THREW Mikes EyEz

Write about a time when you didn’t take action but wish you had. What would you do differently? – so asked the Daily Writing prompt.

I wish I had taken learning seriously when I was in my teen years. I was too busy having fun and trying to impress. When I should have been applying myself in school. I wouldn’t have been afraid to compete, I wouldn’t have seen it as useless, and I wouldn’t have seen it as uncool to be associated with the “brains” of the school.

So I would have applied myself.

Jot down the first thing that comes to your mind. – The Daily Writing prompt instructs today.

As I sat down at the computer this morning, I was thinking about one of my best friends flying out this morning to be with his sister who is in hospice as I read this prompt. His entire family is on my mind. I’ve been together with many of the siblings for many decades. Especially, the two oldest, who mean the world to me.

It got me thinking that at this age comes a lot of sorrow and grief to navigate through each year. I’ve noticed the increase in the last decade as we have lost family and close friends. It will only increase.

A few months back when the people organizing the 50th high school reunion next year were looking for some people I had to reply that two of my neighborhood childhood friends and classmates had passed.

In the past, I haven’t dealt with death well. I’m going to have to get better at it.

This reminds me that I should reach out to someone I’m estranged from and tell them I love them before anything were to happen to either of us. We have too much history to end this way.

What place in the world do you never want to visit? Why? – The Daily Writing prompt asks.

I’ve traveled so little that I never thought about the places I wouldn’t want to go. And to disparage a place I haven’t been seems a little arrogant. But what the hell, I’ll give it a shot even though after thinking about it for a few minutes I’m drawing a blank.

Ah, there it is, the answer, Mar a Lago Club. Why? What might be pretty on the outside can be ugly inside.

What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness? A good question from the Daily Writing prompt.

A phone call or visit from my children.

Listening and dancing to music.

Working on my artistic hobbies.

Ice cream sodas or snowballs depending on where I am and what time of year it is.

Driving with the top down on a warm sunny day.

Observation: The definition of “everyday things” changes a lot when you retire. Some of the above weren’t everyday things when I was working. Now I’m expanding that list of everyday things that bring me and others happiness.

Describe something you learned in high school. – Asks the Daily Writing prompt today.

This is going to take me back. Interesting question with our 50th HS reunion next year.

I learned everything and nothing.

High School was a chaotic time. Further complicated, by my use of drugs and booze. I had a lot of great times but many wasted opportunities. No pun intended.

Let’s see, I learned to type (on a typewriter) which I thought would be a useless skill needed in my future but it turned out to come in very handy in my professional career. Thank you, Ms Boone.

I learned I liked the arts and photography. Thank you, Mr Perrine.

I learned that at some point I had to serious up. Thank you Mr Streagle.

I learned I liked fast cars and the opposite sex, not in that order.

I learned I would love sports for the rest of my life.

I learned I could do better but was lazy at learning or afraid to compete, and I was too busy having a good time.

What book could you read over and over again? – Asks the Daily Writing prompt this FINE Monday morning.

I haven’t read enough books to worry about reading one over and over again. I’m sure I’ll have one if given another decade or two of retirement, but many new experiences are to be had before repeating.

I haven’t been what you would call an avid reader but I will mark and go through passages of books and read again.

Maybe I’ll discover that book this year that I want to do over and over.

The Daily Writing prompt asks – If you could be a character from a book or film, who would you be? Why?

I had trouble with this one. Then again I’m having trouble with many thoughts this morning after a late Saturday night.

Neo, from the movie The Matrix – I like the long coat, leather pants, and sunglasses look. Never worn anything close to it but it looks cool. But I’m intrigued by the power of the mind and how he uses it.

Randell Raines, from the movie Gone in 60 Seconds – I must drive that Mustang (Eleanor) and the strong sense of doing what is needed for family in the man.

John McCain in the Die Hards – I hate terrorists. And so does he.

Lastly, I’d like to be Richard Pryor in Live on the Sunset Strip or Robin Williams Live at the Met. – I’d like to feel that wit and humor flow so effortlessly, and seamlessly and see what it feels like to leave people crying in their seats with laughter.

My friends and family tell me I’m a character already.

How would you improve your community? The Daily Writing promo asks.

Normally I’d give a lot of positive and constructive ideas and thoughts. But I just returned from a short 2 day trip with my better half and I’m tired, sore and rather cranky for some reason even though it was a great time. Probably the idiot drivers on the way home that got me agitated. Either that or my back.

First I’d have to define community. I see it says a group of people living in the same place or having a particular charactorist in common.

So I’ll start with my neighborhood. 2 homes are in dire need of just being torn down before they fall down.

In the county I’d halt development. Housing specifically. We have outstripped the resources and infrastructure. The greed has been going on too long.

For the state we had better address the huge gap in the have and have not’s before serious problems develop and others worsen. Take care of our natural resources.

For the country. Get it the F together and be civil with one another or we are giving China and Russia and others like them a gift, by destroying ourselves. I’d really like to feel comfortable to where the trigger lock can be put back where it belongs.

How have you adapted to the changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic? – The Daily Writing prompt wants to know.

I was lucky and able to adapt fairly well. We get our vaccines and keep our ears open to outbreaks of RSV, Flu, COVID-19, or whatever else is going around.

Also, I was very fortunate to work from home during the outbreak and after. In some ways, this was a blessing because it helped me ease into retirement and separate myself from the attachment to the job.

I caught it a few times and hadn’t been that sick before so a new respect was gained.

I have a better appreciation for life. Now that I’m older I think and do things to stay healthier to fight off whatever I catch.

I worry more for loved ones and friends. Not like before when I would worry about the flu going around and them becoming sick for a few days. Now my worry is what is the virus that will kill many again before a grip on it can be gained.

I still can’t forgive those who villainized doctors and nurses during this time and denied known science.

It was very difficult for my better half who lost both her parents during this, and adapting to that isn’t possible. They didn’t pass from COVID-19 but from the stress of it, I believe. They were isolated during this time and couldn’t understand things. Her father became ill and we couldn’t see him in the hospital for weeks. It wasn’t till he had to go to hospice that one of his sons said he was coming to his home for his final few days.

It was worse for her mother when we couldn’t be with her at the end. Those things are not something you can change or adapt to. They are what they are, painful.

Get your Shots.

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up? – The Daily Writing prompt asks a lot of me to remember that far back.

I remember few things at the age of 5. We were only a year in our new home. I remember 4 of us played a lot of outdoor games and road bikes.

I remember helping my mom in the gardens and not liking it. In retrospect a poor decision, she had beautiful gardens around the home and could have taught me how to do landscaping.

I remember my dad struggling with his health. But boy did that Navy uniform look sharp on him. From what I can remember I think that it might have been it. I can remember wearing his hat around and we played military games a lot back then. That was till late in the year when adults were glued to the news and TV’s. Things got real serious and dad was gone a lot. It was my first history lesson. The Cuban Missile crisis.

How often do you say “no” to things that would interfere with your goals? – Ask the Daily Writing prompt.

Overall judging by my history, I’d say not often. I’m not good at saying “no.” I rarely if ever say no to family and friends. But being a little older now I find myself getting better at it. I’ve surprised myself at some things I’ve said no to in the past year or so.

My goals have moved way up the list of priorities and I always consider them first now. Life is finite and tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. So some might hear no from me once in a while in the future also.

What’s a secret skill or ability you have or wish you had? So ask the Daily Writing prompt.

I don’t know why I had a problem with this one but the answer didn’t flow like it normally does. I guess if I have any skills or abilities I hope they are not a secret by now. Then again, I do have a few now that I reflect, but if I share them the secret is out.

I wish to have the skill/ability to be a good artist and writer. I’m also wishing for my cooking skills to become special. My thought is to keep working hard on it and see if it can happen.

The Daily Writing prompt asks – Who was your most influential teacher? Why?

Wow, I had to pause on that one, I’ve had a lot of teachers in my many years of life and so many different areas of it.

If you’re talking about a traditional teachers K-12 or a college professor it brings me to two people. Two of my high school teachers, a biology teacher who said some very key things about life, and my art teacher who inspired me because I now feel the joy in doing the work that I saw he had. Hat’s off to Gene and Steven.

Professionally, another tie between two of the best System administrators I know. Joe and John. Amazing skills and dedication, great instincts/diagnosis when things went wrong, incredible calm in the eye of the hurricane. Wonderful planning from contingency to disaster in so many layers. Versatile and very talented in many disciplines of administration. Most of all, as teachers they took the time to work and help me understand. John was a patient and diligent teacher. Joe was the hard tester to see if I was learning but also a teacher in my failures. They tested me often, sometimes brutally but I never learned more in my career than working under and beside these two. Incredible mentors. Many thanks, guys.

Wow, now that I think about it 2 daughters are teachers, and my son is always teaching me new things. Kids will always teach you you’re not as smart as you think you are.

Personally another close one between my mother and my better half. And the edge goes to my better half but both have given me invaluable lessons of life and love.

So I’ve given lots of answers here when it only asked for one. And if I’ve been taught one very important lesson over the years, the answer is always “my Better Half” unless I’m going for a drive and then the answer is Miata.

What is the one word that describes you? Asks the Daily Writing prompt.

Usually, these answers are quick to leap from my mind. Not today. One word left me searching for a few minutes. First I had to wake up, this was a tough question just to put down my first emotion this morning which was hangry. A mixture of hungry, and then angry.

So I consulted a list of positive and negative adjectives. I’m guessing everyone could look at that list and pick many from both. For instance, I consider myself smart, but I’ve done stupid things. I must have picked about a dozen on the first pass through the list. Yes, some negative ones also. Yeah, I’m flawed.

How do you pin someone down to one word when we are a complex of many adjectives? But then again what an exercise it is. What is the best description of yourself in one word? It gets down to the importance of a word and its meaning. It makes you think.

I’ll go with the word – Considerate – to describe me.

What strategies do you use to cope with negative feelings? The Daily writing prompt asks.

I didn’t cope with negative feelings well during a few stages of my life. But with age comes wisdom. Well, sometimes it does. Anyway, I try to find things that I like to do and do them. And then when I’m relaxed I figure out why I had those feelings and what I want to do about them.

• Go for a ride
• Listen to some music
• Write a blog or note to a friend
• Take some pictures or do some editing
• Tinker in my workroom
• Exercise
• Call an old friend and talk about something fun
• Curl up with my better half