hey! Thanks for reading! I have a question for you. Do you have any experience being a mentor or being mentored? If so, I want to hear about it! 

 

Read other Five Minute Friday posts on the topic of ‘Stay’.

NaBloPoMo November 2012
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Five Minute Friday: Quiet

Posted in Five Minute Friday, NaBloPoMo, November 2012 by

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, or over thinking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Quiet

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Overall, I am not a quiet person. I never have been and never will be as long as God continues to bless me with a voice. There have been numerous times in my life where I have been called out for being too loud and talking too much. Sometimes I wish I was more aware of it, but mostly it’s just who I am. I can even remember back to grade school having comments on my report card to the effect of, “Tonya is a good student and very sweet, but she talks too much.” I feel the need to excuse myself when someone points it out, and honestly it’s embarrassing, though I’m sure necessary. When I first started working from home on Fridays, my husband said that I would babble on and on and on when he got home from work because I hadn’t had anyone to talk to all day. Luckily he didn’t mind…too much 🙂

Despite being quite a talkative person (and a loud one at that), there are times when I relish the quiet. Usually in the mornings I’m not quick to turn on the tv or even talk for a while. Also in the evenings after work, David and I might watch a tv show or two during/after dinner, but there are plenty of days where I just want quiet. I’ll turn the TV off and read.

Also, I absolutely despise talking on the phone these days unless I am in the car when there is nothing else to do. I’m pretty sure it comes from working in my previous call center jobs where I had to talk on the phone ALL DAY for 8 hours (or more) a day. Before 2006 when I got my first call center job, I loved talking on the phone! Now that I am not in a call center job, I still hate talking on the phone, but there is still a big portion of my day that involves talking, even if it’s not the full 8 hours a day. I live by the rule that I prefer texts or emails unless it’s an emergency or you absolutely cannot text or email (such as driving). I may or may not be guilty of not answering the phone just because I don’t want to talk.

Believe it or not, this loud mouth does like quiet…sometimes 🙂

STOP

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NaBloPoMo November 2012
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Five Minute Friday: Roots

Posted in Five Minute Friday, NaBloPoMo, November 2012 by

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, or over thinking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Roots

START

Each day this month I am posting to Twitter and Facebook something for which I am thankful. This morning before looking at the Five Minute Friday prompt, I wrote,

“‎30 Days of #Thanksgiving, Day 2: I am thankful to have parents who are always there for me & raised me with good values & responsibility.”

When I looked at the prompt for this morning, ideas were already coming to my mind, but nothing was too terribly clear. I decided to go ahead and find a quote about roots to see if that prompted any more clear words for writing. This is the quote I found:

“The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.” – Denis Waitley 

I guess this has been God’s way of saying that I have some pretty awesome parents who taught me how important responsibility is. While they have taught me independence, too, I also know that they are still right there behind me to catch me if I fall. Instances like this morning are how God speaks to me. Today he’s showing me that my roots are strong, and I will continue to weather the storms and thrive in the sun.

STOP

P.S. After publishing this post, WordPress reminded me that this makes my 100th Post!

Read other Five Minute Friday posts on the topic of ‘Roots’.

NaBloPoMo November 2012
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Five Minute Friday: Voice

Posted in Five Minute Friday by

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, or over thinking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Voice

START

My writing voice is something that I have been coming to love more and more throughout this month as I have challenged myself to write every day this month for 31 days. I knew before October began that I was comparing myself way too much with other writers and bloggers, and that was contributing to me not feeling like I was worthy to call myself a writer. I felt like because I wrote differently that no one would want to read my words. For a while I even tried writing like the other bloggers whose writing I enjoy reading, but I felt so fake. I felt that it was no longer me, and I started to lose my voice.

So what really began with participating in Five Minute Friday where I just write without planning, I started to do that more and more frequently. Some days I had a general idea of what I was going to write in my head, but I found that I truly enjoyed the entries where I just wrote my feelings and let the words flow freely without worrying so much about how I compare to others. It was MY voice coming out in those words and not what I assumed people would want to read.

Still, I find myself slipping every once in awhile and wondering if maybe I wrote like other people would like me more. Putting it like that makes me feel like I’m still going through puberty and worried that no one will be my friend. I guess maybe my blog is still going through puberty, and one day it will blossom into what it is meant to be in this world…unique, just like everyone else! 🙂

STOP

“A choir is made up of many voices, including yours and mine. If one by one all go silent then all that will be left are the soloists.
Don’t let a loud few determine the nature of the sound. It makes for poor harmony and diminishes the song.” 
― Vera Nazarian

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Five Minute Friday: Grasp

Posted in Five Minute Friday by

The rules: Write for five minutes. No editing, revising, or over thinking. Just write.

Today’s Topic: Grasp

START

I grasp for ideas on what to write. Why is it so difficult, sometimes, for me to make decisions? I often think that I see too many sides of something to pick between multiple options. I want to participate and become a better writer, but I fear that there is no one topic that I know well enough. I fear that I am not good enough or that my topic won’t be of any interest to anyone else…or even myself.

So I grasp some more. I look through several ideas, thinking that I’ll know when it’s right. Right? I finally come up with a couple of ideas but none really feel right. That’s when I remember how much I enjoy Five Minute Fridays and have even blogged in a similar manner when it’s not a Friday. I pick just one word and write about it. I can do that for 31 days!

Oh, gosh! Can I come up with 31 words for the month in which to blog? It was easier than I expected. It was in my grasp before I even knew it, and I have a few other words on standby in case I’m just not feeling my voice flow into my writing with one or two of my choices.

Won’t you join me in a 31 Day Challenge the month of October to write about a topic every day? If you can’t think of a topic, I’ll be glad to share mine with you. I’ll be writing 31 Days of Journaling Prompts. I have chosen a single word for each day of the month, and at 12:01am Central Time, I will post what the word is and write about that topic. It’s like every day in October will be a Friday…at least as far as blogging goes 🙂

“A sense of humor… is needed armor. Joy in one’s heart and some laughter on one’s lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life.” – Hugh Sidey

STOP

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