September 10, 2013
by BulgingButtons Leave a comment

Daily Passion Prompt 6: What I Want to be When I Grow Up

TODAY’S QUESTION

How do your friends, family, or coworkers finish the following sentence when they’re talking about you?

“You should be a _______”

Oddly I’ve never been told that I would make a fantastic deep sea fisherman. Nobody has ever suggested a career in stucco removal or bee keeping. I have yet to meet anyone who sees in me a talent for tightrope walking or bear wrestling. I do, however, keep hearing that I should write.

I do write. You’re reading it. I hear often that I’m a fairly decent writer, and sometimes people actually enjoy reading what I have to say. It’s occasionally thought provoking or amusing or enlightening (ok, maybe that one’s a stretch). But I’m told that I should “really” write. I’m not exactly certain what that means.

Do they think I should chuck my career and hole up in a cabin in the woods to produce the great American novel? I don’t think I’m a novelist. Or should I be writing reams of educational theory? Maybe something more practical like teachers’ guides would be up my alley. Or perhaps I could author a craft book of some sort. Quilting, anyone? Or scrapbooking? Of course I could just expound upon my life and times with a rockin memoir.

In spite of all these great ideas, I suppose it might be wise to start with somewhat smaller aspirations. Maybe getting a magazine or journal article published would be a good place to begin.

I know many authors. Some of them are extremely prolific, others are more like one hit wonders. Some of them are academics, laboring under a publish or perish doctrine and others are dabblers in the arts who feel the need to chronicle their ” journey.” Why not me? I can do this. I can write.

I could create an alternate world inhabited by imaginary characters that you just have to know more about. Or I could document and publish a book about my current educational endeavors. Or maybe poetry would be the correct venue for my self-expression? I’m just not sure.

Right now, while I try to figure it all out, I’ll stick to blogging. My mental gymnastics and hops from one train of thought to another don’t seem to be an issue here, so this is the perfect venue for me to try to get in touch with my inner author while I write, write, write. Stay tuned, and keep reading. I may publish something “real” yet.

September 9, 2013
by BulgingButtons 5 Comments

Daily Passion Prompt 5: Wandering the Bookstore

TODAY’S QUESTION

What’s your favorite section in the bookstore?

Okay, this daily passion prompt shouldn’t be too difficult. I love the bookstore. I imagine most bloggers do, since we write. Writers read, don’t they? They ought to, anyway, and bookstores are repositories for words. Millions and millions of words. Oh, how I love them!

So on to the prompt. Easy, right? Um, wrong. I’m not sure I exactly have a favorite section. I’m more like a diner at a fabulous buffet. I like to sample of a little of this and a little of that. I don’t want to fill up at the salad bar so I have room for the pasta station, but I can’t have too much of that or I might miss the prime rib. Oh, and dessert, don’t forget about that.

So here’s a typical bookstore visit for me: start with the tables filled with new releases and buy two get one free deals. These are generally novels, and I usually am tempted by a couple of them, but I extricate myself from their pull and move on to the craft section. Here I’m drawn to quilt books, scrapbooking books, journaling books, and general interest books on living a more creative life. How many of these books can one own? I don’t know, but I have many.

From there I wander over to the education section. Am I feeling like an activist? Do I need some inspiration? How about some fresh approaches to old topics? This is the place to browse through my colleagues’ pearls of wisdom.

Feeling inspired or overwhelmed, depending on the mood and books I’ve viewed, I generally seek self-help. Maybe it’s a new approach to eating or fitness or some fabulous new exercise routine that involves lifting red velvet doughnuts to my lips (oh how I wish). I admire the people who pen these and not only get them published, but find an audience.

From here I may wander over to the children’s section. I may feel as though we need one more biography of Ben Franklin to really understand him, or one more poetry book for motivation, or one more biography of an inspiring woman to round out our curriculum. Usually I look at the price of these books and decide that I can find appropriate resources online.

Near the end of my visit (and stamina) I may cruise past the magazines. The latest quilt magazines are fair game. They usually offer as many exciting new designs as a book for a third of the cost.

Oftentimes I leave empty handed, but I always feel as though my soul has been refueled, thanks to the power of words.

September 8, 2013
by BulgingButtons 5 Comments

Daily Passion Prompt 4: Time Stands Still

TODAY’S QUESTION

When was the last time you were in such a state of flow, that you were lost in the bliss of what you were doing?

…Almost as if time came to a momentary halt while you immersed yourself in this special thing you love to do.

…What was it that you were doing?

It’s not unusual for me to feel like time is slipping away, but it’s not usually because I’m in a state of bliss. The easiest way for me to lose track of time is to get on the internet. Pinterest, alone, can suck up hours of time that could certainly be used more productively. I enjoy it, but it’s hardly a state of bliss.

It’s similar when I’m quilting. I could spend several hours working on a quilt, but it may feel as if just a short time has passed. Again, it’s not a state of bliss, but it is a state of total absorption. Reading a good book, watching a good movie, or working on a scrapbook page can do the same thing. Those activities draw me in and, when all goes well, don’t let go until a long while later.

What makes time stand still, though, is spending time with friends. It can be sitting out by the pool drinking wine and catching up, a crazy road trip, or an evening of sewing or scrapbooking. When I’m with my girlfriends time takes on another dimension. I don’t worry about it and allow myself to get lost in those moments. Those moments are so rare and precious to me, just like my girlfriends.