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A Jangle and Tangle of Keys & Change December 26, 2013

Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Word Play, Writing & Writers.
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IMGP3907If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?

Would you let go of something that isn’t working?  Or reach out to latch onto something new?

Would you swap your house, your career, your hobbies, or something more subtle ~ like your definition of “happiness” or of “success”?

What doors would you open?  What doors would you close?  What doors would you LOCK tight and mark “NO ADMITTANCE”?

Would you keep the keys?

* * * * *

A Quartet of Writing Prompts from Poets & Writers:

Change:  Our lives are constantly changing as we navigate what we can and can’t control. Every day there is a new beginning and ending ~ in big and small ways. We fall in love. We lose an eyelash. Change is complex and emotional because it reminds us of our humanity and our mortality.  Write a poem about how your life is changing. Be specific.

Keys:  Keys remind us that the world is untrustworthy and unsafe, and that locks are needed to protect loved ones and possessions from humanity’s less appealing inclinations.  Keys are also filled with memories ~ a first apartment, a new car, access to a home no longer occupied by a friend. Choose a key from your keychain, or perhaps one abandoned in the back of a kitchen drawer, and write a detailed description of the key.  Segue into broader, more meaningful thoughts.

 

Homes:  Our homes are extensions of our souls ~ the vibrant oil painting of a French villa hanging in the dining room, the tattered couch stained by a child’s bowl of ice cream in the den, the dead, blackened peace lily on an empty bookshelf. Write a poem about the home you were raised in. Focus on the decorations, the furniture, and the items that reveal the most about the people who lived among them.  In our homes, everything means something.

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Collections:  People often collect strange things for unknown reasons ~ ceramic elves from Europe, antique trout fishing lures, bamboo back scratchers from around the world. What we collect often reveals our idiosyncrasies, and therefore our true natures. Recall someone in your life who collected something intriguing or odd. Try to define the attraction, and in the process, bring that person to life.

Related sites:  Minto Florida

Comments

1. Don - December 26, 2013

Those questions Nancy can keep you occupied for the next year, even a lifetime. Very searching questions.

nrhatch - December 26, 2013

‘Tis the Season for reflection . . . fa la la la la la la la la! 😀

2. Pix Under the Oaks - December 26, 2013

If I could change one thing about my life? I think you know what that would be. I would get rid of the anxiety/worry thing. It’s better, but I hate having to work at it so damn hard. These are happy months for me so it is mostly in check.

nrhatch - December 26, 2013

I’m glad to hear that, Pix. And just think, happy months turn into happy years. 😀

Pix Under the Oaks - December 26, 2013

You are so right!

3. granny1947 - December 26, 2013

What would I change??? Just about everything!

nrhatch - December 26, 2013

Maybe 2014 will be filled with CHANGE for you, Granny.

4. Linda - December 26, 2013

Too much to list!

nrhatch - December 26, 2013

Some changes are easier to bring about than others. Hope 2014 brings desired changes your way.

5. librarylady - December 26, 2013

If I could change something in my life – hmmm, I think I would go back to two days before the High School Sadie Hawkins Dance. This time I would ask Barry who wasn’t that cute but had a crush on me, instead of Marty who was really cute but only went to the dance with me because his Mom made him be polite.
(Clearly not the most important decision in my life, but it’s always bugged me because I was so superficial and basically high school – stupid.)
O.K. if I could change something that really mattered, I would go back to before my first child was born and get a RhoGam shot so all the rest of my children would not have to deal with jaundice and anemia from RH sensitazation.

nrhatch - December 26, 2013

I suspect that “High School” is synonymous with “Stupid,” for most of us anyway. 😛

Sounds like a RhoGam shot would have been of benefit ~ hindsight is 20/20.

6. colonialist - December 27, 2013

Good questions indeed! And tempting themes. Which would need a LOT of time! *scoots off to bed*

nrhatch - December 27, 2013

That’s a WISE decision ~ to sleep, perchance to dream.

7. jannatwrites - December 27, 2013

Hmmm…I’m not sure what to change. Maybe I’ll just stick to putting more effort into my novel writing so I’ll be a little closer to my dream of writing for a living 🙂

nrhatch - December 27, 2013

That sounds like a plan! Perhaps 2014 will be a Novel Year for you.

8. Three Well Beings - December 28, 2013

I’d mainly like to start over, and this go-round use the tools I’ve acquired along the way. Maybe I’ll just pretend that this is possible, and see what I can do with the time I have left, eh? Great questions. I like “ponderables,” especially at this time of the year. There’s usually something I can start over. 🙂

nrhatch - December 28, 2013

Thanks, Debra. That’s a good sign ~> you’re enthusiastic enough about being here to want to “start over.” 😀

9. sufilight - December 28, 2013

I like your ponderable posts. I would change my lack of self-discipline in certain areas of my life. Come to think of it, the book “How to be Amazing at Anything” says all I need to do is “PRACTICE.” 🙂

nrhatch - December 28, 2013

As I read your comment, “Just Start and the Way will appear” came to mind. Half the battle is getting started. Momentum carries us forward. PRACTICE.

sufilight - December 28, 2013

Thank you for your words of wisdom.

nrhatch - December 28, 2013

Now I’m reminded of the daily battle to get me to practice the piano in grade school:

“Aw, mom . . . how come I have to practice AGAIN? I practiced yesterday for 30 minutes!” 😛

10. Eric Tonningsen - December 29, 2013

Nada! I live in the present (while acknowledging the past) and choose to be grateful for all that I am and with what I’ve been blessed. I’m cautious with “if” questions as, to me, they can suggest something other than what is. Coulda, shoulda, & woulda’s don’t garner a lot of time and attention in my life. I’ll deal with the here and now which is reality and find ways to blend the present with actions in fulfillment of my goals and dreams. Still, I can see the fun (and perhaps value), in this exercise for some. 🙂 Belated Christmas greetings, Nancy!

nrhatch - December 29, 2013

Sounds like you’ve reached the pinnacle! Watch out . . . it’s all down hill from there. 😛

Eric Tonningsen - December 29, 2013

Not sure if there is a pinnacle and looking down simply induces vertigo. 🙂

11. bluebee - December 30, 2013

Hmmm – my job, which I’m going to do when I get back from leave by resigning. I’m 50; I don’t have another job – some would say I’m foolish, but I say, life’s too damn short to toil for pigs in a trough…

nrhatch - December 30, 2013

Good for you! Life is too short to work for Greedy Meanies. I did the same thing at 50 when we decided to move to FL ~ BEFORE selling the house in MD and without jobs for either of us. So far so good. Best of luck with your changes!

I don’t think you’re a bit foolish. Signed, The Mad Hatter :mrgreen:

bluebee - December 30, 2013

:mrgreen:


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