This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt word, “philosophy,” is brought to us by Sadje. Check out her blog here!
I’ve strayed away from it, but at one time, I closely followed the teachings of the Tao Te Ching.
The philosophy of Taoism makes a lot of sense to me.
Chapter 11
Thirty spokes share one central hub; it is the empty space within that makes the carriage useful. Clay is molded to form a vessel; it is the empty space within that makes the vessel useful.
Doors and windows are cut out to make a room; it is the empty space within that makes the room useful.
Therefore, while substance (Being) offers the benefit, emptiness (Non-being) offers the utility.
As a way to apply this to life, think about living in the present; emptying the mind of thoughts of the past and worries of the future allows a person to fully concentrate on what they’re doing, making their actions more controlled and therefore more useful to the moment.
Something worth thinking about.
This philosophical 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 Sadje for today’s word of the day!
It’s Friday already! And I’m here with your combination Daily 2026 Just Jot it January prompt and Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. This one is for SATURDAY, JANUARY 17th. It’s been a busy week for me of appointments and editing and shoveling snow. I still want to hibernate!
For those of you joining SoCS for the first time, it’s a little different than the other prompts in that it’s not always a whole or single word. If you’re joining in from JusJoJan and don’t want to write stream of consciousness style, no worries. It’s up to you. If you do want to try it, please check out the rules below. It’s fun! Here’s your Saturday prompt:
Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 17th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “favorite saying.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!
After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at this week’s prompt page and check to make sure it’s here in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome post. Anyone can join in!
To make your post more visible, use our SoCS badge! Just paste it in your Saturday post so people browsing the reader will immediately know your post is stream of consciousness and/or pin it as a widget to your site to show you’re a participant. Wear it with pride!!
You can also use the Just Jot it January badge! To find the rules for Just Jot it January, click here.
Here are the rules for SoCS:
1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.
2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.
3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.
4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.
5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.
6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!
7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.
This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt word, “rubbish,” is brought to us by Di. Check out her blog here!
I have to pay to put out my garbage in this town. I’ve never had to do that before.
As a result, I accumulate things more than I might if I could just stick five bags of garbage at the curb like I used to be able to.
I have stuff that came with me when I moved seventeen years ago that I’ve never bothered taking out of boxes. Do I need that stuff? No. Can I afford to get rid of it? No again.
So much rubbish. 🙄
It’s not hoarding if you want to get rid of it, right?
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 in the comments. It’s fun!
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!
This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt word, “celebrate,” is brought to us by Wendy. Check out her blog here!
It’s January—I may have mentioned that a time or two on my blog—which means it’s the month I celebrate my birthday.
And by celebrate, I mean I usually don’t.
Years ago, Alex would insist I buy myself a birthday cake so he could eat a sliver of it, but I don’t remember when the last time was.
My eldest son buys me dinner every year and has it delivered, then I sit at the kitchen table with a book and eat alone, like I do every other day of the year that’s not Christmas, New Year, Easter, or Thanksgiving.
It all seems a bit sad on the surface.
But do it enough years in a row, and it becomes tradition.
More of a tradition than a celebration.
I mean, seriously, who over the age of 21 wants to get older anyway, am I right?
This post really sounds like I’m whining, but I’m not.
#amhappy
This not really sad 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!
Today be Friday, so here I am with your combination Daily 2026 Just Jot it January prompt and Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. This one is for SATURDAY, JANUARY 10th. I tell you, the weather really can’t decide what it’s doing these days. All I want to do is hibernate!
Anyhoo, for those of you joining SoCS for the first time, it’s a little different than the other prompts in that it’s not always a whole or single word. If you’re joining in from JusJoJan and don’t want to write stream of consciousness style, no worries. It’s up to you. If you do want to try it, please check out the rules below. It’s fun! Here’s your Saturday prompt:
Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 10th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “don’t get me started.” Use the phrase in your post or just write about the first thing it conjures in your mind. Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!
After you’ve written your Saturday post tomorrow, please link it here at this week’s prompt page and check to make sure it’s here in the comments so others can find it and see your awesome post. Anyone can join in!
To make your post more visible, use our SoCS badge! Just paste it in your Saturday post so people browsing the reader will immediately know your post is stream of consciousness and/or pin it as a widget to your site to show you’re a participant. Wear it with pride!!
You can also use the Just Jot it January badge! To find the rules for Just Jot it January, click here.
Here are the rules for SoCS:
1. Your post must be stream of consciousness writing, meaning no editing, (typos can be fixed) and minimal planning on what you’re going to write.
2. Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be. One sentence – one thousand words. Fact, fiction, poetry – it doesn’t matter. Just let the words carry you along until you’re ready to stop.
3. There will be a prompt every week. I will post the prompt here on my blog on Friday, along with a reminder for you to join in. The prompt will be one random thing, but it will not be a subject. For instance, I will not say “Write about dogs”; the prompt will be more like, “Make your first sentence a question,” “Begin with the word ‘The’,” or simply a single word to get your started.
4. Ping back! It’s important, so that I and other people can come and read your post! For example, in your post you can write “This post is part of SoCS:” and then copy and paste the URL found in your address bar at the top of this post into yours. Your link will show up in my comments for everyone to see. The most recent pingbacks will be found at the top. NOTE: Pingbacks only work from WordPress sites. If you’re self-hosted or are participating from another host, such as Blogger, please leave a link to your post in the comments below.
5. Read at least one other person’s blog who has linked back their post. Even better, read everyone’s! If you’re the first person to link back, you can check back later, or go to the previous week, by following my category, “Stream of Consciousness Saturday,” which you’ll find right below the “Like” button on my post.
6. Copy and paste the rules (if you’d like to) in your post. The more people who join in, the more new bloggers you’ll meet and the bigger your community will get!
7. As a suggestion, tag your post “SoCS” and/or “#SoCS” for more exposure and more views.
This post is part of Just Jot it January, and the prompt word, “intentional,” is brought to us by Dan. Check out his blog here!
I try to be intentional.
By that I mean I have a bunch of things I intend to do every day, and some I intend to get around to.
To this end, I have four calendars—one on my desk that lists my daily to-dos; one that lists those and the times I intend to do them, as well as my “when I get around to it” list; one that I write in when I’ve accomplished something; and one hanging on my wall with family stuff on it.
Despite my four calendars and my best intentions, life almost always gets in the way of getting my to-dos done.
Case in point, it took me fifteen minutes to get from the paragraph above to this one because my son Alex needed my attention.
It’s this sort of “lifeyness” that makes me wonder how anyone sets schedules for themselves a year, a quarter, a month, or even a week in advance.
Maybe I just lack discipline.
Or, most likely, I’m trying to do a bunch of things that require my complete attention, so I’m afraid to get started on them lest something distract me.
So I end up doing nothing.
Maybe my number one intention needs to be closing my door for a set period of time every day and hoping for the best.
This post written with the best of intentions 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!
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