SoCS: Happy Places and Change on Planet Home Sweet Home

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “happy place.” Write the first thing that comes to mind when you think of “happy place.” Have fun!

When someone says, “Go to your happy place,” it could mean a real place, or a place you imagine in your mind. It’s nice if we have a happy place in our home. Mama Cat is sitting on my lap as I type this, watching Return of the Jedi on TNT. I don’t think Mama Cat is really watching, but my lap seems to be her happy place. In the evening, when Marley is in the back bedroom with David, Mama Cat goes between the couch and her catio. It’s her free time to wander the eastern side of the house.

Sometimes, our happy places can change. The ocean used to be one of my happy places, and I still love it, but not quite as much lately. Maybe it was the jelly fish sting from last year or the tiny organisms sometimes called “sea lice” that get caught in my swimsuit and make me itch for days. Still, the ocean is powerfully refreshing – just breathing the ocean air helps.

Here are some ocean photos. The last one is a painting I did many years ago:

Me and the ocean years ago

Walking donuts

Fully Moon Over the Ocean

Spheres on the Ocean

Now, my happy place is likely to have a lot of trees. Even if I’m in the house, I want trees around the house, you know, outside. Not necessarily growing IN the house, though that is possible. A tree house would be nice, like the ewoks have, as long as I can build it without hurting the trees….

I went to look at videos of ewok village trees, like in the ending of Jedi, but the ending has fireworks. My happy place does not include fireworks unless they are quiet. Fireflies would definitely make me happy. Fireflies make me want to dance.

Speaking of happy place and sci fi, I read something surprising about William Shatner’s reaction to going into space for real. Stopping the stream to go find it. It came from FB. I hope it’s really true that he said this. FB didn’t sensor it, so maybe it is. If so, I admire his honesty.

Okay, so I started looking this up which took me way out of the stream of consciousness. Let me just mention that I have read elsewhere that he still has hope. I think the quote above came from his new book, Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder. Sounds like a great title.

Quotes taken out of context can be misleading. I guess the main point for this post is that your happy place can change. That’s a good thing. If we have plenty of imagination, our happy place can always be with us. Still, I hope we can create more happy places on the real planet Earth. Because right now, there is no planet B. And even if there was, Earth is our home sweet home.

Fireflies still exist somewhere… Next time I see them, I will dance.

~~~

For more streams of consciousness about happy places,

visit our host, Linda Hill by clicking HERE.

SoCS: Washing the Woes Away with a Musically Inspired Meditation

Our prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “wash/awash.” Use one, use both, use ’em any way you like. Bonus points for using both. Enjoy!

Wash is one of those words that sounds funny if you say it over and over. It’s fun to say…. washhhhh… extending the sh sound.

Washing machines are good. Can you imagine life without them? Banging clothes on a rock, using soaproot, maybe going naked would be easier, or at least keeping it simple.

When I was about four years old, maybe five, we were staying with my grandmother in Washington, DC. In the basement was a wringer washing machine with two rollers above my head that squeezed the water out of the clothes after they were agitated below. My mom got her thumb caught in the wringers once, feeding the clothes through the wringer, and it was never quite the same. Another time, I tried to help and put a whole box of powdered detergent in the washer. The soapsuds came to the basement steps. It was beautiful and amazing to my young eyes. That’s how I remember it, anyway.

The prompt also took me to this song: “I’m Gonna Wash that Man Right Outta My Hair.” It’s from the musical, South Pacific, which I’m embarrassed to say, I have never seen even though I like musicals. It’s one of those odd gaps that I never saw it.

Wouldn’t it be nice if washing your hair got rid of unwanted thoughts, unwanted addictions, and uncomfortable feelings? They could all just go down the drain. Hopefully they would not get clogged up along the way down.

That could be a guided imagery thing while washing your hair, taking a shower, dancing in the rain, swimming in the ocean, or floating along the stream of consciousness, and letting the water wash away what we don’t want. Get out of my hair, you thoughts and feelings who shall not be named! I will let go of the negative thoughts and feelings, but the lessons learned from experience will remain. Everything will be all clean and fresh – at least for a few minutes, anyway – opening a path to something better.

Clean and open to possibilities

So, I went and looked at videos of the song about washing the man out and thought I might want to watch this movie some time with Glenn Close. Well, not with her unless she’s interested, but the movie starring Glen Close. After reading the synopsis, it sounds like the story contains layers of depth. Do you have a favorite version of South Pacific or a favorite song from a musical? “Singing in the Rain” comes to mind.

~~~

For more on SoCS, visit out host, Linda G. Hill by clicking HERE.

SoCS: Way Down Below the Ocean

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is:  “above/below.” Use one, use both, use ’em however they inspire you. Bonus points if you use them both. Enjoy!

The first thing I thought of was being under water. I love swimming under water in a pool with a mask so I can see the wavy lines of light. Swimming gave me great comfort in rough times. Last summer, remember when it was warm, I tried to teach my grand daughter to swim. She got really good at swimming UNDER the water, but has yet to trust the water to hold her up to swim above the water for more than a couple of strokes. She’ll get it though.

Once upon a time, I had a dream that I could swim under water and breathe under water, too. It was as natural as breathing above the water. Did you ever see the movie, The Shape of Water ? It’s one of my favorites. It’s a love story, AND it has a happy ending. It’s a strange movie. Intriguing. Some hard parts where I had to remind myself, “Its just a MOVIE.” But the ending is fascinating. Here’s the trailer:

The water creature is played by the same guy who plays the alien Saru in Star Trek Discovery, Doug Jones who is an actor, contortionist, and mime. Also staring in The Shape of Water, is Olivia Spencer who is in a lot of my favorite movies, like Hidden Figures, The Help, and she played God in The Shack. Sally Hawkins plays the main character who is mute. She did a good job.

Earlier in the stream, I thought of an old song by Donovan called “Atlantis,” because there’s the part that goes, “Way down below the ocean, where I wanna be, she may be….” or something like that.

I miss the beach and swimming. I was going to join the YMCA for the pool, but instead, joined a small, cozy gym and have been going to a personal trainer for the first time in my life. There’s a restorative yoga class there Saturday at 10 am which is why I’m going to maybe publish this post early. I am not a morning person. Maybe with the personal trainer and yoga and other classes which are part of “Silver Sneakers,” I’ll be ready to swim well by the time it gets warm enough to go in the ocean.

I took a scuba diving course in my twenties but didn’t follow up with it. Swimming under water with Scuba gear was the most wonderful feeling – like being on another planet. We ever saw a school of barracuda. I had to be in the water a lot because I get seasick on a rocking boat…. Maybe some day, I’ll go scuba diving again.

Before you watch this video of “Atlantis,” the song, imagine it’s warm.

Enjoy the mermaids!

Happy Valentines Day!

For more about Stream of Consciousness Saturday and takes on the prompt, visit Linda Hill at:

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Feb. 13, 2021 | (lindaghill.com)

WATWB: Teenage Diver Fights Golf Ball Pollution

At age 16, free diver Alex Weber found an astounding number of golf balls in the ocean near her home in California. Five golf courses – two near the ocean and three along the Carmel River- were the source. Golf balls degrade in water releasing toxic chemicals and microplastic harmful to marine life. Alex has  brought over 50,000 golf balls up from the ocean.

“She and her father would haul hundreds of pounds of them up, and then of course more golfers would hit more into the ocean.” NPR (source below)

The following video is from Alex’s website: https://www.theplasticpick-up.org/

 

With help from Matt Savoca and Stanford University, Alex published an article about the golf ball pollution in the journal, Marine Pollution Bulletin. Now 18, Alex plans to study marine science at a university. She is still collecting golf balls.

You can read more of Alex’s story in this article from NPR

Here’s a video from Alex and Jack’s gofundme page.

…

 

“We Are the World Blogfest seeks to promote positive news. There are many an oasis of love and light out there, stories that show compassion and the resilience of the human spirit. Sharing these stories increases our awareness of hope in our increasingly dark world.” Join us on the last Friday of each month.

To learn more about We Are the World please click the link below:

https://www.damyantiwrites.com/we-are-the-world-blogfest/

You can find more posts on the #WATW Facebook Page.

This month’s #WATWB co-hosts are:

Belinda Witzenhausen, Eric Lahti, Inderpreet Uppal, Mary Giese, Michelle Wallace, Peter Nena, Roshan Radhakrishnan, Simon Falk, Susan Scott, Sylvia McGrath, Sylvia Stein, Andrea Michaels, Peter Nena, Dan Antion, Shilpa Garg

Braving the Elements

It was not just another day at the beach. The water looked a little rough. But a few people were out battling the breakers. I stood in the surf, studying the wave patterns. I love swimming. When I was 18, I swam in March all the way out to the end of the pier. But this June evening 44 years later, I wasn’t sure I was up a challenge. Was I chicken? Or maybe I just didn’t feel like being tossed around and scraped on the sandy bottom. A person could break their neck.

Disappointed, I plodded back to the blanket while my sweetheart meditated with his feet planted firmly in the wet sand.

I didn’t have to prove anything to anybody, I told myself. If I didn’t feel like fighting the current, that was okay. I should trust my own judgment. David came to join me, being supportive, wanting me safe. We could see a rip current to the north. He’s a flyer, not a swimmer, though I have no doubt that if I was in trouble, he’d jump in and save me.

Ten minutes later, I looked at the ocean. People were swimming. Not many, but some. Yes, they were younger than me. But the ocean loves me. And I love the ocean. The water seemed a little calmer. I got up and walked a few yards south, then turned toward the waves. There was a break. I went for it. Got past the breakers and swam a few strokes. Maybe I wanted to prove something to myself.

The undertow pulled hard. Okay, that’s enough, said the ocean, or maybe it was my guardian angel. There was another break in the waves, and I scampered back up on the beach without getting knocked down. Feeling energized. Feeling strong. Not chicken.

Within minutes, the sky grew dark to the north. Was that lightening?

The storm reached out over the ocean…

 

…sending a cool blast of air charged with energy. Was it a warning? Or an enticement to stay and watch the show?

 

The storm crossed in front us traveling along the horizon

 

and chased the remaining swimmers ashore with her dragon head.

 

Then, the sun came came from behind

 

…and nudged her out to sea.

A warm breeze said the show was almost over,

 

So we headed home.

 

 

Three Stories of Young Men Doing Good

 

I

As reported by the Good News Network, Boylan Slat is getting ready to launch his project to start cleaning up the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” in July! Boylan explains his prototype in this video:

 

II

Homelessness, his dad’s heart attack, bullying, and migraines where some of the challenges Tre Jenkins faced. Now, he’s getting ready to go to Harvard.  (A personal side note on migraines: fluorescent lights used in most classrooms make migraines worse.)

 

III

This third video shows how a high school football team worked together to lift a car off of an elderly couple.

 

Good News is out there.

Feel free to share!

Clean Underwear and the OCD Octopus (Must be Stream of Consciousness Saturday)

Occasionally, I get a little bit OCD, but only about certain things, like checking the stove before I leave the house. Off. Off. Off. Off. Off. And some might say I’m OCD about the order of my laundry items. Underwear, my underwear anyway, can only be washed after my towels and nighties which come after my husband’s white towels, which come after pants, which come after shirts, which come after the dog towels and floor towels which I just did which means my husband can wash his clothes now. Sometimes I’ll wash his clothes, but he is patient most of the time. I don’t think I’m OCD about anything else. Okay maybe recycling. Don’t want any plastics ending up in the ocean if we can help it.

Have you seen that huge field of plastic in the ocean? It’s awful. The ocean is not for plastic crap. It’s for kelp and fish and whales and octopuses or octopi. (Spell check accepts either spelling.) Have you ever seen those those videos of octopuses/octopi escaping from a jar or a small, like I’m talking tiny, opening? I’m not going to share those because I’m not quite sure if they are humane. But I remember one video about an octopus that lived in an aquarium and escaped down a drain to return to the ocean. So what does that tell us about the octopus? They are smart, no more than smart – intelligent, and flexible.

Sometimes humans think that if someone or something looks very different from “us” like an octopus for example, it couldn’t possibly be intelligent. Same with dolphins and whales. But don’t make that mistake. Their thinking, language, and cultures may be very different from ours, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have thinking, language, and culture. There is plenty of evidence to support the intelligence of marine mammals and octopi, none of which belongs in an aquarium. They all belong in the ocean.

Do you think the octopi that escaped were able to do so because they were OCD? That could be another story: The OCD Octopus.  But I’d rather they were free, like this one, than OCD.

…

Today’s Stream of Consciousness prompt is to start our post with a word that starts with “oc.” We get bonus points if we end with a word that starts with “oc.” So, I’m a happy octopus. 🙂

For more information, visit the blog of Linda G. Hill at this link:

https://lindaghill.com/2018/01/19/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-daily-prompt-jan-20th-2018/

Here are the rules for SOCS which I try to follow without being OCD.

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.

8. Have fun!

 

August Moon

 

 

 

 

August  Moon gathers

fleeting threads of time and space

holding summer nights

 

(Photos by JoAnne Macco)

 

 

Simple Pleasures of Water and Sunset

I’m thankful for a nice visit with my son and his girlfriend who came down from the mountains Tuesday.  After a swim in the ocean, we walked around the south end of the island to relax in the intracoastal waterway and watch the sunset. My son who’s in his 30s, and my daughter, who’s in her 20s, played in the water like when they were kids fascinated by the tiny clams they found in the wet sand.

You can let go of worries and

open your heart

when you immerse yourself in a natural body of water

under the beauty of a setting sun.

Ooooh, Aaaah for fireworks, dragonflies, purring cats, ocean, sunsets, and cuddling in moonlight

Today’s Stream of Consciousness prompt is  “ooooh, aaaah,” provided by Dan at
“No Facilities.” Thanks, Dan for the great prompt and for filling in for Linda.

 I’ve done my share of oooohing and aaaahing at fire works displays. I love them with my eyes, but my ears, not so much, and the crowds, not so much. Sparklers are nice, though. I used to have a dog that got terrified by fireworks, two dogs in fact, that would shake and hide every fourth of July.

Why can’t they make quieter fireworks?

Plenty of other things to ooooh and aaaah about though:

Ooooh contains the element of surprise and delight,

Ooooh is a dragonfly on my clothes line.

Aaaah is more relaxing, like a purring cat.

Ooooh is the way the ocean feels at the beginning of summer – cold and full of life.

Aaaaah is how the ocean feels at the end of the summer – almost warm like bath water.

Ooooh is the sunset lighting up the sky with pink and orange glowing streaks – nature’s fire works!

Aaaah is twilight when the sun has dipped below the horizon – leaving hints of lavender and indigo.

Ooooh is finding the message from my long lost love.

Aaaah is cuddling in his arms at night, the full moon coming in the window in the winter.

…

 

You’ll find more oooohing and aaaahing going on here:

https://lindaghill.com/2017/06/28/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-july-117/

The rules for Saturday’s Stream of Consciousness are:

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.

8. Have fun!