MY 100th BLOG POST

Yesterday I struggled for a topic.  Many of you commented and I appreciated your support!  I knew I wasn’t alone – but it didn’t make it any easier.  One commentor suggested that perhaps inspiration would hit after I posted.  In fact – it did.

I found myself with an open hour last night ( a rare occurrence).  So I used it to read as many posts as possible – new ones especially – as I feel I have not had a chance to acquaint myself with many new slicers this year.

What a treat… such amazing, creative voices we have amongst this group.  I am always so impressed, so moved, so inspired.

I came across one post from a fellow slicer who was celebrating their 100^th blog post.  Every time I read one of these, I am astonished – just how does one do this??  That is a lot of writing.

Then… it occurred to me.  ( Yep, I am a bit slow on the uptake at times, folks.)

IF this is my third year of participating in this challenge, and IF I also made the occasional post outside of the month of March for the past 3 years – I might have actually hit 100 as well.  ( In fact, I was worried I had surpassed it and missed this milestone altogether).

So – back to my blog I went and began calculating.

What?  I checked again.

99?  99?  99!

Soooooo – tomorrow – TODAY – is my 100^th blog post – most of them as part of SOLC.

Guess I didn’t have to think too hard about a topic for today!

My post will not be anywhere near as eloquent as others’ who have written about this landmark.

That’s OK with me.

For all I really want to say is THANK YOU to this community for including me, supporting me and encouraging me along the way.  It has been a life transforming adventure – and I look forward to the continued journey with you all.

In celebration I am reposting a section of a slice from my first year of this challenge – explaining how all of you make me feel:

Sustained

                                    Affirmed

         Challenged

Supported                                        Encouraged

Cared for

                                             Loved                          Valued

Reminded

         Listened to                                                              Acknowledged

Understood

                                    Helped            Embraced

Inspired

Quotes for the day:     Strangers are just friends waiting to happen.  ~Rod McKuen

   We can only be said to be alive in those moments

               when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.  ~Thorton Wilder

Nothing To Talk About

I normally don't post until mid-day at the earliest.  I have busy mornings and I like to wait for inspiration from the day anyway.
Usually something happens that stirs up a "slice" by early evening at the latest.

Well - not today.  Have you ever waited and waited to get inspiration to write - but it just never comes?  I hate posting about not having anything to post about.

We've all been there I know - but what do you do in cases like this?  It is so frustrating -
My apologies for a pathetic post tonight - the well was dry.

Quote of the day:  “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. ” 
                                                                         ~Walt Disney Company

A Conversation

She called

I came

She cried

I hugged

She talked

I listened

She confessed

I squeezed

She shared

I supported

She confided

I nodded

She listened

I advised

She was silent

I was silent

She explained

I understood

She was brave

I was proud

I joked

She laughed

She smiled

I smiled

I left

I cried

Quote of the day:  Truth is tough.  It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch, nay, you may kick it all about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening.                                                     ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

A Late Morning Walk

We took a quiet stroll through the neighborhood this morning – my husband and I.  This is a rare occurrence.  He is the usual dog-walker each morning.  Now that his schedule has changed, however, we have a bit more time together.  

So we walked.

In spite of my not feeling well, we walked.

In spite of all there was to attend to back at home, we walked.

We chose a leisurely pace, though Kona encouraged us to speed up by tugging on her leash now and then.  We spoke little, although there was plenty to discuss.  We simply walked – enjoyed the crisp late morning air, the quiet streets, the emerging spring yards.

We traversed a new path – at least new to me – and my husband pointed out features of this house or that one. 

“These people feed the stray cats that wander our neighborhood – see the bowls they put out.”

“Look at this pencil cholla – I’d like one of those in our yard.”

“This man sold his black crossfire and bought one of those new Jeep Cherokees.”

(My husband is an avid observer of detail, as am I.)

I nodded, listened, made small talk.  We walked.

I noticed houses I had not seen before – with cosy, albeit small, front porches – inviting one to come up and sit in one of the plush chairs or cushioned benches. Come up and sip some coffee amid the clay pots of daffodils and tulips.  One after another – delicious, warm, welcoming porches.  I made mental notes of how to improve my own front porch.

We walked.  We observed.  We pondered.  We were present. A happy accident. 

Quote of the day:  Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.  

                                                                                     ~John Muir  

Transformation

My daughter is going through a rough year.  Being 15 is HARD.  Many of us forget this.  I don’t because high school was the worst four years, not the best four years, of my life.  I was so hoping that my daughter would be luckier and in her freshman year, it seemed this would be the case. Good grades, lots of friends, involvement in many activities, recognition……all good stuff!

Then sophomore year hit.  Grades plummeted, few friends, moody, closed off.  Yes, of course, I’m worried.  I’m working to keep lines of communication open.  I am checking to see if there is something REALLY wrong that needs more help than I can give.  I am praying it is just normal teenage angst.  We are working on it…everyday.  Some days I despair -

But some days….

My daughter has never been a reader – for pleasure, that is, much to my dismay.  I always figured she would eventually find a genre that would engage her and that would open up the world of books.  It just never happened.  I finally gave up hoping – it just wasn’t her thing.

Two weekends ago, however, I had taken her out for a “girls” afternoon – lunch, shopping, etc. just to spend some relaxed time together.  I don’t even recall how the subject was raised – but in the course of our conversation, she revealed her love for Shakespeare!!!!!!  She had been required to read several of his works in her honors English classes over the past few years.  And now – she loves him.

I tried not to steer my car into the lamppost.  I did my best to play it cool.  “Really?”  I calmly replied.  “What else do you want to read by him?”

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  I’d also like a new journal.”

My car immediately made a beeline for the nearest bookstore.  I have always told my kids that I will almost NEVER say no to a new book.

We found Barnes & Noble and, once inside, headed directly for the classics.  She pulled out several books that she was interested in:  Much Ado About Nothing, Cymbeline, The Tempest.

I asked her questions about what she had read in the past and why these were interesting to her.  She answered with intelligent, thoughtful responses.

We then made our way over to the sales section where they had a whole row of classic literature.  The magic got better…

She began to OOH and AAH over things like Jane Austen, Jules Verne and Charles Dickens.

“I have a list going…. there are so many books I want to read,’ she revealed.

WHAT??  Who was this person – where did my non-reading daughter go?  I still kept my cool.

“That’s great!  Why don’t you pick out one or two books now to start with?”

After about 30 minutes in the stacks, we moved over to the journals.  I have an obsession with blank journals – you can never have too many in my opinion.  My daughter has inherited this obsession.  We drooled over beautiful leather-bound books, sleek moleskin, textured paper.

She found a smooth-skinned black journal on sale.

Finally, we gravitated over to the section where they have quotes – on cards, magnets, mugs, journals, wood, etc.  Again – she has acquired my life-long passion for collection quotes and we spent a quarter of an hour sifting through various items, reading each quote, commenting on it, liking or disliking it.

All in all, it was an hour of intense bonding with my daughter that came serendipitously.  I felt like I had just met this amazing young woman for the first time.  Inside I was screaming and crying and dancing with pure joy – outside I remained calm but interested and encouraging.

I hope she gets through these years without too much drama, worry, heartache or pain – I hope that I can be there for her to help her.  I sincerely hope she and I will share more moments like this one in the years ahead.

Quotes of the day:

  

•Little children, headache; big children, heartache.  ~Italian Proverb

•Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.  ~Henry David Thoreau