This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt word, “eavesdropper,” is brought to us by Angela. Check out her blog here!
Something I’ve noticed over the years as the mother of a Deaf son:
It’s easier to avoid being an eavesdropper on people who are using sign language. Just don’t look.
This short jot is part of Just Jot it January! Want to join in? Just click here to get to the prompt and drop your link in the comments. It’s fun!
Thanks again to Angela for today’s prompt!
This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt word, “transmission,” is brought to us by Dar. Check out her blog here!
I’m stuck. In a loop of worry for my friends south of the border, particularly those in blue states.
And the only thing I can think of that has to do with the prompt word is communication.
Unlike different periods in history when governments made excuses for the killing of their own citizens, you have something different: the ability to transmit true accounts of what actually happened within seconds of it happening.
Of course that requires the people brave enough to stick around to film the brutality. For them I am truly grateful.
Because it could happen in any country. The United States has proven that.
I hope with all my heart that what you’re enduring now can be overcome, that your country is once again free from having to worry about government overreach.
This hopeful post is part of Just Jot it January! Want to join in? Just click here to get to the prompt and drop your link in the comments. It’s fun!
Thanks again to Dar for today’s prompt!
This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt word, “chewy,” is brought to us by Liz. Check out her blog here!
I love salmon. I mean I really love salmon. It’s probably my favorite food.
But I hate when I cook it too long and it gets a bit chewy. It needs to be cooked just right.
Unless it’s not cooked at all. Because there’s nothing like salmon sashimi—a slice of salmon and nothing else.
It melts in your mouth.
I can’t wait for my birthday. My mouth is watering already.
This yummy post is part of Just Jot it January! Want to join in? Just click here to get to the prompt and drop your link in the comments. It’s fun!
Thanks again to Liz for the prompt!
This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt word, “opinion,” is brought to us by John. Check out his blog here!
I have very strong opinions on a few topics, but I rarely post about them on social media.
Particularly the topics I have strong negative opinions on.
And it bothers me that I rarely post about them—I wish I could be more vocal. I feel guilty, often, for not doing more than making the occasional comment on the post of someone who shares my opinion.
Why do I lack the courage to voice my outrage?
I’ve seen what happens.
The responses that state without reason that the original poster is wrong. The name calling and the bullying.
I don’t have the energy for that.
So I sit quietly and seethe.
And wonder how many blame me for not coming out and standing up for them. For not adding my voice to their cause.
It’s a very loud world we live in as we sit silently at our keyboards and doomscroll.
And if I let myself, I hate that I’m not contributing to the noise.
This introspective post is part of Just Jot it January! Want to join in? Just click here to get to the prompt and drop your link in the comments. It’s fun!
Thanks again to John for the prompt!
This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt word, “arms,” was chosen by Cheryl. Check out her blog here!
Unless you really try, you rarely notice how good you’ve got it until something comes along to make things worse.
I’m thinking, at the moment (because I’m really trying) of how wonderful it is to have the use of both of my arms.
A few years back, I had a frozen shoulder. My right arm was essentially useless, because every time I moved it, it hurt like the dickens. Then it got better and my other shoulder went. I never really regained the full use of my left shoulder joint, but I’m grateful for what I have.
So this is just a reminder … to remember. Remember the last time something hurt (something that got better, that is) or even the last time your nose was stuffed up, and take a moment to move and to breathe.
And enjoy doing it.
This grateful post is part of Just Jot it January! Want to join in? Just click here to get to the prompt and drop your link. It’s fun!
Thanks again to Cheryl for the prompt!
This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt word, “magnify,” was the word choice from Barbara. Check out her blog here!
The bots are at it again, scraping this website and artificially boosting my visitor and view numbers in order to feed AI.
I used to get an emotional lift out of my increased stats on WordPress. They made me want to do more, work harder; they provided incentive to keep writing.
Now?
The bots, to me, magnify the effect AI is having on our humanity.
Why bother trying when there are machines that can surpass all our efforts? Write books in the blink of an eye, draw anything we can come up with on a whim without ever putting pen to paper?
We are important, damn it.
Our efforts are important, and so are our talents. The details we envision when we create CAN NOT BE INCLUDED when a simple prompt is typed into a machine.
We must never lose our appreciation for what we create. For what we imagine. For what our lifetimes of experience supply to our work and make it human.
This soapbox-elevated post is part of Just Jot it January! Want to join in? Just click here to get to the prompt and drop your link. It’s fun!
Thanks again to Barbara for the prompt!
I don’t live a big life. My world is small.
Where once I used to travel to places like the Caribbean and Japan, my trips are reduced to the distance between my house and the grocery store, Alex’s day program, and the pharmacy. And occasionally out of town for appointments.
I don’t fly—I drive or if it’s close enough, walk.
So it’s no wonder that I live much of my life outside the confines of my office by exploring online.
And lately, the world online is nothing to write home about. Or if it is, the letter home is overshadowed with fear.
I know I said I’d try to stay away from talking about politics, and I really do try to avoid doom scrolling, but it’s all getting to the point where it affects me personally. And I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to hold out.
I don’t want to be consumed by the news. It’s not good for my health.
The question is becoming whether I want to bury my head in the sand and be surprised by whatever is going to change my life, or if it’s better to see it coming.
Stay tuned.
I’m still trying not to talk about it.
This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt word, “embrace,” comes to us from Laura. Check out her blog here!
I’m trying. But it’s hard, I tell ya.
I mean, there’s always going to be chaos. Life is unpredictable, right? And no matter how determined we are to make our plans come to light, something is bound to throw its own brand of poopstorm into the mix.
So what is a girl to do?
Embrace the chaos.
Make friends with it, tell it to come on in and do its worst, because its going to come in whether it’s invited or not.
All the things that can go wrong, from the little stuff I’ve learned to deal with like WordPress absolutely refusing to change the title of a copied post unless I go out of it and come back in again (am I the only one?), or putting stress-related heartburn in my life almost every day for the last five years … I’ve got to try to go with the flow.
Because fighting it just isn’t helping.
This surrender-y post is part of Just Jot it January! Want to join in? Just click here to get to the prompt and drop your link. It’s fun!
Thanks again to Laura for the prompt!
Back to our regular prompts, this post is part of Just Jot it January, and our prompt of the day is courtesy of Dan. Check out his blog here!
As a writer of stories, I do my best to make my character’s motivations clear. Like, not only are they doing this or that thing, but it’s obvious why they’re doing it.
And to take a step beyond that, I do my best to make sure they’re not doing something just for the sake of doing it, especially when the action is dangerous or stupid.
Which is why I don’t watch a lot of horror movies.
Why does the girl who’s about to be killed really need to go into the room where the killer is? Curiosity? Don’t be stupid!
I get that it causes tension for the viewer, but ugh!
If it makes me scream at the screen, it’s obvious to me there’s no plausible motivation behind the action.
If the character is walking into a dangerous situation, for instance if there’s a killer at the door and she answers it because she’s sure it’s someone she’s expecting, that’s good motivation.
But “ooh, what’s that weird noise in this dark room when I don’t have a pet and I believe I’m alone in the house?”
RUN! GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!
Because we all know curiosity kills more than the cat in a horror film.
This frustrated post is part of Just Jot it January! Want to join in? Just click here to get to the prompt and drop your link. It’s fun!
Thanks again to Dan for the prompt!
Our prompt word of the day today is “donut.” Thank you so much, Liz Husebye Hartmann for your fun suggestion!
Okay, today for me is going to be a true jot.
Ready?
I have an important question:
Is a Bundt cake really just a huge donut?
Discuss.
***
This jotty post is brought to you by Just Jot it January and Liz Husebye Hartmann! Thanks again, Liz Husebye Hartmann, for your yummy prompt. Please be sure to check out Liz Husebye Hartmann’s blog here!
For Just Jot it January, click the following link to see how you, too, can join in! https://lindaghill.com/2023/01/12/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-12th-2023/ It’s fun!
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