RICH Man -> POOR Man August 7, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Word Play.comments closed
We’ve all heard stories of transformation from Rags to Riches ~ those individuals who became “overnight successes” (following years of obscurity and hard work).
Perhaps we’ve fantasized about making the transition from Rags to Riches ourselves, at least on occasion.
As a child, I remember playing the imagination game, “What would you do with a MILLION dollars?”
Riches also formed the cornerstone of a game of jumprope: “Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggarman, Thief . . . ”
And starred on Broadway, “If I were a Rich Man . . .” (Fiddler on the Roof)
Far fewer fantasize about transitioning in the other direction, from RICH -> POOR.
In 1878, Lewis Carroll invented the doublet, a puzzle in which a word is changed, letter by letter, into another word of the same length.
In doublet puzzles:
* The words at either end are usually related.
* Each link in the chain must be a word.
* The chain should be as short as possible.
In FUN with WORDS, I tossed out eleven (11) doublet challenges from the Guinness Book of Words, and two (2) examples:
PITCH ~ PINCH ~ WINCH ~ WENCH ~ TENCH ~ TENTH ~ TENTS
HEAD ~ HEAL ~ TEAL ~ TELL ~ TALL ~ TAIL
The transformation from RICH -> POOR can be made in 6 quick steps:
RICH
~ RICK
~~ ROCK
~~~ ROOK
~~~~ BOOK
~~~~~ BOOR
~~~~~~ POOR
Can you come up with a different chain for RICH -> POOR? A shorter one?
What are your favorite word games?
Scrabble? Boggle? Crossword Puzzles? Anagrams? Doublets? Hangman? Other?
No rules. Just write!
Related posts: FUN with WORDS ~ Anagram Antics * FUN with WORDS ~ Hangman * Which Witch Ate Eight Nome Gnomes?
Speak Your Truth . . . Quietly & Clearly August 7, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Life Balance, Mindfulness, People.comments closed
Speak Your Truth Quietly and Clearly ~ those six words from Desiderata remind me not to worry about being misinterpreted by “the few” when others appreciate my words.
When we speak our truth, quietly and clearly:
* What others take from those words is largely outside our control.
* Those who are interested listen. Others drift away.
* We don’t waste time and energy focusing on our imaginary reputations around town, or on the cyber sites we frequent.
* We avoid becoming paralyzed and unable to speak for fear of ridicule or private censure or censor.
When we speak our truth, quietly and clearly:
* We allow those we meet to take what they want and leave the rest, without chasing after them to convince them to see the world through our eyes.
* We more easily accept ourselves as we are . . . at this moment . . . while continuing to strive to be the best we can be.
When we speak our truth quietly and clearly, the need to protect our changing reputations from those of differing views diminishes in significant measure.
What is there to defend, after all?
Our glorious and fragile Egos?
Quotes to Ponder:
What you think of me is none of my business. ~ Wayne Dyer
He who trims himself to suit everyone else will soon whittle himself away.
~ Raymond Hull
Be who you are and say what you mean, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. ~ Dr. Seuss
You don’t need a permission slip to live your life.
Always remember that you don’t have to be what they want you to be. ~ Mohammad Ali
If you’re already walking on thin ice ~ why not dance?
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
To be nobody but yourself ~ in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else ~ means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. ~ e.e.cummings
No rules. Just write!
Related posts: To Agree Or Disagree * Desiderata . . . Desired Things * A Study of Contrasts * The Courage to Be Free
Spirit Lights The Way 