PROMPT: 30 Things

Daily writing prompt
List 30 things that make you happy.

1.) love; 2.) a glorious turn of phrase; 3.) discovery; 4.) walking; 5.) swimming; 6.) stumbling upon an interesting and / or novel idea; 7.) movement; 8.) travel; 9.) street food; 10.) quiet; 11.) health; 12.) recognition that when things are at their very worst, they must get better — because everything is impermanent; 13.) an intense stretch; 14.) Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass;” 15.) undiscovered country; 16.) the hanging moment; 17.) a mystery-laden world; 18.) a moment of flow; 19.) a mountain path; 20.) a clear stream; 21.) the way of non-adversariality; 22.) a thing stripped to its simplest form; 23.) the moment breath turns the tide; 24.) animals being animals; 25.) a brief instant of free fall; 26.) the recognition that something that used to cause me angst or fear no longer does; 27.) when body, movement, and the world fall into alignment; 28.) first contact with someplace / something new; 29.) connection; 30.) the first sign that the struggle is paying off.

PROMPT: Curious

Daily writing prompt
What are you curious about?

Everything… except mid-18th century Dunwich Haberdashery.

PROMPT: Describe

Daily writing prompt
How would you describe yourself to someone who can’t see you?

“Handsome beyond words.” … And then hope they continue to not be able to see me.

PROMPT: Traditions

Daily writing prompt
What traditions have you not kept that your parents had?

All of them. As a traveler, I am more an anthropologist of traditions than a practitioner of them.

PROMPT: Typical

Daily writing prompt
Was today typical?

At some level of granularity, you could slice it that way.

PROMPT: Describe Yourself

Daily writing prompt
How would you describe yourself to someone?

Of middling tallishness, perpetually perplexed, and independently impoverished.

PROMPT: Dinosaur

Daily writing prompt
If you could bring back one dinosaur, which one would it be?

Do not make me bring Jeff Goldblum up in here. [No wonder they are still rebooting those movies every two years, people are not getting the message.]

PROMPT: Plane Tickets

Daily writing prompt
If you won two free plane tickets, where would you go?

I’d start by going to wherever was listed in the destination block on the plane ticket. Maybe I’d spend some time there or maybe I’d hop on other transportation and go somewhere else in the region / country. Most places with an airport are worth seeing, but if you ever fly into Belize City, get out. (It’s an armpit surrounded by paradise on all sides.)

PROMPT: Nickname

Daily writing prompt
What’s the story behind your nickname?

It’s a shortened version of my proper name. I was born before “Weekend at Bernie’s” and before legendary comedian Bernie Mac became a comedian (at least before he became a celebrity,) and so – contrary to popular stock responses upon mention of my name – it derives from neither.

PROMPT: Health and Well-Being

Daily writing prompt
What strategies do you use to maintain your health and well-being?

Move my body. Eat my veggies. Feel gratitude regularly. Do not stick my hand down the garbage disposal. Surrender to my ignorance.