The Silver Lining

Someone recently asked me about my "writing story."  I never have given that a lot of thought, to be honest, and I gave a rather short response.  So when a day or two later, I received an email writing prompt, asking me the very same question, I thought maybe I need to sit up and take notice. I remember learning to write my ABC's, sitting in my daddy's lap. I also remember my first grade teacher, Miss Randall, teaching me to read -- what a GIFT she gave me!  During the summer between 2nd and 3rd grades, my classmate Cathy and I wrote letters to each other.  (Darn, I wish I still had those letters, they'd be a hoot to read!)  As I grew older, I had several "pen pals" -- a couple of friends who moved away, a friend I met at the beach, an airmail penpal from Germany, and another one from Sweden. I always enjoyed reading and writing in school; my favorite English assignments always dealt with creative writing or story-telling. I kept journals an...

I've felt the urge to de-clutter in the past few months, and decided this year would be THE YEAR to do it. I am giving myself the entire year to work through this house. Hey, I only have so much energy, you know.  The latest book rage seems to be "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo.  So.... I downloaded the book and read it.  Cover to cover. In it, the author advocates touching every single item in your house and asking yourself, "Does this bring you joy?"  If it DOES, you keep it.  If not -- toss it.   (I've got to tell you, tossing the bras was truly a joyful experience!) As with most advice books, I take some of the tips and use them, modify others, and then roll my eyes (and ignore) at what I think does not fit me or my situation. For example, she suggests rolling your socks rather than stuffing one inside the other (as I've done my whole life) as a way to save space.  I started to toss that idea but thought I'...