Honing Writing Skills. . .If not now, when?
Abbey wants to go outside. Our dog is getting old. And she stopped eating very much awhile ago. But she liked the pizza crusts I gave her! The well-formulated dog food? Not so much.
She’s about 100 years old in people years. And she wants to go outside because she doesn’t like having her picture taken. It would be easier getting a portrait photo (including those soulful eyes) of one of the basketball players at the University of Richmond racing down the court.
Explain why you chose your blog’s title and what it means to you.
Daily Promptness is the name of this blog and (as you can probably guess) it didn’t take a long time to come up with it. I wanted something that would associate the blog with the Daily Prompts created by WordPress. And I wanted to make the point that there is some discipline involved in doing this sort of thing. Promptness suggests being on time, as in writing on a regular basis. The word prompt, of course, has at least two different meanings. It can be a catalyst for writing. A verbal cattle prod in some cases. Or it has a meaning similar to promptness.
I started this blog a few weeks ago and was writing every day. But then last weekend I went for a hike and missed a day. Then I returned and didn’t like the topic on that day. And so by yesterday I had developed a new habit. Not writing! Promptness was “out the window”. And so here we are! Struggling to write something without much luck. Discussing the difference between prompt and promptness. Putting everyone to sleep (including the author).
I would much rather be discussing cattle prods and their uses. Poor little cows. And people too, sometimes! But that’s just the old ADHD acting up. We need to stay on course and finish this thing.
Promptness is an important virtue. Being on time is a step in the right direction. I’m trying! Here’s a question for my dwindling audience. What would happen if, suddenly, everyone in the world decided to forget about promptness in their daily activities. What if no one was on time for anything? It’s probable that a lot of things would stop working.
What if there were no air traffic controllers on duty for the first hour of their shift? What if Starbucks didn’t open on time? What a nightmare! I can’t continue to think about this. None of us can. So get back to work! All of us (retired folks) are counting on you!
Describe your relationship with your phone. Is it your lifeline, a buzzing nuisance, or something in between?
I feel a slight panic if I have driven off somewhere and suddenly remember the phone is home on the charger. How did I manage to survive those many years before the mobile device was in common use?
There was a time when we were frequently alone. No one would know where we were if we did not show up for dinner. Those days are over. When my grandfather was a boy it could take days or weeks to send someone a message. Now it takes seconds.
When I first met my wife 12 or so years ago we were having fun one day playing with our mobile phones. We were having a conversation on them as we stood next to each other. There was a short delay as the words went up to the satellite and came down again. Sound passed through the air a little quicker. It was an experiment. We enjoyed doing these when we were dating.
Two years ago I was very much overweight. But I noticed this very neat app on my phone that would connect with GPS and track a walk around the neighborhood. It played my favorite music and spoke about distances traveled and speed. It compiled stats about walks. And so I lost 60 pounds. My stomach no longer has folds in it when I stand up. It’s flat and pretty hard. The yearly blood test shows everything in a normal range. I can wear shirts and suits made specifically for thin people.
So this little device has pretty much saved my life. I love it. But it can still stay home once in awhile. Because it’s good to have time alone. Leave a message. I will get back to you.
Daily Promptness 