Category: Word Prompts

Struggles produce character

by Innermost Being, posted in Word Prompts

What experiences in life helped you grow the most?

The hardest experiences in my life helped me grow the most. I’ve had difficult experiences as an adult, but the difficulties of my childhood developed character that has lasted a lifetime.

I didn’t have a stable childhood. We moved a lot. My parents separated a few times and divorced when I was twelve. I spent my teenage years living with mom and seven siblings. Mom made impulsive, selfish decisions that weren’t in our best interests.

The experience of being poor taught me that money and material things are not the most important things in life. Love is more important. Being a good person is more important. Finding purpose and meaning are more important.

Being poor taught me the value of hard work but also of self-denial. I can do without and still be happy. I can delay satisfaction. Good things are worth waiting for.

When we were poor, there were people who looked down on us. I learned that my worth was not dependent on social status. I am a beloved child of God. He accepted me as I am. He gave me the strength to endure hardships. He gave me hope.

As a child, I experienced shame and embarrassment. Those experiences didn’t define me. I rose above them. I persevered. I became determined to have a better life.

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 5:3-5

I hear about parents who do everything they can to make sure their kids never have to struggle or fail. They’re not doing them any favors. Struggling helps children grow into resilient adults. Failure teaches kids to keep trying, to persist.

I did not picture myself like this

by Innermost Being, posted in Word Prompts

Is your life today what you pictured a year ago?

As I write this, I am sitting in a special chair with my face down. This is not my normal posture. So no, my life today is not what I pictured a year ago. It is not even what I pictured two months ago!

Two months ago, I was blissfully ignorant about my vision. I knew I wasn’t seeing as well as I used to but didn’t think it was a big deal. At my annual eye examination in November, I found out that I have a form of macular degeneration called retinoschisis. I had vitrectomy surgery on my left eye six days ago, which involves removing the vitreous fluid and placing gas in the eye. To ensure success, I must maintain a facedown posture for a week to keep the glass bubble at the back of my eye.

I had so much anxiety going into this procedure. First, there’s the creepiness of having anyone mess with my eye. Secondly, I’m an active person. How could I stay facedown for a week? I feared that I would get a stiff neck or sore back. Mostly, I worried about the mental and emotional toll it would take on me. I asked friends and family for prayers.

Thankfully, I have not gone stir crazy 😜 yet. I get up for a few minutes every hour. I have gone for a couple of short walks. I entertain myself by reading, listening to audiobooks, watching TV, and playing my daily word games. One of the first things I did was to listen to the first two sections of George Orwell’s 1984 but don’t want to sink further into dystopia (the present is bad enough). I am reading The Firekeepers Daughter (Angeline Boulley) and listening to All the Colors of the Dark (Chris Whitaker).

Sleeping on my stomach has been awkward, but I have been able to sleep. In addition to the chair, I rented a raised horseshoe shaped headrest. My head tends to slip off of it, and I’ve been waking up with earaches. 😴

Today is my last day of “posturing,” but it is not the end of my recovery. The gas bubble will likely take 2-4 weeks to clear. It will take a few months for my vision to stabilize. Currently, all I can see is a blur. It’s like looking through water.

There are life lessons for me in this unexpected challenge. Don’t take any part of my health for granted. Be grateful that my mind is still active and that I have the patience to endure this. Be empathetic because other people are going through much worse situations.

👁 👁 👁

From The Opening Door, a Celtic prayer:

Be blessing my face, Lord;
be blessing my eyes.
May all my eye looks on
be blessed and be bright,
my neighbors, my loved ones
be blessed in Your sight.

The Joy in Observing Nature

by Innermost Being, posted in Word Prompts

Describe one habit that brings you joy.

I love nature and make a habit of observing it. The beauty of nature and the varieties of animals and plants populating our planet bring me joy. Nature is where I find peace.

We live fairly close to a state park that has a “Wildlife Loop” where we can see bison, pronghorns, wild burros, bighorn sheep, deer, and elk. This spring, we went to see baby bison, which are called red dogs because of their cinnamon color. Babies of any species bring me joy.

I am fortunate to live close to many good trails because my favorite way to observe nature is on foot. When I hike, I often stop to look at wildflowers or to listen to birds or squirrels. I also look for cool rocks.

I have been observing and identifying wildflowers for about fifteen years. I feel joy when I find a new flower. I went on a trip all by myself to search for fairy slipper orchids this year. When I saw them, I was delighted!

I love learning about plants and animals.  Nature is good for my mental health!

A different species

by Innermost Being, posted in Word Prompts

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I remember my kindergarten teacher asking this question when I was five. She did not approve of my answer: a cat. She expected me to give the standard response, something I actually could be – nurse or teacher, perhaps. But I was just a child with a child’s imagination, and I loved cats. I still do.

It’s sad that I began my school years with a woman who did not understand small children. Her name was Mrs. Knowles. She was old and cold and stern.

I have a couple of other memories from that school year. Before school started, we moved from my mom’s home state of Indiana to my dad’s home state of Kansas. It’s strange that I do not remember this, but my brother says Mom left us. She left Dad with four or five kids ranging from one to nine years old. (I don’t know if Mom took the one-year old.) Dad did not know what to do. So he packed up his kids and drove to Kansas, and we moved in with my grandparents until he could find a home. Mom eventually rejoined the family.

I remember Mrs. Knowles asking if I wanted a carton of milk at snack time. I didn’t have any money, so I said no. I believe one carton cost a nickel. I came back to school the next day with milk money. She said, “I thought you didn’t like milk.”

I remember the class skipping around a circle. Mrs. Knowles told me that I didn’t skip correctly. I wasn’t lifting my knees high enough.

At five years old, I felt misunderstood. I gave the wrong answers. I didn’t even move right. I had much better teachers after Mrs. Knowles, but I continued to feel like a different species.

Creative Play

by Innermost Being, posted in Word Prompts

What was the last thing you did for play or fun?

I am not a creative person by nature. A couple of my sisters are, though, and when we get together, they find creative projects to do.

A couple of years ago, we painted little sleds.

Recently, I saw a picture of a wreath made with wine bottle corks. There was a link to the crafter’s website that explained how to make one. It looked like something that even I, a non-crafty person, could do.

I had been saving wine bottle corks for years, with the intention of eventually making something with them.

I bought a straw wreath base and used a glue gun to glue corks around the outside and inside of the wreath. Next, I glued corks on the surface randomly, which was perfect for a non-perfectionist. I salvaged decorative items, including little pine cones and plastic grapes, from other Christmas decorations and attached them to the wreath. The result is not perfect, but I think it turned out pretty well.

More importantly, it was fun! I got to play with my glue gun! And my cat had fun batting corks around the room!