Happy Mother’s Day! May 14, 2023
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Happiness, Humor, Life Balance.comments closed
In organizing some archival documents this week, I came across a handmade Mother’s Day Card written by my older brother in 1964, when he was 7 1/2 years old:
Dear Mommy,
I love your mink coat. I also love you more then [sic] the mink coat.
Signed
10-1-13-5-19
He must have been feeling especially prolific that year, because I came across a second handmade Mother’s Day Card written by him the same year:
Dear Mother,
I hope you will have the best Mother day [sic] anyboby [sic] ever had before!!
Signed
10-1-13-5-19
Here, I will echo his sentiments:
To all the wonderful Moms, Mothers, and Mommies out there ~
I hope you will have the best Mother’s Day anybody ever had!!
Signed
14-1-14-3-25
Aah . . . that’s better!
How The Grinch Stole . . . My Blog! December 21, 2022
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Humor.comments closed
Well, to be honest, it’s not my blog that’s been stolen. It’s right here. It’s my blogging mojo that’s gone missing.
No, not “Moose Juice” . . . MoJo.
Nope, not Moo Juice . . . MoJo.
Nope, not Goose Juice either. Although maybe a good night’s sleep (or a long winter’s nap) is what I need!
Moo-ving on . . .
In all fairness, I don’t know that the Grinch is responsible, but by pointing my finger at him (and his hairy green prone-to-thievery fingers), I’m hoping that my blogging mojo will be returned to me bright and early on Christmas morning.
Before the Feast. (Ours will be sans roast beast!)
If not on Christmas, I expect my Moose Juice will be back on Boxing Day.
Tuesday at the latest.
In the meantime, a Jolly Holiday to all . . . including the~the~the~the~Grinch!
Aah . . . that’s better!
I’ve Got Dibs! May 1, 2022
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Humor, Music & Dance.comments closed
I’ve been ignoring blog maintenance since Easter.
When I went to the Spam Filter to toss out the trash, I found it populated with 237+ Spam Messages, predominantly from the Dibs.
More specifically, I found multiple messages from William Dib, Mark Dib, Ugo Dib, Wim Dib, Paul Dib, and Ash Dib.
As well as multiple messages from Lisa Dib, Boo Dib, Mary Dib, Jane Dib, Mia Dib, Ivy Dib.
Suffice it to say, I’ve got Dibs on anything I want for the foreseeable future:
To call dibs, you usually actually say (or shout) dibs, especially while mentioning the thing you’re claiming, as in Dibs on the last slice of pizza! If you’ve got dibs, you consider yourself to have the right to the thing that you’ve made a claim to. Dibs is very informal and is mostly used by kids.
Here’s someone else who’s calling Dibs:
Aah . . . that’s better!
Like A Box of Chocolates January 21, 2022
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Mindfulness, Word Play, Writing & Writers.comments closed
The titles of magazine articles and blog posts can be misleading.
Titillating titles and teasers may grab our attention without holding it.
Great curb appeal may mask an empty shell:
Inside the vestibule, we encounter a veritable dumping ground of mish mash and pish posh with little rhyme or reason, almost as if the author tossed a bunch of unrelated thoughts into the air and allowed the hodge podge and hoi polloi to descend and settle willy nilly into disordered and discordant chaos and disarray.
Like so much falderal and fiddle dee dee.
If a post leaves me befuddled (because “the point” of the post is M.I.A.), I leave the pointless post, post haste.
Of course, the opposite also occurs.
On occasion, we stumble across a blog title so dumpy or frumpy that we lower our expectations before stepping across the threshold.
Why step inside at all?
Curiosity, perhaps. Or maybe the slim reed of hope that the dowdy exterior, like an oyster shell, houses a pearl of wisdom.
Sometimes, despite the gloomy interior heralded on the marquee, intrepid visitors are rewarded.
Instead of finding a warren of empty rooms, we encounter a brilliant flash of light as a veritable palace of jewels and gems opens before us.
What a delight when valuable insight awaits those who venture past a dingy signpost outside.
For a post with valuable time-saving advice, may I recommend:
Everything Must Be Paid For Twice, by David at Raptitude
Aah . . . that’s better!
“Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” ~ Forest Gump
The Seven Up! Strobe Effect August 15, 2021
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Life Balance, People.comments closed
Are you familiar with the Seven Up! documentary series that’s been under production for the past 50+ years?
The Up series of documentary films follows the lives of ten males and four females in England beginning in 1964, when they were seven years old. The first film was titled Seven Up!, with later films adjusting the number in the title to match the age of the subjects at the time of filming. The documentary has had nine episodes—one every seven years—thus spanning 56 years.
Film maker and Director, Michael Apted, followed the 14 children he selected for the series from the adorable age of 7 for the next 56 years, filming the trajectory of their lives through education, career, marriage, children, divorce, illness, vacations, moves, etc.
The documentary presents their lives with strobe-light like intensity ~> grade school * blink * secondary school * blink * university * blink * first job * blink * marriage * blink * children * blink * divorce * blink * retirement * blink * death
* blink *
The apt metaphor “life flies by in the blink of an eye” came to mind as we watched the existential ups and downs in 49 Up!
As each subject aged with spectacular rapidity, we considered how various life choices might be influenced just by knowing that there would be a “filmed reckoning” every 7 years ~ at ages 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, and 63.
Would we be kinder? More charitable? More cooperative? More forgiving? More generous?
Or just the opposite?
Judging from some of the random behavior caught on smart phones these days, it appears that many people don’t care who’s watching as they misbehave, throw tantrums, and have meltdowns in public places.
They refuse to change their stripes just because “the public” is watching.
In any event, the series may have ended with the recent demise of its director (who also directed Nell, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Gorillas in the Mist, Class Action, Amazing Grace, et al).
After 63 Up! aired in 2019, Michael Apted up and died. The two events are likely unrelated since Apted didn’t pass away until January 2021. At that time, a few journalists speculated that Apted committed suicide. I found no confirmation to support their unbridled sensationalism.
Perhaps Apted’s death is just one of the existential truths of his life ~ a forced retirement, if you will.
Life . . . we live it, or we miss it.
Try Try Again July 8, 2021
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Gratitude, Happiness, Humor.comments closed
After reading Ally Bean’s latest post . . . and the comments (thanks, shore acres!) . . . I resurrected the Classic Editor. HUZZAH!
I am a happy camper.
If Classic Editor remains available, maybe I’ll find some blog worthy material to share on a more regular basis.
I am also happy that Hurricane Elsa didn’t ruffle many feathers around here. A few tree limbs down, and leaves strewn around, but no significant damage.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Call Me Taciturn July 2, 2021
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Humor, Writing & Writers.comments closed
When I started Spirit Lights The Way, more than a decade ago, I posted daily and never seemed to run out of things to say.
No one would have referred to me as taciturn.
Quite the opposite.
I might have been described as loquacious, open, communicative, fluent, talkative, garrulous, chattering, prating, prattling, twaddling, verbose, gabbling, and/or cackling.
In short, a real Chatty Cathy.
In contrast, for most of June, I’ve stayed silent.
A topic comes to me. I start to flesh it out. But I don’t follow through to the FINISH line.
You might say I’ve been “ghosting” my postings.
I don’t blame the pandemic, but it’s played its part ~> social distancing in real life has encouraged me to exercise a greater degree of social media distancing.
Then again, maybe I’ve just become reserved, uncommunicative, incommunicado, reticent, and stingy with words in my old age.
Time will tell!
Aah . . . that’s better!
It’s A Wrap! December 23, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Happiness, Life Balance.comments closed
I saw this in the comment section of Joy Rose’s last post and decided to share it here . . . in the Spirit of Christmas:
Ahh . . . that’s clever!
Disentangling From Disinformation October 21, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Less IS More, Life Balance, Mindfulness.comments closed
“The Social Dilemma disrupts the disrupters by unveiling the hidden machinations happening behind everyone’s favorite social media and search platforms.”
Have you seen it yet?
What did you think?
If not, here’s a trailer designed to draw you in:
Want to dig deeper? Check out Time 100 Talks ~ Engineering A Better World (October 20, 2020), curated by Meghan & Harry (Duke and Duchess of Sussex). Meghan was marvelous!
Asking yourself, “What Can I Do?” ~> Swing by the Center for Humane Technology and Take Control!
Aah . . . that’s better!
Maybe I’m Immune October 14, 2020
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Humor, Joke, Mindfulness.comments closed
This clip is wonderful . . . worth a smile (Thanks, Colette!)
Spoiler Alert: If you’re a Trump supporter, it won’t be your cup of tea.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Spirit Lights The Way 