Per Linda: Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “a repeated story.” Include in your post a story you’ve repeated again and again or a story you’ve heard again and again. Or write about the phenomenon itself. Have fun!
What did you do all day? Why are you so late to the blog?
Well, it’s the same ole story. Yesterday I found a mistake a few rows back and today I’ve been Tinking back. I still haven’t reached the boo-boo. And I find the number of stitches on each needle is so different I’m going to have to get creative to get the number to match. Or tink even farther. Ugh!
When I was a young adult, my grandmothers had Alzheimer’s. Yeah. Both maternal and paternal. So when you all wonder why I work so hard at languages and learning new things and puzzling things like Sudoku, that is a fight I’m on. I’ve not been diagnosed, but at 74 I’m being as vigilant as I can.
And yes, I do repeat stories. I have since I was a child. Most people do. Maybe they don’t realize it. Or maybe they are trying to work something out in this retelling. I remember my grandmothers would tell a story once again and folks would criticize them. But I listened and saw they changed the story a bit each retelling. Sometimes I learned something new about them or others. Sometimes it just was their story. A thing that made them. How I’d love to hear them repeat one of their old tales to me again.
Think about how kids love hearing a book read to them for the umpteenth time. They’re working the story out. The rhythms, the rhymes, how it all works.
I have learned to reread or rewatch things as each time I pick up just a bit more. Not only the story but about writing, directing, acting. Or maybe more about how people differ in their relationships.
Old stories are still packed with nuggets we can learn from. Whether we are telling them or an audience member.
The lighthouse is nearly finished. It was very inexpensive. And VERY POOR quality. The diamonds move around due to glue ‘rivers’. And the diamonds are not very smooth. So as soon as I finish the last little bit I may throw it away. At least I had a small painting to try out the light pad. This was all on my lap on the recliner. It worked.
But…
From farther away it looks better and sparkles.
I love this rechargeable long life battery light pad. Here is a little info about the light pad.
Remember how Linda had the coloring prompt? It kind of faded for a lot of us. I still want to, but find the setting up and needing a place to comfortably color difficult. Instead, my husband got into the coloring apps. He even found an app that does surprise pictures. There is no outline of shapes in the picture. You just tap the number of the corresponding color. Eventually, there’s a picture. It’s funny/cute when he and I are coloring together. Retirement has it’s surprises!❤️
After I tire of a game or two, while listening to my audiobook, I start coloring. I started the above last night. My eyes got tired so I finished this morning even before coffee. ‘Masquerade’ from Phantom of the Opera played in my head as I finished.
Though I’ve not done much knitting, I did manage 45 minutes on the stationary bike then played a couple pieces on the piano. Yay!
And not to brag, but to celebrate, lookie here! Sorry if you already saw it on Facebook. But I do feel good that even with the road trip I didn’t miss a day. One lesson takes 5-15 minutes. Some days I do all 10 languages but mostly the ones I feel most passionate about. Right now, Italian and Japanese are my favs.
What are you making, how’s your Monday? Have a great week!
I had a feeling when I tried to predict rescue-dog-day-date. I think I jinxed it. The car needs oil and tire changes before we can make a longer trip to our little stores here. I am so disappointed. Sometimes, even at 74, being an adult sucks!
Just thinking about things can keep you awake at night. Half the time, you justify things done and other times, you go into full-on judgment. Jabberwokies fly or swim with jugglers who jab you in the ribs. All that from the thoughts or books before going to sleep.
At this advanced age, I am learning that I have a bit of control over this potential joyride of the brain. Just as a thought can go all wrong, and that was imagination going negative, jumping the tracks to joyful or boring ideas and letting the imagination make a jolly or juicy bit of fantasy can switch that mindset.
Sometimes, the mind wants to take over, so you must jog it or pull it to a stop with a jerk. A funny dragon, a space voyage, any story to take you away from the current darkness. Something funny or silly joke you tell yourself in the middle of that flow can slow it down. Then, the more you practice this internal journaling, the more you can do it better and better. Write them down if you can. During the day, the darker and come up with ideas to switch it over to something more fun. Sinking into the darkness doesn’t solve the problems. However, using a more positive story can lighten things and bring solutions you might not have reached in the worry world.
That is why I love writing. Imagination is the juice of my mind. By the way, my favorite jolt is to imagine diving into a pool of water and holding my breath, swimming underwater to the other end. I enjoy the quiet of the blue water. I feel the coolness on my skin, the bubbles escaping from my nose or mouth. I swim. I would rather do it in real life, but imagination greatly helps.
Courtesy of my daughter. Thanks! She was going for a walk with Maggie, her dog. They saw a Family of Four Foxes.
She only captured the one. Isn’t he/she cute?
Gratefully, I’m making strides on many levels. German is coming along. I’ve added more languages. I think 12 now. I doubt I will ever be conversant in most of them. But with two grandmothers who died from Alzheimer’s, I’m trying to keep my brain learning new things. LOTS OF NEW THINGS.
And I work both sides as much as I can. I have never been a left brained person so I do the Sudoku. I’ve nearly finished a whole book. I play math games.
Not quite this hard. Cross Math and Number Crush.
Music uses both sides, both hands. And that’s moving along, too.
Gradually the diamond paintings are coming along. I think these are mostly right-brained. The beach scene and the lighthouse cause my brain to relax and stay organized.
If you tap on the picture you can enlarge and see that I’m nearly finished.
This one is small. That is the only good thing. The glue is inconsistent, the symbols are hard to decipher. The drills are irregular. Still, both keep my hands busy.
One more thing I’m grateful for is
Gentle love and long adoring purring sessions between. Rosey and her favorite person. Grins and gratitude.
Working on my series: Haven.
Doodler (zendoodle.com)
Music major: voice and piano
Mom of four great adults
Reiki II practitioner
I have been on disability/retired for 10 years now from depression, anxiety and fibromyalgia.
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