V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #80: habit

January 20, 2020.Reading time 3 minutes.

“Be careful of the habits you make,” my father used to lecture, cigarette in one hand, whiskey in the other. “They will either make of you a slave or a master.” Of course, I had no idea what he was talking about, and I hated that his sermons were always: “Do what I say, not […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #79 – subtraction

January 13, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

I adopted my father’s rage at a young age, and learned to wrestle with the best of them, typically boys, ’cause Father said never hit a girl. Most days, I’d return from school with debris in matted hair and torn stockings. Mother would shake her head, muttering: “No one will ever love you.” I heard: […]

Decisive Action

January 12, 2020.Reading time 3 minutes.

Life presents challenges and I stumble to keep up. Chronic illness continues to form the backdrop of my life, so it becomes the baseline for any actions I take. Ric and I made a commitment to our health and our community this year, and that means that I have been more physically active than usual. […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #78: action

January 6, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

Rumination is one of my fortes. I get something stuck in my head and it will spin there nonstop if I let it, even disrupting sleep. It happened recently with one of our daughters. I took something she did personally, and blew it out of proportion, convincing myself that there was no hope for our […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #77: pause

December 16, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

As the world bustles, and we rush to meet deadlines, check off to-do lists, and fulfill those party invites, find a moment to pause, look, and listen. Share a photograph, thought, or inspiration. To participate, just create a post and then link back to this one, or drop a comment or link in the comment […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #76: music

December 9, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

This week’s challenge was inspired by a new follower of mine on Twitter. His name is John Tiller, and he hails from Manchester, UK. After listening to his pinned track: “Battle Ready”, I promised to share his work, so here it is: https://johntiller.bandcamp.com/track/battle-ready John’s Twitter account is @itsjohntiller. Music is the focus this week. Share […]

VJ’s Weekly Challenge #75: satisfying

December 2, 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

“Look at this Grandma!” The video shows pink, elephant shaped, blobs falling from the sky and hitting rooftops. “It’s so satisfying!” “What’s satisfying about it?” “The way they land, and how the pink spreads out.” She then shows me another video, also satisfying, of a fingers squeezing a tube with holes in the top. Purple […]

Attempted Moderation

December 1, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

“Bah, Humbug!” Ric snarls at me as I shake my head when he reaches for a box of candy canes to throw in our cart. We are both on diets, and the Moms have clearly stated to keep the sugary treats to a minimum. “We don’t need them!” I do sound like Scrooge, and it’s […]

A Collective of Wishes

November 17, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

A circle of securityuniversalheart ease running on emptymy wishmore timeto admire the tracka bluebird dayescaping depth of a wishreminiscence if wishes came trueto be made whole. As I do from time to time, I have combined titles and phrases from this week’s entries to form a collective thought. See what a talented group we are! […]

V.J.’s Weekly Challenge #72: wish

November 11, 2019.Reading time less than 1 minute.

What’s in a wish? Do you dare to dream, to wish? This week, I challenge you to set your imagination free, unlock your heart, and wish. Look forward to your responses!

Resilience

Boxes are filling up around us. We’re making a dent in our to-do lists. Doubt seeps in. Are we doing the right thing? Then I remember all the reasons behind making this choice and affirm: We are dismantling one life to build another, purposeful existence.

Monday Mood: squirrely

The movers need to be arranged, and the closets sorted and packed, and when was the last time we bought groceries…. Head and attention are going in too many directions at once, and I’m exhausted before I get started. Might be a little cranky too. The stress of moving is real.