Anyway, Here are the submissions to Sunday's writing exercise. The assignment was:
Think about what you are most striving to learn, do, complete, or accomplish, at this time of your life. It can be a life-long goal or a simple daily task. Come up with a word or short phrase to sum this up. This word or phrase becomes your “Buzz Word.” Write the “buzz word” on a piece of paper. Next, write one sentence beginning with each letter in your "buzz word".
And here are the submissions:
ClinicallyClueless said: "Here is a quick one on my goal of becoming a psychologist."
Prepare for GRE
Stay focused on my goal to earn my doctorate
Yes, I can!! Yes, I will!!
Choose to just be me
Husband and my therapist are 100% behind me
Other people's responses are not a relection of my self worth
Let go of eating disorder
Other people's responses are not a refection of my ability to succeed
Gary, my T, believes that I will sail through school and make a great psychologist
Increase my EGO strength
Stay committed to therapy and getting better
Therapy will help me meet my goal
Gail chose SELF PRESERVE as her buzz word.
S - IT IS IMPORTANT TOS TAY TRUE TO MY VALUES
E - EXERCISE IS FREEING AND REMINDS ME OF MY STRENGTH
L - LAUGHTER IS A MUCH NEEDED EXPERIENCE AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE
F - FORGIVENESS IS CLEANSING AND LIFTS BURDEN AND BAGGAGE
P - PRAYING IS HUMBLING AS IT TESTS FAITH AND PATIENCE
R - REMEMBERING DAYS GONE BY IS BITTERSWEET
E - EXCITEMENT FOR LIFE IS A REAL MOOD UPLIFTER.
S - SADNESS IS A PART OF LIFE. IT ENHANCES THE HAPPIER TIMES.
E - ENERGY EBBS AND FLOWS.
R - RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DO MATTER
V - VACATION FROM ROUTINES HELP RESTORE BALANCE AND SANITY
E - EVERY DAY IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOVE, AND LOVE MORE.
S - IT IS IMPORTANT TOS TAY TRUE TO MY VALUES
E - EXERCISE IS FREEING AND REMINDS ME OF MY STRENGTH
L - LAUGHTER IS A MUCH NEEDED EXPERIENCE AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE
F - FORGIVENESS IS CLEANSING AND LIFTS BURDEN AND BAGGAGE
P - PRAYING IS HUMBLING AS IT TESTS FAITH AND PATIENCE
R - REMEMBERING DAYS GONE BY IS BITTERSWEET
E - EXCITEMENT FOR LIFE IS A REAL MOOD UPLIFTER.
S - SADNESS IS A PART OF LIFE. IT ENHANCES THE HAPPIER TIMES.
E - ENERGY EBBS AND FLOWS.
R - RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DO MATTER
V - VACATION FROM ROUTINES HELP RESTORE BALANCE AND SANITY
E - EVERY DAY IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOVE, AND LOVE MORE.
Dawn said, "I was kind of stretching it a bit finding a word to begin some of my sentences!" (I hear that, Dawn! It wasn't easy... but it seems you did very well.) Her buzz word is PHOTOGRAPHY
Photos, as a means of expressing oneself, has always fascinated me.
However, I have never explored this interest much.
Opening my camera's manual and studying it would help!
Taking a photography class is something I would like to do.
Often, I look to nature for inspiration.
Good photos are sometimes subjective to a person's interest.
Recognizing what makes a good photograph is something I would like to learn.
Attracting people's interest in my photographs would be cool.
Panoramic photos are interesting to me.
Hopefully I'll make the time to explore this interest.
Yellow is a pretty color in photographs.
Desiree had a free-and-easy approach to this exercise. (I love that - nice when we can cut loose and have fun). She decided to use Buzzword as her buzzword, only she did it backwards. Here's her explanation and submission:
"OK, Shen! Slept on it...still BLANK! So, what does that mean? I am a 56 year old woman, living my life without a BUZZ WORD! Does this mean I'm directionless? (OK, I just used the 'd' in "word"...perhaps I'll continue in this vein, going backwards through the letters that make up buzz word...my word can be "drow zzub" :) So, continuing now, with 'r'...am I guilty of...
Rarely taking the time to ponder my situation?
Or am I so caught up in the moment, that I give little thought to yesterday or tomorrow?
Would that seem to be a good enough explanation?
Cheating now, I'm combining the two 'z's...ZZ is an acronymn for sleep...perhaps I'm passing through life too drowsily?
Until you prodded me into being aware?
Bingo! That's it...I need to make time to focus on the areas I still need to develop! :)
Although this started out as a bit tongue-in-cheek, Shen, it seems the old saying 'never a truer word than one spoken in jest' may well apply! I really did try to come up with something profound and meaningful to dispel any notions that I might just be simple-minded, but at the moment, my days are taken up with puppies and I don't seem able to think beyond their next meal or my next trip into the garden to clean up after them ;)
Maybe this was my 'wakeup call' to remind me that I need to be more balanced? Not to become so immersed in the here and now, but stretch my mind to think about what comes afterwards? After all, these puppies are going to grow up, just as my children did and then I have to find other things to fill the gaps...I think you've got me on to something here, Shen ;
Either way, I had fun not complying strictly with the rules of this exercise!
From middle child I received this submission about the Buzzword Clean house.
"OK, Shen! Slept on it...still BLANK! So, what does that mean? I am a 56 year old woman, living my life without a BUZZ WORD! Does this mean I'm directionless? (OK, I just used the 'd' in "word"...perhaps I'll continue in this vein, going backwards through the letters that make up buzz word...my word can be "drow zzub" :) So, continuing now, with 'r'...am I guilty of...
Rarely taking the time to ponder my situation?
Or am I so caught up in the moment, that I give little thought to yesterday or tomorrow?
Would that seem to be a good enough explanation?
Cheating now, I'm combining the two 'z's...ZZ is an acronymn for sleep...perhaps I'm passing through life too drowsily?
Until you prodded me into being aware?
Bingo! That's it...I need to make time to focus on the areas I still need to develop! :)
Although this started out as a bit tongue-in-cheek, Shen, it seems the old saying 'never a truer word than one spoken in jest' may well apply! I really did try to come up with something profound and meaningful to dispel any notions that I might just be simple-minded, but at the moment, my days are taken up with puppies and I don't seem able to think beyond their next meal or my next trip into the garden to clean up after them ;)
Maybe this was my 'wakeup call' to remind me that I need to be more balanced? Not to become so immersed in the here and now, but stretch my mind to think about what comes afterwards? After all, these puppies are going to grow up, just as my children did and then I have to find other things to fill the gaps...I think you've got me on to something here, Shen ;
Either way, I had fun not complying strictly with the rules of this exercise!
From middle child I received this submission about the Buzzword Clean house.
Cancel extra magazines.
Learn to keep busy.
Eat three meals a day.
Appreciate what I have.
Notice how good I feel when something is clean.
Honor my husband by keeping a nice house.
Observe his reaction to what I have done.
Understand that this mess depresses me.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Enter into a clean home.
And finally, here's mine. Originally, I was going to write about Forgiveness. I even had it roughed out, but I felt like shifting that just a little bit to “self forgiveness” because of how this week has gone.
Shame is an out-of-control vehicle with no one at the wheel.
Erratically, it overwhelms me and sweeps me away.
Love myself?
Fear and anger come together.
Floundering, I think about how easy it is to be gentle when it’s someone else.
Overwhelming hopelessness, a traveling companion I thought I’d left behind, once again joins the wild ride.
Reaching out to others for help, I await responses I can already predict.
Giving in to worthlessness is more than I can stand, so I hide from it all.
I need to do something, but I can’t make myself do anything.
Vacantl.y I check my email, again and again and again.
Eventually, gentle replies appear but they can't ease the angst.
Nothing seems to help.
Each word and phrase I read I could have written myself because I've had the answer all along.
Sneaking a look at the little child inside, I know she doesn’t deserve to be treated this way.
Slowly, I acknowledge the truth: Accepting all that I am is the only escape.
That's it for this week. Thank you all for the great submissions - wonderful distractions and each one a reflection of an individual I feel privileged to know.
I have a lot of other stuff I want to post... but I haven't been very productive this week. It's bound to get better.