It’s not about DOING, it’s about BEING

What question do I hate to be asked?   It’s the same question that I hate to ask anyone else.  “What do you DO?”  I don’t want to get to know someone by knowing what they do – we all do what we have to do to get through our lives and pay our bills. Sharing what you DO can easily become a debate on who is the most busy and has the most stuff to do.  I’ve found that no one ever wins that debate.  Focusing on what you DO can become a leveling field that tries to mark people with “who’s the most important?”

I much prefer to get to know how the person feels, or what they care deeply about.  I’d like to know what interests they have and how they enjoy spending their time.  I much prefer when a person wants to be my friend because they care about these things, than to be my friend because of what I DO.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/plead-the-fifth/

Me Time

What is my ideal Saturday morning?

I love to wake up without the alarm and cuddle with my husband, unconcerned with the time on the clock. The next best thing is taking a steaming cup of coffee out to sip it by the pool, watching the alpacas grazing and the morning around me coming to life. Feeling the warmth of the sun on my back and enjoying the most recent book of my favorite author.

Why am I not doing this today?

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/me-time/

Early Winter Morning

Beyond my open door is the complete white of six inches of fresh snowfall. There is no sidewalk to the door, no driveway, and a hill of snow that covers my little red car that I need to drive to work.

I grab the black snow shovel leaning next to my door and place it in front of me. There is only the scraping of the shovel, revealing my sidewalk, to interrupt the quietness of the early morning.

With two strips of black separating the road of white, I slowly drive my little red car, now looking like a red poodle with its puffs of white still clinging to it, traveling down the road.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/three-perfect-shots/

I Am In Midnight

I am in Midnight.

Dreams, like ghosts

Are all around me.

Unseen.  Unheard.

I am in midnight.

Somewhere a person suffers from illness.

Somewhere there is a lonely grief from loss.

Unseen.

I am in midnight.

Somewhere there is yelling and fighting.

Somewhere glass and metal crash in the streets.

Unheard.

I am in midnight.

Somewhere lovers are entwined.

Somewhere a baby is being born.

Unseen.

I am in midnight.

Somewhere words of love are spoken.

Somewhere a voice of encouragement cheers.

Unheard.

I am in midnight.

Unaware of the love and goodness.

Unaware of the hate and destruction.

Unseen.  Unheard.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/cut-off/

A Day On The Ranch

In our concrete world, it’s nice to find a place where you can connect back to nature. A place where you can follow your own biological clock instead of following a dictated schedule.   You’ll find this amazing freedom at Diamond Rose Ranch. It’s an easy drive, just off Highway 68, but when you pull your vehicle off the main highway, you’ll find yourself in a special spot where nature will wrap you in its beauty.

Walk right up to the large colonial white farmhouse and rest in the rocking chairs along the front veranda. Through the open windows you’ll smell the delicious aroma of homemade chicken soup and fresh brownies being set out for lunch. Mrs. Graver will welcome every visitor at the door, complete with her hair swept up and a kitchen towel over her shoulder.

The afternoon will offer just about everything you could wish to do. There are paths to walk, woods to hike through, and a barn full of animals to visit and feed. Or your choice might be to rest in one of the many hammocks stretched across the numerous shade trees. If you’d like a more active afternoon, you could ride their fully equipped all-terrain-vehicles around the 80-acre ranch.  Whatever your choice, you won’t be disappointed! Your day will end by enjoying an old-fashioned pig roast, complete with massive side dishes and your choice of drink.

Diamond Rose Ranch is open to the public daily, but call ahead for reservations, as they do tend to fill up fast.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/local-flavor

The Event Center

What would I do with a free plot of land and unlimited resources? I’d begin building the vision I have seen since my young adult years.   Imagine a beautiful 100 year old barn located in the soft rolling hills of southern Ohio. Just to the left of the white-washed barn is a large white gazebo, with red rosebushes surrounding its circled walls. Behind these two structures is a pond with a fountain spraying from the center. A perfect backdrop between the gazebo and barn.

To get to the gazebo, you’d have to cross the little stream that runs from the pond. There’s a wooden arched garden bridge that connects the two shores.   The trail you follow is bordered by pink Rose Thrift, their colors popping along their grassy mounds.

There would be a white open-board fence along the driveway to the barn with cottage flowers all along the way. Baby alpacas would be grazing to the right. Just beyond the alpaca field is a row of tiny cottages, their window boxes a delight of color.

Here, in this magical place, people could come to celebrate their special moments in life. They could get married. Or say goodbye to their loved one. They could stay and rest for a few days in the cottages. They could walk along the paths that connect the barn to the gazebo to the alpacas to the cottages. They could enjoy the pink of the sunrise and enjoy a glass of wine while watching the sun set.

All this is what I would do if I was given the chance to make it happen.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/a-plot-of-earth/

Global Conflict at My Front Door

We were a long line of mothers and young wives. The men we loved were walking away from us, heavily clad with their duffel bags and heavy boots. They were proud in their new uniforms, and we hoped they were prepared.

I was not prepared. I was not ready to send my son to war. They told my son that he was a part of the elite men who fight for their country. They were now comrades in a world-wide group of men who had gone before them.

All I knew was that he was my son and he would be the target of someone’s rifle or bomb.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/think-global-act-local/

Forgiveness

The morning in the barn was electrified with our anger.
Words trapped within now hurled between us.
You stormed out in anger and I was alone.
I thought we’d never come back from that one.
Then you returned and we talked.
Understanding the other isn’t always easy
Accepting another view is difficult.
Our friendship has been washed with our honesty.
And we leave the barn smiling, hand in hand once again.

If we don’t use forgiveness, we lose our relationships.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/Use-it-or-lose-it/

Refreshing Moments

The Moment in my busy day

That causes me to reflect

And refresh my soul.

 

The moment when I stop fighting and accept.

When I choose to believe.

When I feel hope for tomorrow.

When I feel peace in the pain.

 

This is the moment when I know

That my life will be different.