Category: Writing
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Wool Gathering…
Wool gathering gets a bad rap. The phrase has come to mean mindless daydreaming. It is derived from an ancient practice of gathering bits of wool left behind on fences and bushes by grazing sheep which would yield little reward from a handful of tufts. Here I picture a proper young woman from the era…
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Opposite Land…
Mini fantasies can be pretend visits to unknown worlds that satisfy some interior itch. Recently I thought about spending a day in Opposite Land, turning nagging complaints into expressions of joy. But Opposite Land is all-inclusive. Every switch is toggled to the other side, not just a chosen few like in the child’s Opposite Day…
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Color Wheel…
I am not a good artist. My drawing is elementary at best, but I have the most trouble with colors. Too many choices, so many blends and combinations. Even studying a color wheel or color theory can confuse me. If I look to nature for examples of what appeals to the eye, I see reds…
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One Hundred Percent…
I love/hate the ubiquitous response “a hundred percent.” It efficiently communicates a strong point, but it’s a bit lazy. Much like “same,” “seriously,” and going way back, “far out.” One hundred is nice and round, two zeros next to a one like eyes looking around a corner. 100% means 100 of 100 is represented. It…
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ELAN Blog Sabbatical…
ELAN Blog is taking a brief “sabbatical,” even though it is unpaid, while I dedicate this week to revising draft three of novel number two. Thanks for continuing to read this WordPress Monday post and Friday quote and my Substack Wednesday essays if you subscribe to those. You’ll find fresh words and thoughts on all…
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Hang In There…
I love going to Zumba classes, even the super energetic ones where the best I can do is flail and stomp in the back corner, throwing ego to the wind when the rest of the class is going in the opposite direction. I hate going to Zumba class. Just like I love/hate walking a few…
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Onion Catcher…
The other day half of an onion I was chopping rolled off the counter. My thigh knew exactly how to catch it – no thinking involved, just a reflex that saved it from landing on the no doubt dirty floor. Our amazingly complicated bodies that carry our hearts and minds and souls around do so…
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Stand…
If you were to take one stand, just one, what would it be? During my growing up time I felt a need to sharpen my edges to discover and then present to the world a clear image of the person I was becoming. We all, in our journey toward actualization, try on various beliefs, opinions,…
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Mis-Takes…
One of my life hacks is to take the unfamiliar way to see what I can see. I recently got “lost” on a three-mile loop around the perimeter of Memorial Park because I veered onto an unknown path that was an interior loop. Lots more steps, no gain in my quest to circumnavigate the park.…
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Birds…
In this post spot we have considered horses and birds and airplanes and even go-carts to imagine thrusting headlong into an unknown future. Flying without the benefit of a machine seems the most freeing. Oh, to be a bird, flitting far above the worries of this world, a tiny birdbrain giving no thought to the…