Life in progress

Category Archives: Opinion


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Just Jot It Jan 9 – Power

The power of words is incredible, isn’t it? I was on the phone this afternoon with my pharmacist, ordering a refill of my son’s heart medication. Most of the people at the pharmacy are pleasant, but this one pharmacist always sounds as though I dragged him out of bed with my phone call. This is how it went:

Him: (in Eeyore’s voice) Hello. How can I help you.

Me: I need a refill of a prescription.

Him: What’s the name?

Me: Alex (his last name).

Him: Is it the mixture?

Me: Yes, that’s right.

Him: I can’t have it ready for you before tomorrow night.

Me: Oh. I need it in the afternoon.

Him: We’re busy.

Me: Can you deliver it?

Him: I guess. If it’s ready before the 4:00 delivery goes out.

Me: Okay then.

Him: Okay, bye.

Ah, the power of words. And of attitude. I wanted to say, How the hell can you be so busy when your service is lousy and you sound so miserable all the time? Cheer the fuck up! But I didn’t. What I also didn’t say was that I needed a bunch of other stuff at the pharmacy tomorrow and I was going to get it all at once. But because of his bad service and his I’m-too-tired-for-this/busy-for-your-business attitude, I’ll go somewhere else to spend my money.

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Today’s “Power” prompt came from 20/20 Hines Sight. You can find her blog here: https://2020hines-sight.com/

And, of course, very special thanks to Dan for hosting the prompt for me today! Make sure you go and visit his most excellent and entertaining blog here: http://nofacilities.com/

Finally, you can read more Just Jot It January posts and find out how to join in here: https://lindaghill.com/2017/01/09/jusjojan-daily-prompt-jan-9th17/ You can start any time!


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#SoCS – First to last

2016. My first thought out of all the things to say about it has, for months, been about how shitty it’s been. Yet personally, I’ve had a lot of things to be grateful for.

I released my first book, making me officially an author. And I had a short story accepted in an anthology, making me an accepted author.

I began taking editing courses and so far I’m doing exceptionally well.

I managed to tick off four of the nine things on my 2016 bucket list. Admittedly, one of them was teach the dog sign language, but that’s something, right?

I made a couple of new friends online.

I kept all the friends I have.

And most of all, I lived. And so did everyone in my immediate family.  (Pray I’m not jinxing anything – there are still 8 hours to go.)

I’m also very grateful for this blog and this community. I’ve lived years without the feeling of connection and they were lonely years indeed. Since I came here to WordPress I’ve felt nothing but accepted, appreciated, and part of a larger entity than ever before. Thank you, my friends.

Thank you to everyone who has commented, liked, and read my posts this year, and thanks to all who have participated in my prompts. I can’t imagine life without you.

Cheers to 2017!

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The Stream of Consciousness Saturday rules and all the other posts can be found here: https://lindaghill.com/2016/12/30/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-dec-3116/


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Writing Through the Uncertainty

I’ve heard plenty of writers say they do their best work when they’re going through loss and hardship. There’s something cathartic, after all, in getting it all out there. Putting pain on paper seems to distance us from it, at least a little. Writing can put things in perspective and let us see our thoughts more clearly.

And then there is 2016. A year of upheaval at levels many of us have never experienced. Yet one might say that most of what has happened isn’t quite personal enough. Things like the deaths of so many beloved celebrities, and a 70-year-old toddler getting closer by the day to running the White House, affect us but they don’t. I realize there are many out there who have experienced the rise of Trump as a personal change in their lives, however I can only speak from the sidelines in Canada on this. Despite the distance, I’m still quivering in fear.

Will the upheaval end with the new year? Probably not. It feels somewhat delusional to believe the number 2017 is mystical enough to somehow make the aging celebrities we all love and cherish immortal.

All this up-in-the-air-ness makes it hard for me to write. I’ve spent the last couple of days trying to figure out why, and all I can come up with is that I have no idea what I’m looking forward to. When I’m grieving, I have an idea. Though depressing, I at least know the person or thing I’m grieving for is gone. Would I trade this uncertainty for the absoluteness of grief? No way. But I still have to find a way to proceed with things as they are.

So, I look back on what made me begin writing in the first place. Just as reading is an escape for so many millions of people, writing is mine. When I’m in a world of my own creation, I’m not here. True, I’m not always certain where my characters are going, but I can live with that. Their adventures, even if disastrous, will not change my life for the worse.

I also feel I must write for all those millions (I should be so lucky to have that many people read me, so let’s say a few of those millions) who need the escape I provide. And lastly, I need to write to know that I’m not alone. And to let others who feel the way I do that they’re not alone.

I need to get back to writing daily. Writing on this blog, that is. I’ve never really stopped; I’m three days away from writing a post for every day of this year on my fiction blog. It’s all that has kept me sane at times.

My new beginning will be Just Jot It January. If I can keep up with that, at least I’ll have the first 31 days of the new year covered. Even if I can’t put my own head-salad into perspective, maybe I can help other people escape theirs for a few minutes a day.

Who’s with me?


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One-Liner Wednesday – One of Those Days

There are days when I feel there’s nothing I can’t do, and there are days when I feel I can do nothing. Today is one of those.

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If you would like to participate, feel free to use the “One-Liner Wednesday” title in your post, and if you do,
you can ping back here to help your blog get more exposure. To execute a ping back, just copy the URL in the address bar on this post, and paste it somewhere in the body of your post. Your link will show up in the comments below. Please ensure that the One-Liner Wednesday you’re pinging back to is this week’s! Otherwise, no one will likely see it but me.

NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, like Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.

As with Stream of Consciousness Saturday (SoCS), if you see a ping back from someone else in my comment section, click and have a read. It’s bound to be short and sweet.

Unlike SoCS, this is not a prompt so there’s no need to stick to the same “theme.”

The rules that I’ve made for myself (but don’t always follow) for “One-Liner Wednesday” are:

1. Make it one sentence.

2. Try to make it either funny or inspirational.

3. Use our unique tag #1linerWeds.

4. Add our very cool badge to your post for extra exposure!

5. Have fun!

#1linerWeds badge by nearlywes.com

#1linerWeds badge by nearlywes.com


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#SoCS – Doesn’t Matter

Have you ever done something embarrassing and hope nobody caught on? Of course, it happens to everyone, right? Even when I do something like that and I think nobody saw (things like writing a comment and then erasing it, or a post and then editing it, or even tripping over nothing on the street or walking into a post) I’m still embarrassed. I wonder if that’s because I’ll never be sure whether or not I got caught. So is that moot, or not? Is it moot point because no one saw it? Or is it not moot because I remain in a state of embarrassment for the sake of that ‘maybe’ or just because I’m ashamed of myself.

There is one instance I can’t get over. It involves singing too loud, and I don’t know if anyone noticed, but I beat myself up over it every time I think about it. One thing it has taught me is to be more aware of my surroundings next time.  It seems to me there’s nothing more able to teach a lesson than embarrassment. It’s not something easily forgotten.

I’m not alone here, right? Oh, how embarrassing if I am.

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This post of embarrassment is brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Click on the following link to join in and find all the other fantastic posts written for the prompt! https://lindaghill.com/2016/12/16/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-dec-1716/


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The Elephant on the Cover

I can’t stay quiet any longer. There’s an elephant in the Cover Wars room that needs to be addressed.

The wonderful people at Author Shout who host the Cover Wars contest have pitted me against a good friend. Two good friends, in fact. One wrote a book of poetry and the other designed her cover. The first is the lovely Judy E. Martin, of Rhymes of the Times fame, and the second is Chris Graham, aka The Story-Reading Ape.

If I wasn’t competing this week, I would totally be supporting Judy and Chris every step of the way. But alas, this can’t be so. War is war, after all, and one must stick up for oneself.

Having said all that, the main point of Cover Wars, for me anyway, is exposure for my novelette, All Good Stories. I’m sure Judy is thinking the same thing. So while you’re there today voting for my cover ( 😀 ), please also check out Judy’s. Each cover, when clicked, will take you to the book’s Amazon page. Why don’t you click on over and buy Judy’s book?! I haven’t read it yet, but if I know Judy, it’s awesome! Here’s the link to Author Shout, Cover Wars for the vote:  http://authorshout.com/cover-wars/ You can cast your vote once every 24 hours.

This is my beautiful cover, (drawn with love by the ever-talented Belinda Borradaile) for you to vote on:
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And here’s Judy’s! You can click on it here to go directly to its Amazon page, too.

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Thanks so much!


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The Perfect Place to Live

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We’re having a snow day. It’s the third one since school started in September. I swear, all there has to be is the slightest whiff of the white stuff and the school buses are canceled. So I’m home with Alex today, doing my best to keep him entertained instead of doing what I need to do. For instance, getting out of my pyjamas. …okay, maybe I don’t really need to do that, but you get the picture.

For many of us in Canada, snow and cold weather is something to be dreaded. Reasons vary; some of us northern dwellers only hate snow because it’s a pain the ass to drive in, some can’t stand it when they walk outside and their nose hairs freeze with the first breath (okay, most of us hate that), and some, like me, simply don’t like having cold feet all the time. But we Canadians live with it because overall, Canada is a great place to live.

Earthquakes, tornadoes, and extreme heat are just a few things that make Canada and other places on earth unpleasant at times. Yet they are, in most cases, worth suffering through to stay where we are. Is there any such thing as the perfect place to live? I mean, we all have something where we live that makes life unpleasant, or even downright terrifying at times, don’t we? .

What forces of nature make your country/state/province/island a great and yet not-so-great place to live?

After you comment, please head over to vote in Cover Wars for my book cover. You can vote once every 24 hours. Here’s the link: http://authorshout.com/cover-wars/ Both Belinda, my lovely cover artist, and I appreciate it! We’re way behind and we’ve gotta catch up!

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The War is On!

It’s official! For one week only, I’m in competition for the best book cover on Author Shout’s Cover Wars. Please head over and vote for my amazing cover, designed with love by the equally amazing and lovely Belinda Borradaile of https://idiotwriting.wordpress.com/

Here’s the link to vote: http://authorshout.com/cover-wars/ Even better, you can vote once a day for the next week. Do it now! 😀 Thank you!

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#SoCS – I Can’t Bare It

I know, I know. The right phrase is “I can’t bear it.” But it can be amusing at times what comes out of the mistaken spelling. “Bare with me,” is another. Quite inappropriate. But I try not to laugh. I’m not one to criticize people’s grammar, and it actually annoys me when people feel the need to correct every single mistake, especially when there are so many in a sentence that it’s obvious the person is, at the very least, trying their best to say something when they’re not used to writing. Or English is their second language. I’d be delighted not to have to look up the correct spelling every time I try to write in French or Japanese.

Because I just got off the phone with my dear friend James Justin from Microsoft (he’s been calling me all week, but I asked him specifically to call me this Monday coming. I think he’s starting to get annoyed that his little scam keeps getting put off). He told me today that we were going to see what’s behind my licensing issue this time. Before it was why my computer keeps freezing. I wonder what it’ll be by Monday. Anyhoo, I’m now trying to figure out if there’s any way I can get the police involved, since he’s supposed to call at 10am Monday precisely. Most times he’s called it has come up on my phone as a “Private Number,” but Tuesday, I think it was, he didn’t hide the ID. The number was 516-795-2411. I think James Justin might get fired over that oversight. Anyway, I’m going to look into it. Apparently, according to the Google search I did, the number is from New York.

It’s the time of year when I’m starting to think about whether or not to host Just Jot it January again. I had so much fun with it last year, especially with the prompts I had from all of you. I’m not sure if I’ll have enough time to keep up with it this year though. I’ve thought about getting co-hosts this year. Anyone interested? I think I know how it could work, but I’d have to nail down the details.

I’ve barely followed the prompt this week…

OH! I did want to mention the anthology I’m in is coming out this week. December 15th. I think it’s going to be a great book. I’m part of the publisher’s group on Facebook, and it seems to me I’m one of the least educated and least published of all the authors. There are university professors, lawyers, teachers… and little old me. Don’t forget to look for the After the Happily Ever After anthology!

And hey, if you’re interested in my fiction, buy my book too! 😀 Thanks!

All Good Stories

This post is brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Click the following link and join in today!

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Dec. 10/16


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How to Live When You Want to Save the World

I’m at a loss. The constant flood of news stories coming in through my Facebook feed about discrimination, hate, fear, war and people fleeing from it, protests that go nowhere, threats to freedom and civil liberties–the list goes on and on–are keeping me from living my own life. It distracts me from all the things I should be doing for myself and my family. I’m not functioning because I’m worried, both about my own future, my kids’ future, and that of the ones I can’t help.

Yes, I can hear it already. Poor me, sitting on my privileged white heterosexual ass in a nice warm house, wringing my hands but doing nothing. It’s true. I don’t feel as though I do enough, yet what can I do when I’m shut in my house up here in Canada? I want to help. I want that more than anything. It’s why I’m so obsessed with what’s going on. So far I’ve shared, I’ve given my opinions and I’ve tried to make sense of what’s going on. I’ve tried to help others put it in perspective. To encourage them to do what they can. I write because my words are the best weapon I have. I give consolation when I’m able, but to what effect? It all inevitably falls flat because I am not living it.

On the contrary, I’m not looking to be absolved for having a good life and I don’t want anyone to tell me it’s okay, that I can just go on with my life and not think about what’s going on in the world. I know I need to look after myself. I’m just not sure how to go about it.

I don’t think I’m alone in this. I’m sure there are others out there who live with this worry, and this survivor’s guilt and sense of helplessness. How do you cope when there’s nothing you can physically do? How do you separate yourself from it all, to do what you must to live your own life? We don’t help anyone, least of all ourselves, when all we do is sit at home and read the reports and wring our hands.

I fear this is the way it will be for the rest of my life. I can’t save the world, and I certainly can’t shut it off and ignore it. Perhaps I need to take a break from it though. At least long enough to care for my own family.

But I’ll never stop asking why peace is too much to ask for.