Change of Perspective

Thanks to Cee for this week’s edition of Share Your World – June 19, 2017.

What is something that people are obsessed with but you just don’t get the point of?

The Kardashians, and other such celebrities. Really, I don’t get the fascination with other peoples’ lives. I’d rather spend my time and effort living my own life.

What quirky things do people do where you are from?

Now that we have moved from Missouri to Washington State, I have gotten used to adding “State” to declarations of where I’m from—either “State” or “the other Washington.” I also still find it a bit quirky that people here actually go outdoors to enjoy the summer sun. St. Louis is so hot and humid that I almost never went outside, unless absolutely necessary, all summer.

What are some things you wish you could unlearn?

A little over a year ago I was on a jury for a murder trial. I learned way more about guns than I ever wanted to know. I wish I could unlearn all that, especially the fact that someone could place a gun muzzle next to another human being’s head and pull the trigger.

Who is someone that you miss having in your life?

My father, who died two months before I turned 12. I have very few memories of him and feel that I didn’t know him at all.

Optional 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 that the rainy season seems to have ended and that summer has arrived. I’m also glad that the Seattle Mariners have started winning games more often. The opening month to six weeks of the season was pretty discouraging.

(Feature photo by Skitterphoto via Pixabay)

© 2017 by Mary Daniels Brown

We’ve been traveling a lot recently, and as a result I’ve been away for about two months. But I’m glad to be back participating in Share Your World again. Answering Cee’s questions always gets me thinking about myself and my life.

So thanks to Cee for this week’s installment, Share Your World – June 12, 2017.

What do you do when you’re not working? If you are retired, what do you that is not part of your regular daytime routine?

We are retired, but this is a hard question to answer. For the most part I like the routine of my life. But, of course, it’s refreshing to change things up once in a while.

My favorite way to do that is to travel. We didn’t do much traveling before retirement and are now trying to make up for lost time. We took a one-month ocean cruise that took us from Barcelona to Stockholm and stopped in the following countries:

(Click on image to see a larger version.)

After returning from that trip, we traveled from the west coast to the east coast of the USA for a family wedding. We were happy to see some relatives we hadn’t seen in quite a long time.

What would you do if you won the lottery?

I would not have been able to attend college without a generous financial aid package. If I won the lottery, I’d establish a scholarship fund. Part, though not all, of the fund would be designated for women preparing to re-enter the employment world after taking some years off to raise children.

What makes you laugh the most?

You know those videos of laughing babies that pop up frequently on Facebook? Those babies crack me up every time.

What is your biggest pet peeve with modern technology?

Actually, I’m a big fan of modern technology because it allows us to reconnect and keep in touch with people who have relocated all over the world. The only thing about technology that bugs me is the way just about everything grinds to a halt when the computers go down.

Optional 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 that I now have many opportunities to travel. And I’m also grateful to get back home. I look forward to settling back into my standard routine in the upcoming week, at least until it’s time for the next travel adventure.

I hope everyone has a fabulous week!

© 2017 by Mary Daniels Brown

Thanks to Cee for another week of Share Your World – March 27, 2017.

Does your first or middle name have any significance (or were you named after another family member)?

Both my first and middle names have family significance, as I was named after my grandmothers: Mary (maternal grandmother) and Louise (paternal grandmother).

Music or silence while working?

I used to need just about complete silence while working (because all my work consists of reading, writing, or both). But when I went back to grad school for my Ph.D. in 2005, I discovered that special music designed to increase focus helped me work effortlessly. I think that part of the reason this type of music helped me so much is that I listened with headphones that drown out most exterior sound and poured the soothing music directly into my ears.

However, I still have trouble working in an environment with even minimal noise if I’m not wearing headphones.

If you had a special place for your three most special possessions (not including photos, electronics, people or animals), what would they be?

1. A milk bottle from my grandfather’s dairy farm
2. My maternal grandmother’s sapphire engagement ring
3. My gold bracelet engraved “forever is now” that I wear in memory of my friend Frayne

The Never List: What are things you know you never will do?

1. Vote for a Republican
2. Bungee jump
3. Humiliate a child
4. Hike the Grand Canyon (while I do hope to see the Grand Canyon, I’m pretty sure I’ll never hike in it.)
5. Ride a motorcycle
6. Sky dive
7. Run a marathon
8. Learn the breaststroke
9. Summit Mount Rainier
10. Write a fantasy novel

Have a good week, everyone!

© 2017 by Mary Daniels Brown

It’s time for the next weekly installment of Share Your World – March 20, 2017.

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

Intellectually, I’m still about two years old. Everything fascinates me, and one new discovery leads to another. My favorite question is still “Why?”

Emotionally, in some circumstances I’m stuck at 12 years old, which is the age at which my adolescence of verbal and emotional abuse began. Because of that experience I’m still quick to take offense and to feel anger about anything that I perceive as a slight, insult, or even plain indifference. Since that time I’ve learned that not everything I perceive this way is an intentional negative action toward me. As a result I’m now able to modulate my emotional reactions better than I did at 12. But there’s still that immediate emotional reaction of anger, defensiveness, and desire for revenge.

Although I can’t think of a label for this next category, I think that in terms of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding I’m right where I should be for my age. I consider each wrinkle on my face as a piece of wisdom learned through experience, and I wear my wrinkles proudly.

Physically, though, my body lets me know that it’s not 20—or even 30, 40, or 50—anymore. I’m still surprised when my body gives out long before my enthusiasm for exploring new places and new experiences.

So, you’re on your way out and it’s raining. Do you know where your umbrella is or do you frantically search for it all over your apartment/house?

I usually don’t use an umbrella. I grew up in New England, where rain is often accompanied by high winds. I don’t remember how many of my umbrellas got ruined by being blown inside out before I finally decided not to waste any more money buying new ones.

Now that we live in the Pacific Northwest, where rain is frequent and not often accompanied by high winds, I’m trying to get back in the habit of using an umbrella. My husband and I now each have an umbrella (thanks to Santa last Christmas) that we keep right by the front door. We also have one in the car because here, the weather can change between heavy rain and bright sunshine in a matter of just a few minutes.

Do you recharge your energy by going out with friends for a good time or by spending with quiet time alone?

I’m an introvert, even a hermit. My idea of fun in a crowd is limited to about five or six people at a time. When I need to recharge, I want to be all alone, preferably with a good book.

Name three things you and your spouse, partner or best friend have in common.

1. Political beliefs: We’re both bleeding-hear liberals, true children of the 1960s, and proud of it.
2. Social conscience: The belief that those who have more should do more. This includes paying taxes and donating to charity.
3. We are both perfectly happy to sit down and read a book for extended periods of time.

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

I think I’m going to opt out of this question in the future, since I keep repeating myself: Last week was great, and I’m hoping for more of the same in the upcoming week.

Ain’t retirement grand?

Thanks for reading, and I hope all of you have a great week, too!

© 2017 by Mary Daniels Brown

Thanks again to Cee for this week’s challenge Share Your World – March 13, 2017.

Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?

I don’t push the button for the floor I want to go to more than once. However, if someone else comes hurrying over and wants to get onto the elevator before the doors close, I’m always very clumsy about trying to push the “open door” button. For some reason I can never figure out fast enough which is the correct button to hit:

<— | —> OR —> | <—

It shouldn’t be that hard, but for some reason it always is.

Do you plan out things usually or do you do them more spontaneous (for example if you are visiting a big city you don’t know?)

As I have said before (probably several times), I am a Virgo, which means that I always have things planned out in advance. However, I am also willing to act spontaneously if something intriguing pops up. In my later years I’ve been making a concerted effort to allow myself to be more open to possibilities.

We are going on a month-long cruise (from mid-April to mid-May) that will take us to several European cities, and I’ll let you know how being open to new experiences works out for me when we get back.

Describe yourself in at least four uplifting words.

honest
empathetic
a devoted friend
intellectually curious

If you had a choice which would be your preference salt water beaches, fresh water lakes, ocean cruise, hot tub, ski resort or desert?

I love visiting a beach where I can watch the waves roll in. But we’re also going on a couple of ocean cruises later this year that my husband and I are both looking forward to. And I like lakes.

But no hot tubs or deserts, because I don’t do well with heat and humidity (which is why I was eager to move away from St. Louis, MO). And I do not ski at all, although I’d be happy to sit by a huge stone fireplace and read. Or I’d choose to visit a ski resort in the spring or summer, when wildflowers bloom.

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

After quite a cold spell, we finally have more seasonable temperatures here in the Pacific Northwest. Our typical rainy winter/spring season doesn’t get me down, but the cold sure did. So I’m glad it’s a bit warmer, even though the rain continues.

And I know I’m in the minority on this, but I actually like the change to daylight savings time. Since I’m a night owl, I’d rather have that extra hour of daylight at the end of the day than at the beginning, when I’m asleep.

Have a good week, everyone!

© 2017 by Mary Daniels Brown