Believe it or not, despite the fact that you see thousands and thousands of words on this blog/Facebook page, I don’t always have something to ramble about. I’m sure you’re quite surprised by this. For years, I’ve waited for some circus-like type of event to occur in our home, for one of my children to say or do something ridiculous, or for some glimpse of God’s teaching through life or scripture.
When my kids were younger it seemed there was always some off the wall story to tell. When I went through that 8 year span of what felt like constant pregnancy/nursing babies, there was always some pee-my-pants type or wretched-mastitis type of story. Like the time I peed my pants while looking for a Tony’s pizza in Alva’s market. Or like the time I peed my pants thanks to sneezing during one of the first college lectures I ever gave. Or like the time I had mastitis so badly that I was given some medication that made it clear as to why people become addicted to drugs, had to take days off of work because wearing a bra was unbearable, and in the end resulted in MRSA, three rounds of antibiotics, and a surgical incision and drainage to finally make life better.
Because my children are older and ignore me more often, can speak the English language a bit more clearly, and I’m doing my best not to embarrass them as they enter their pre-teen-hood, I don’t have quite as many stories in my pocket. For many years, I expected this and thought, hmmm….what will I do when that time comes. Luckily, my father-in-law is always coming in clutch with wisdom. The answer: writing prompts.
Here’s what I’ve learned about writing prompts over the last few days. They are scary!!
They are very scary.
Sometimes I sit down to pour my thoughts out onto my computer because I want to dive into how I feel or what I think about something that I haven’t quite worked out. I’m writing what I don’t know in order to know. But some of these prompts lead to topics that are scary.
- Recall an experience that changed your perspective on life. This was the one from the last blog. In an effort to evade stupid circumstances and pain, I was somehow able to blab for a whole blog on different fonts and indie/folk music. But, I love when the train of thought unfolds and how something so surface level can turn into reminders of God’s goodness.
- Write about the experience of meeting your significant other. Kyle’s not excited about blogs that allude to him. Get ready!
- Share the story of a time you felt betrayed. Sweet heavens. Am I allowed to write this?
- What single event has most strongly shaped who you currently are and the experience you are currently having? Hmm…surface level stories about peeing my pants or stepping on legos are calling my name.
- Describe a period of life-changing adversity and its impact on you. Alright, I can do this. There are 182 pages of writing sitting on my computer about this. We’ll just elaborate on a bit of it.
- Describe a moment where you connected with a stranger while traveling. Okay, chicken foot and airplane architect who held my baby.
- There was a tree… Dear Anne Lamott, this tree has been chopped down and I will write about it in 25 years, okay?
So, in the spaces between my children giving me ammunition for writing, I will lie here. In the scary world of writing prompts. Let’s play a fun game called Let’s Come Up With Our Own!
If there’s something you wonder about, something you are intrigued by in human behavior or thoughts, or something you’ve pondered, feel free to pop an idea down below. I realize you’re not spending your life trying to learn more about me so these can have absolutely zero to do with me and can be relevant to nearly any human in the world because let’s be real my life is just another tiny life in the midst of all the lives that have ever existed.
Feel free to write a prompt and then also respond to the prompt! I’ll read it! Here are some examples!
- Write about which toe is your favorite and why?
- What would you rename all of Santa’s reindeer?
- Tell about a time you had to dig.
- Tell about a tiny object that changed your life.
Okay! Have a great fun Monday. I’ll just be over here watching my backwards hat, black shirt, blue eyed, eye-candy build a chicken coop.
Bye friends! 🙂
My writing prompt ideas:
My answer to digging:
My grandma’s retaining wall that my grandpa had built 40 years earlier was falling and needed to be replaced. We were using railroad ties, so they were tough to set and to drill through. We had to dig big enough holes to fit railroad ties in as a “deadman” placed perpendicular to the others to keep them in place. Then, we had to drill through three consecutive railroad ties to put the iron bar in to hold them in place. The drill wasn’t quite sharp enough, so we needed more weight and I got on my dad’s back while he drilled down to set it… it’s very hard to stay on someone’s back who is trying to put their weight into a massive drill to get through 3 feet of compact wood, but after much slipping and sliding we finally got it done. And only had to repeat about 4 more times!
The story sounds boring because of my lack of descriptive and comical words, but it was at least humorous to be part of and watch😂
Gracie! First off, these prompts are top notch. I will add these to my list and can’t wait to ponder and tackle them!! Love these!!
AS for your story. Sweet heavens! This is fantastic. I can imagine this so clearly and am dying inside from how hilarious this picture is! What a day!!