Category: Share Your World

SHARE YOUR WORLD – 2016 WEEK 10

What would you ask for if a genie granted you three wishes?

(1) that cancer would cease to exist
(2) that all weapons would cease to exist
(3) that all people would suddenly develop tolerance, understanding, and love toward each other

I might need more than one genie to pull these off.

What experiences are most meaningful to you?

My first reaction was to say that things I do with other people (e.g., conversations, sharing meals) are the most meaningful. But I instantly realized that some experiences that I do all alone, usually away from other people, are just as meaningful (e.g., journal writing, thinking, writing, imagining).

I guess that I’d say the experiences that are the most meaningful are those that allow me to grow personally, intellectually, and spiritually.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

In high school I wanted to be a doctor. I hadn’t thought about that in a long time. I guess I don’t have too many regrets that my aspiration didn’t come to pass, as I never look back on my life now and wonder what it would have been like if I had become a doctor.

I did, however, go back to school in my later years and earn my Ph.D. at age 63. Not the same kind of doctor, but for me, now, probably a more meaningful achievement.

Complete this sentence: The best day of my life was….

I’m pretty sure everybody else’s first inclination was the same as mine: to say “the day I got married” or “the day my child was born.” But in my case, I think the most meaningful day of my life was the day I went away to college.

I spent my adolescence in a dysfunctional family situation. For six years I told myself that I just had to hold on until I went away to college. The day I finally left was the day I began my real life, the life in which I could seek out new experiences, make my own choices and decisions, and get away from constant verbal abuse and humiliation. Everything else that followed in my life, including marriage and parenthood, was a result of learning how to become my own person.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Yes, I say this every week. Last week was a good one, and this week I look forward to more of the same. Retirement is good. Every day is good. Sometimes I even lose track of what day of the week it is.

Enjoy your upcoming week, everyone!

© 2016 by Mary Daniels Brown

SHARE YOUR WORLD – 2016 WEEK 9

Have you done something you truly want to do today?

Yes indeed. I’ve written my answers to these questions. Since I started doing this weekly challenge as a way to kickstart my writing, every time I complete the exercise I’m doing something I want to do.

What can you help the world with?

I don’t imagine I can do anything that will have global impact, but I think I can make a difference in the world one individual at a time.

In a recent Share Your World post I wrote about how people who need to talk seem to find me, as if by magic. I think of that as my mission in life—to be around to give a sympathetic ear to people who need it.

If life was ‘just a bowl of cherries’… which fruit other than a cherry would you be..?

I’d probably be a spear of ripe fresh pineapple: just a little bit of tang with a large dollop of sweetness underneath.

Quotes List: At least three of your favorite quotes?

(1) “Good writing is the hardest form of thinking. It involves the agony of turning profoundly difficult thoughts into lucid form, then forcing them into the tight-fitting uniform of language, making them visible and clear. If the writing is good, then the result seems effortless and inevitable. But when you want to say something life-changing or ineffable in a single sentence, you face both the limitations of the sentence itself and the extent of your own talent.”

—Pat Conroy

(2) “What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it.”

—Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez

(3) “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.”

—Chief Seattle

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Spring began to break out last week, when we had a couple of days of sun amidst all the rain. I look forward to more of the same, as more and more shrubs, trees, and flowers are beginning to bloom. I still love spring, despite the fact that it makes my eyes sting, my nose run, and my throat to clog up.

Happy spring, and have a good week, everyone!

© 2016 by Mary Daniels Brown

SHARE YOUR WORLD – 2016 WEEK 8

What household chore do you absolutely hate doing?

Am I allowed to just say “housework in general?”

If I have to choose just one chore, it would be cleaning the bathroom shower. I only say this because the last time I got down on my knees to scrub the back of the shower, my knees audibly creaked and then I couldn’t get back up.

What was the last URL that you bookmarked?

I haven’t bookmarked a web page in a very long time because my bookmarks list got so big and convoluted that I couldn’t find anything anyway. I still occasionally look at my bookmark list if I’m trying to find something specific, but now, when I come across something on the web that I want to use, I copy the URL in the browser and then paste it into a document in Scrivener. This method allows me to collect all those wonderful articles I want to use to write a specific blog post.

Close your eyes. Listen to your body. What part of your body is seeking attention? What is it telling you?

My bladder is softly saying, “Empty me.” If I don’t listen to it now, before I know it, it will begin to scream at me. But when I’m writing, I do so hate to be interrupted by such mundane tasks as going to the bathroom.

(I hope this doesn’t make me a potty mouth.)

Would you rather have a two-bedroom apartment in a big city of your choosing or a mansion in the country side in the state or country where you currently live?

I’d go for the mansion if it come with all the help necessary to care for it. (I hate housework; see question #1.)

Downsizing to a retirement cottage forced me to get rid of some of my books. I still find myself going to the bookcase to pull out a book I know I have, only to realize that it didn’t make the move. So if I had a mansion, I’d have all the book space I need.

However, I wouldn’t want to be TOO far out into the country. I like living near services I need, such as book stores and libraries, banks and post offices, and grocery stores.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?*

Last week we had several days of glorious sunshine, and flowers began to appear all over town. I’d like some more of that for next week.

AND, on Monday morning I have to report for jury duty. I’ve never served on a jury before, and I think it would be a marvelous learning experience. I’m hoping I’ll get chosen to sit on a jury. But if I don’t get chosen, I’ll have plenty of time to read while sitting around waiting to be called. Overall, it’s a win-win situation.

Have a good week, everybody!

© 2016 by Mary Daniels Brown

SHARE YOUR WORLD – 2016 WEEK 7

What are you a “natural” at doing?

I seem to be a naturally good listener. Ever since I can remember, people have come to me to talk about their problems. And not just people whom I know well. The person sitting next to me on an airplane, the stranger in the same aisle at the grocery story, a woman I knew only from a weekly choral group—all of these people have laid their problems on me.

What I’ve learned from all these experiences is that these people are not seeking advice. No, they just need to talk the problem through for themselves, and someone whom they don’t know and whom they’ll never see again makes the perfect sounding board.

Would you prefer a one floor house or multiple levels?

Now that we’ve retired to a one-floor house, I’m glad. I spent almost my entire adult life in a two-story house, which involved three floors if you count (which I definitely do!) running up from and down to the basement to do laundry. If we hadn’t relocated for retirement, we most likely would have remained in that house for at least several more years, but now that we’ve moved to a one-floor house with a laundry room, my knees are grateful.

What was your favorite subject in school?

In grade school, I probably liked reading the best, but then in grade school I loved almost every subject. In high school, English and Latin were my favorites. I liked Latin so much that I got my B.A. and M.A. in it, since I couldn’t imagine a semester when I didn’t take a Latin course.

Complete this sentence: If only the rain…

“If only the rain would let up for just a little while” (spoken with a heavy sigh).

We get a lot of rain here in the Pacific Northwest. However, I should knock on wood, since as I’m typing this, the sun has come out. Quick! Let’s run outside!

I hope everyone has a good week.

© 2016 by Mary Daniels Brown

SHARE YOUR WORLD – 2016 WEEK 6

This week’s questions are from Inside the Actors’ Studio:

Inside the Actors Studio is an American television show on the Bravo cable television channel, hosted by James Lipton. It is produced and directed by Jeff Wurtz; the executive producer is James Lipton. The program, which premiered in 1994, is distributed internationally by CABLEready and is broadcast in 125 countries around the world reaching 89 million homes. It is currently taped at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University’s New York City campus.

(1) What is your favorite word?

equanimity (I’m also quite fond of ululation)

(2) What is your least favorite word?

Spork. It just sounds so gruff.

(3) What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Mount Rainier
Waves washing onto the shore
A good novel

(4) What turns you off?

Inaccurate or incomplete information
People who try to sound like experts but really pass on inaccurate or incomplete information
Closemindedness
Prejudice
Lack of critical thinking

(5) What is your favorite curse word?

Courtesy of Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect: “Bloody hell!”

(6) What sound or noise do you love?

Waves washing onto the shore
Birds
Babbling brooks

(7) What sound or noise do you hate?

Angry words, especially when thrown at children

(8) What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Opera diva

(9) What profession would you not like to do?

Corporate manager (any position that would require me to hold weekly departmental meetings

(10) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

“You lived a good life full of kindness and humility. Well done.”

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I got a lot of reading and writing done this past week. I hope I’ll be able to get as much done in the upcoming week.

Have a good week, everyone!

© 2016 by Mary Daniels Brown

SHARE YOUR WORLD – 2016 WEEK 5

If you had a shelf for your three most special possessions (not including photos, electronic devices and things stored on them, people or animals), what would you put on it?

(1) a candle, preferably purple, that I light before writing in my journal to signify intention
(2) a prayer bowl made by a potter who belonged to one of my book clubs that signifies unity with the earth and all of nature
(3) my current journal, which holds my aspirations and testifies to the healing power of honest writing

If you had a box labelled ‘happiness’, what would you put in it?

See answers to the question above.

Then add: my husband, my daughter, and all the books on my TBR shelves.

What do you want more of in your life?

Time. For reading, writing, thinking, spending with friends and family, smiling, loving. Oh yes, time for exercising, too.

Daily Life List: What do you do on an average day? Make a list of your usual activities you do each day.

Wake up without having set an alarm.
Get showered and dressed.
Make coffee.
Write in my journal.
Post to Literature & Psychology.
Check Facebook and Twitter.
Read news online.
Read (a book) and/or work on my essay writing.
Have dinner with my husband.
Watch some TV or read some more until bedtime.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Yesterday a group of us went on our monthly Lunch Bunch excursion. This month’s restaurant was Mexican, called the best Mexican restaurant in Tacoma by people who know more than I. I’m not a huge fan of Mexican food because I don’t do spicy, especially peppery, but the spinach quesadilla I had was mild and very good. And I do appreciate a good Margarita.

Next week we will be taking a tour of the Washington State Capitol building in Olympia, WA. This is a trip we’ve been asking for for quite some time, and I’m glad that it’s about to occur. And there will be lunch after the tour, so what’s not to like?

I hope everyone has a good week!

SHARE YOUR WORLD – 2016 WEEK 4

What one thing are you really glad you did yesterday?

I’m glad that I convinced myself to go to my office. When we retired and downsized, I no longer had room for all my books, so I got to rent an office where I keep most of my books. I have a computer at home, of course, but that office is my real workspace.

I spent most of my adult life doing freelance work from my home office, so I never had to “go to the office” to work. Well, now I do. The office is not only the place where my books reside, it’s also the place where I get most of my work done. Just being in the office lets me know that it’s time to do some serious work, not just sit and play solitaire on the computer.

Yesterday I got a later start than usual. I was tempted to just stay at home, but I finally dragged myself out and drove to the office. I’m so glad that I did, because I know that I wouldn’t have done anywhere near as much writing and reading if I had just stayed home.

Are you generally focused on today or tomorrow?

I’m probably about evenly divided between the two. Staying focused on the now has its benefits, but I’ve always felt it important to plan ahead, too. I like to take advantage of the many activities offered at our retirement community, and to do that I sometimes have to look at the weekly calendar and figure out what to do when. It’s a never-ending balancing act, but definitely an enjoyable one.

Who Would you want to have as a guardian angel/mentor? What would they tell you right now?

I’ve reached the point in my life when I can pretty much do what I want to do, and I kind of like that. I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but I feel like my own best mentor right now.

Would you rather live in a cave house or a dome house made out of glass?

Caves always pose a problem for me because I have a touch of claustrophobia. It’s not severe, but since I spend a lot of time at home I don’t think I’d want that home to be in a cave.

However, I’m also not thrilled by the thought of living in a dome house made out of glass. Right now that sounds appealing because we’ve had a few days lately when some sunshine has broken through, a welcome respite from the prevailing gloom and doom of a Pacific Northwest winter. I definitely want to be able to take advantage of that sun, but I’d also want some very good curtains that I could pull together for privacy. I’m an introvert and love my solitude, so I need to be in control of when, where, and for how long I expose myself to the world.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m definitely grateful for those smatterings of sunshine we had several days this week.

One drawback to living in a retirement community is that the people here are, well, old. In the past few months four people whom we knew quite well have died. (Several others have died as well, but I didn’t know them personally.) Those losses have made me more aware of how grateful I am just to wake up each morning. My joints are stiffer than they used to be, but at least I’m still around to climb out of bed each morning.

I hope everyone has a good week!

SHARE YOUR WORLD – 2016 WEEK 2

Do you believe in extraterrestrials or life on other planets?

Oh yes. I think we humans are awfully arrogant to think that we are the one-and-only pinnacle of existence. We also need to expand our perspective enough to realize that other forms of life may be very different from us. But the universe is so vast that it’s hard to believe there there isn’t some other form of life out there somewhere.

How many places have you lived? You can share the number of physical residences and/or the number of cities.

(1) Connecticut
(2) Upstate New York
(3) Boston
(4) New York City
(5) St. Louis
(6) Tacoma

If you given $22 million tax free dollars (any currency), what is the first thing you would do?

This question has come up a lot recently because of the huge Powerball lottery payoff. But I didn’t think too much about an answer because I don’t play the lottery. I guess my first concern would be to have enough money in reserve in case either my husband or I—or both of us—need extended care in an expensive facility (particularly a memory-care facility). After that, I’d leave the rest to feed the hungry and to provide college scholarships.

The Never List: What are things you’ve never done? Or things you know you never will do?

Things I Never Will Do

bungee jumping
zip lining
sky diving

Things I Haven’t Yet Done But Want To

ride in a hot-air balloon
take a helicopter flight into a volcano in Hawaii
see the Grand Canyon

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

The Seattle Seahawks pulled off a miraculous victory last Sunday. I looking forward to their game with the Carolina Panthers tomorrow and hoping they can do the same this week.

It’s time for 2016’s first entry: SHARE YOUR WORLD – 2016 WEEK 1.

As a child, who was your favorite relative?

My maternal grandmother, after whom I am named. She was the one person in whose eyes I could do no wrong. The best years of my childhood were the two years (ages 9–11) I spent living on the farm with my grandparents. Grandma taught me how to make biscuits. Her love and encouragement gave me the resilience I needed to make it through adolescence in a dysfunctional family relatively unscathed. I still think about her almost every day because so much of who I am today has resulted from her influence.

If you could be a tree or plant, what would you be?

I had never thought about myself as something as immobile as a plant or tree. In fact, I’ve always thought of questions like this—“If you were an animal, what animal would you be?”; “If you were a color, what color would you be?”—as rather silly.

But then I found Spiritual Dragonfly’s response to this question. She has links to finding both your birthday tree and your Celtic tree. This approach intrigued me, especially the Celtic tree because I have Irish ancestry on both sides of my family.

This is my birth tree:

Pine Tree (Feb 19 to Feb 28,Aug 24 to Sep 02):

Pine tree signifies vivacity, inventiveness and life. You are passionate, but are very susceptible to distractions. This makes you not bale to finish things at times. You are always trying to improve your life and can come up with many ways to keep you and others interested. You like sharing whatever you have with others and get along fabulously with like-minded people.

This is my Celtic tree:

Hazel – The Knower

August 5 – September 1

If you are born under the energy of the Hazel, you are highly intelligent, organized and efficient. Like the Holly, you are naturally gifted in academia, and excel in the classroom. You also have the ability to retain information and can recall, recite and expound on subjects you’ve memorized with amazing accuracy. You know your facts, and you are always well informed. This sometimes makes you appear like a know-it-all to others, but you can’t help that; you’re genuinely smart and usually know the right course of action because of your impressive knowledge base. You have an eye for detail, and like things to be “just so.” Sometimes this need for order and control can lead to compulsive behaviors if left unchecked. You have a knack for numbers, science and things that utilize your analytical skills. You like rules, although you are typically making them rather than playing by them.

Now this question doesn’t seem so silly to me.

What would be your preference, awake before dawn or awake before noon?

Definitely awake before noon. I am a night owl. Anything before 10:00 AM seems like the middle of the night to me.

Would you like to sleep in a human size nest in a tree or be snuggled in a burrowed spot underground?

This is a tough one. While I often dream that I am either flying or standing on high ground observing the scenery below, I don’t think I’d like to commit to sleeping in a nest in a tree.

On the other hand, I am just a slight bit claustrophobic, so I don’t relish the thought of sleeping underground, either. Edgar Allan Poe knew what he was doing when he wrote about being buried alive as an archetypal fear.

So I’m going to compromise here. I’d rather sleep in a human-size nest on the ground, out in the open, where I can look up at the stars.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?*

I’m grateful for the start of a new year. I look forward to starting 2016 on a positive note.

Have a good week, everyone!