tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.comments2014-09-01T17:40:04.359-04:00Flying LessonsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13325084432311533013noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-32572442269632229302014-09-01T17:40:04.359-04:002014-09-01T17:40:04.359-04:00I always figured that at the rate an object falls,...I always figured that at the rate an object falls, you don't have enough time to build your wings if you jump off a cliff. You'd just go splat. Bradbury should have known better.Gerald Kareyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06499864393829045590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-23176143382260938052014-01-15T20:53:11.381-05:002014-01-15T20:53:11.381-05:00I really should have put "and doing what need...I really should have put "and doing what needed to be done" in big red letters. But the part I really need to remind myself of is that I *don't* have to do it all myself. The farmer doesn't have to schedule the rain clouds and replicate the DNA in every little corn plant. The eagle doesn't have to breed and raise its own rabbits. As long as I do the part I'm suppose to do, life really does take care of the rest. If it didn't, I wouldn't be here.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13325084432311533013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-16264136441981551102014-01-15T11:05:30.643-05:002014-01-15T11:05:30.643-05:00You had me right until the end, Nancy. Absolutely...You had me right until the end, Nancy. Absolutely, one can never know how far the ripples of a good deed or a job done well will extend, or when they might pay dividends back to the do-er. But I'm not enough of an optimist to think that I can _count on_ those dividends coming back just when they're needed. My version of your last sentence would be, "Life takes care of the rest of it, except when it doesn't." That said, I'm not trying to change anybody's mind. Being able to accept your last sentence as is is probably conducive to greater happiness, so more power to those who can.Perryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08245997527017702324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-16043263852442418552014-01-14T17:53:47.029-05:002014-01-14T17:53:47.029-05:00A few days ago I got a PM on my FaceBook page from...A few days ago I got a PM on my FaceBook page from a high school friend who was hanging out on his wife's page and saw my post.<br />Fifty years ago, I invited him to a Sadie Hawkins Day Dance at our school. Because he was my date, I made him a corsage of a few posies and celery leaves wrapped in aluminum foil. Fifty years later he remembers it as one of his best nights in high school.<br />A purple-feathered hat, a celery corsage--we never know.Dick and Beth Mitchellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13090383837231436578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-43679062771336444902014-01-14T17:44:33.210-05:002014-01-14T17:44:33.210-05:00SNAP Nancy...you never know do you?SNAP Nancy...you never know do you?Toisonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02697600552859247870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-64396397929278361442013-10-07T23:51:44.707-04:002013-10-07T23:51:44.707-04:00Excellent piece - loved the tree frog and pebble t...Excellent piece - loved the tree frog and pebble toad's attitudes toward life and your interpretation that followed. When you live life with the intention of contributing to it, you can't fail too miserably. There will always be a new leaf to eat or problem to solve...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-79223241819172813402013-10-06T21:49:50.190-04:002013-10-06T21:49:50.190-04:00I wonder what comparable "bizarre adaptations...I wonder what comparable "bizarre adaptations" a human might be able to make use of to survive a potentially bumpy and jarring trek down? It seems to be beneficial to travel very light, for one thing. Having pretty generalized requirements for survival is another. I've made a few bump-and-bounce trips down, and I don't have the hang of thriving quite yet; I think my requirements for a fulfilled life may be too specific for the environments I land in! Lindamac - Still designing stuffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09585982035615459237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-3795915991912449122013-10-05T16:25:43.390-04:002013-10-05T16:25:43.390-04:00Nancy, this is a really fine column/blog. Thank y...Nancy, this is a really fine column/blog. Thank you for it. Especially since we were on vacation and not in attendance at Mary's platform last Sunday.<br /><br />Again, thanks. You do really good work.<br /><br />Best/ J<br /><br />John CampbellJohn Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02254905400089509024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-30045874311358825042013-06-13T18:05:20.054-04:002013-06-13T18:05:20.054-04:00Peaceful, relaxed, calm, getting along with your s...Peaceful, relaxed, calm, getting along with your spouse -- oh, the horror. And clearly you've never faced one of life's truly challenging and risky tasks - raising children. Somehow, many of us manage to do it without getting old and boring and finding contentment in blandness. Really. Where do you come up with these negative and false stereotypes? As for a truly fulfilling and useful life, there is a path between bourgeois blandness and being president of Liberia. Many of have found it, even if we occasionally indulge in a glass of Chablis (or was it an unpretentious Merlot), and a warm bath. You will also, I hopeGerald Kareyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06499864393829045590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-56534842172531722432013-06-13T07:10:41.987-04:002013-06-13T07:10:41.987-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Gerald Kareyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06499864393829045590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-38940273242282319902013-06-04T16:46:20.742-04:002013-06-04T16:46:20.742-04:00A small postscript, from a Maxine cartoon:
Life s...A small postscript, from a Maxine cartoon: <br />Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13325084432311533013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-88053208254872066552013-06-04T16:16:02.282-04:002013-06-04T16:16:02.282-04:00Mickey, this doesn't surprised me in the least...Mickey, this doesn't surprised me in the least coming from you. You are a prime example of living life to its fullest! I can't wait to share a good bottle of whiskey with you and you-know-who.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13325084432311533013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-11272884532011065232013-06-04T16:13:04.843-04:002013-06-04T16:13:04.843-04:00I think we all have to answer that question for ou...I think we all have to answer that question for ourselves. I also think that some people stop too soon. Read the second part of Ms. Sirleaf's quote about how life makes demands on you. If you start out too small, you wind up with not very much. You can't control the world, but you can control how long you want to persevere. If you like what you have, then be happy. Just don't settle for something that doesn't satisfy you. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13325084432311533013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-86047657332539748362013-06-04T15:57:17.862-04:002013-06-04T15:57:17.862-04:00Second try!I've heard Ellen Johnson Sirleaf sp...Second try!I've heard Ellen Johnson Sirleaf speak and I'm not surprised you mention her....an example of survival and achievement. As for the older generation (of which I am proud to belong despite the vilification of the 'baby boomers' and our failure to change the world) I propose to be dragged to my grave. No rocking on the porch watching the grass grow, or rocking in my room watching the paint dry. I will ROCK AND ROLL into the future, optimist to the end. I know you will too: things to do, people to see,much to accomplish? You bet! Rock it! Let the younger generation tsk tsk us and stare in disbelief.Toisonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02697600552859247870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-67116968864671987032013-06-04T13:30:35.337-04:002013-06-04T13:30:35.337-04:00Where's the line between "bourgeois bland...Where's the line between "bourgeois blandness" and "the serenity to accept what cannot be changed"? Put another way, how far does one push a dream before deciding that it will never be a reality?<br /><br />There's a saying--with much truth to it, I think--that winners write the history books. It occurs to me now that winners also write the commencement speeches. Of course, Ms. Sirleaf is to be commended, admired, and emulated for her courage and her contributions to the world. But I wonder about other people who may have tried to walk a similar path but weren't on that podium because they failed in their efforts--maybe some that were kept locked up as political prisoners until they died. Should we assume that they didn't dream as large or as passionately as Ms. Sirleaf? Or could it be that they were just less skilled and/or less lucky?<br /><br />--Perry B.Perryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08245997527017702324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-30821047883404771622013-04-19T16:14:30.348-04:002013-04-19T16:14:30.348-04:00:::flicks Bic and bobs head::::::flicks Bic and bobs head:::Lindamac - Still designing stuffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09585982035615459237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-7914960607636375342013-04-06T18:43:43.604-04:002013-04-06T18:43:43.604-04:00This has nothing to do with my enjoying the blog. ...This has nothing to do with my enjoying the blog. Nor did I realize you wanted to "please" everyone. But if all you can abide are positive comments, how will you grow as a writer? And it wasn’t all that negative, unless you are exquisitely sensitive. If you are, don’t put yourself out there for comments. <br /><br />But here you are- have a go:<br /><br />http://geraldkarey.blogspot.com<br /><br />Gerald Kareyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06499864393829045590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-28221917094289702122013-04-05T15:20:32.612-04:002013-04-05T15:20:32.612-04:00Well, you can't please everyone, can you. If y...Well, you can't please everyone, can you. If you don't enjoy reading my blog, feel free to move on to another one.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13325084432311533013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-9530416859584484022013-03-22T12:04:03.828-04:002013-03-22T12:04:03.828-04:00Unlike your blog, which is obsessively all about y...Unlike your blog, which is obsessively all about you, fiction is fiction, even if is a fictionalized account of something true in your life So quit agonizing over what it may say or reveal about you. Your reader won't care if it says something convincing and real about your characters. Get to know them (your characters, not your readers).Gerald Kareyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06499864393829045590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-39797161315204463562013-03-21T21:23:22.925-04:002013-03-21T21:23:22.925-04:00Great post, Nancy!
I'm with Toisons: if you c...Great post, Nancy!<br /><br />I'm with Toisons: if you can be this open writing about _yourself_ in this blog, I would think that being open about a fictional somebody else would be easy by comparison! You said, "I have to speak freely about what sex feels like, what anger and betrayal feel like, what it's like to dream," but is that really true? Isn't the goal to speak freely about what sex, anger, and the rest feel like _to your character_, and couldn't that be different than how they feel to you?<br /><br />I hasten to add that I've never done this myself, so my theory could be all wrong. Or maybe it's correct, but the skill of imagining feelings different from one's own comes later in one's development as a writer. Anyway, it just seemed like a logical question to ask.<br /><br />BTW, the book I'm reading and greatly enjoying right now is self-published...which suggests to me that if the story you're working on ends up being a book you're happy with, getting it out to the public may be a lot easier today than it would have been even a few years ago...Perryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08245997527017702324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-38530932350300470272013-03-21T14:25:26.704-04:002013-03-21T14:25:26.704-04:00Sounds like you just saw the next level... and got...Sounds like you just saw the next level... and got firm grasp on the ladder... and you're about to climb up. I wonder, does it help at all to speak from a different voice? I know that a lot of performers (actors, musicians...) mentally and emotionally put on a different character in order to give a less restrained performance. I don't know if that's "hiding" or if that's just practical protection of your own self, or it it's giving yourself "permission to speak freely." <br /><br />I'm glad you went back to that piece without having a word limit. I remember it; I got a little lost. I bet giving the characters some fleshing out will help the impact of them. Lindamac - Still designing stuffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09585982035615459237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-3642710785356892312013-03-21T07:55:47.417-04:002013-03-21T07:55:47.417-04:00Are you kidding? I've only been talking to you...Are you kidding? I've only been talking to you for a short time...and find you open, funny, hilarious in fact, communicative, thoughtful...hell girl! Open is what I see. You are a gutsy woman and share much. If there be wounds, there are so many of us out there willing and able to help you put some salve on them...so that we have the opportunity to hear you laugh and share more of yourself. This blog is such a wonderful opportunity for us to have some insight in the thought processes of a gifted writer. Paint on my friend! Looking forward to your book!.Toisonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02697600552859247870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-36815947282015699662013-03-15T11:11:48.226-04:002013-03-15T11:11:48.226-04:00Ooh. I'm gonna have to print out your list and...Ooh. I'm gonna have to print out your list and take it with me next time I go to the library. Lindamac - Still designing stuffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09585982035615459237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-13952872687807726012013-03-15T01:52:17.070-04:002013-03-15T01:52:17.070-04:00It is a great article.You provide great content ab...It is a great article.You provide great content about spiritual matter.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://the-equation.com/" rel="nofollow">The Equation book</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10159729733302400611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4367747477254807941.post-80970587381533379822013-03-14T13:44:57.809-04:002013-03-14T13:44:57.809-04:00Similar process would be found in just about any c...Similar process would be found in just about any creative process -- learning to play the piano, paint, cook... first, start out with some basic things that introduce you to the craft -- then imitate the masters to learn what they've already found out -- then take bits of each lesson, recombine, throw in your own ideas... try, mess up, learn, try something else, keep watching what other ideas are out there and add them to the mix. You can't help but come up with something of your own this way. <br />I can't imagine enjoying a life that just completely follows someone else's pre-defined formula. I guess it's safe and secure, and that's got to be appealing to a certain mindset, but for a creative mind, the idea of endless repetition is galling! I'm glad there are those who prefer the formula because that means we can count on consistency for medicine or orange juice or whatever. But that's not for everybody. (I remember how you were ready to climb the walls doing quality control for photo chemicals. ARGHHH!! Nothing new!!!)Lindamac - Still designing stuffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09585982035615459237noreply@blogger.com