Tag Archives: life

PROMPT: Negative Feelings

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Daily writing prompt
What strategies do you use to cope with negative feelings?
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A practice of feeling gratitude is extremely beneficial in that regard. Simple meditative practices help one become aware of thoughts and feelings more quickly, before they are fed through rumination, making the down-spiral cycle easier to disrupt.

And, sometimes, I rant. This usually veers quickly into comedic territory and I’m reminded of the ridiculousness of taking human life too seriously, given the absurdity of being primates in pants who love shiny things. (It would be unimaginable if human life weren’t absurd.)

PROMPT: Lose Yourself

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Daily writing prompt
What activities do you lose yourself in?
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Any that I can. If I can’t, it’s probably a tedious work-a-day task that I’m trying to get through so that I can get back to activities in which I can lose myself.

“Death, Be Not Proud” by John Donne [w/ Audio]

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Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
 Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
 For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
 Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
 From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
 Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
 And soonest our best men with thee do go,
 Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
 Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
 And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
 And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
 And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
   One short sleep past, we wake eternally
    And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

PROMPT: 100-year-old

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Write a letter to your 100-year-old self.

Dear Sir,

Of late, we find your kungfu lacks vigor and precision. We can no longer, in good conscience, keep you in the vanguard against invading Mongolian hordes.

Try to look on the bright side.

Sincerely,

Sumwun U. Yoostahno

PROMPT: Objects / Can’t Live Without

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Daily writing prompt
What are three objects you couldn’t live without?
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I’ll need some sort of container capable of holding water, some variety of pointy stick, and something sharp like knapped flint or a length of hard metal.

“Conscientious Objector” by Edna St. Vincent Millay [w/ Audio]

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I shall die, but
   that is all that I shall do for Death.
 I hear him leading his horse out of the stall;
 I hear the clatter on the barn-floor.
 He is in haste; he has business in Cuba,
   business in the Balkans, many calls to make this morning.
 But I will not hold the bridle
   while he clinches the girth.
 And he may mount by himself:
 I will not give him a leg up.

Though he flick my shoulders with his whip,
   I will not tell him which way the fox ran.
 With his hoof on my breast, I will not tell him where
   the black boy hides in the swamp.
 I shall, die, but that is all that I shall do for Death;
  I am not on his pay-roll.

I will not tell him the whereabout of my friends
   nor of my enemies either.
 Though he promise me much,
   I will not map him the route to any man's door.
 Am I a spy in the land of the living,
   that I should deliver men to Death?
Brother, the password and the plans of our city
  are safe with me; never through me Shall you be overcome.

“Barter” by Sara Teasdale [w/ Audio]

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Life has loveliness to sell,
     All beautiful and splendid things,
 Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
     Soaring fire that sways and sings,
 And children's faces looking up
 Holding wonder like a cup.

Life has loveliness to sell,
     Music like a curve of gold,
 Scent of pine trees in the rain,
     Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
 And for your spirit's still delight,
 Holy thoughts that star the night.

Spend all you have for loveliness,
     Buy it and never count the cost;
 For one white singing hour of peace
     Count many a year of strife well lost,
 And for a breath of ecstasy
 Give all you have been, or could be.

PROMPT: Challenge

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What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?

I couldn’t possibly say. I make no claims to clairvoyance. Life happens. Sometimes the complicated things go smoothly and the simple things frustrate.

PROMPT: Advice

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Daily writing prompt
What advice would you give to your teenage self?
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Eat more veggies, mind your joints, beauty is everywhere, all is impermanence, and very few things in life actually matter (see item 4.)

PROMPT: Break

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Do you need a break? From what?

I travel for a break from the ordinary. I spend time at home (wherever that might be) for a break from novelty.