Today’s Just Jot January prompt is, “trigger.” That’s the name of a character in our host’s interesting story.
When we think of psychological or emotional triggers, we often think of a word, image, smell, etc. that triggers something unpleasant. Maybe it’s an unpleasant memory, reaction, or past trauma. But stop! Don’t go there!
What about triggers that trigger good memories or positive reactions?
I seem to remember positive triggers being created when I was trained to do hypnosis. It was over ten years ago, and while I did some private practice work after completing my training, I haven’t kept up with it, so my memory is a bit fuzzy. Maybe something will trigger my memory of establishing a good trigger!
If someone is in a relaxed state or having a pleasant experience, and puts their hand on their heart, or makes an okay sign with their hand and repeatedly pairs the positive feeling with that gesture, then the idea is that the gesture will trigger the positive feeling. Now, I remember the word, anchor, was also used in our training.
The smell of pine triggers a memory of hiking in the woods. The smell of cloves or cinnamon can trigger the taste of pumpkin pie and Thanksgiving or Christmas memories.
How about a song triggering memories or feelings from long ago? A song that was popular in our formative years can take us back to that time. Dan at No Facilities recently shared some examples in this post “Name that Tune.”
Songs by The Beach Boys trigger memories from the late 1970s driving to the beach in my 69 Dodge Dart with the windows down because there was no AC in that car.
Roberta Flack’s The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face takes me back to 1972 when David and I were dating.
Some songs just trigger funny feelings and images, like The Beatles Yellow Submarine.
Speaking of The Beatles, how about this one?
What are some of your good triggers?
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Today’s prompt is to use a word we have to look up to spell. Rhythm is one of my top favorites. Maybe this post will help me remember how to spell it.
As I write this on Friday afternoon, I’m listening to the rhythm of the falling rain. The rhythm slows down and speeds up, yet remains comforting. I have to slow way down to be able to type the word, rhythm. We often think of rhythm in terms of music. I’m sure there will be a song or two in this post.
There are all kinds of rhythms. Dang, I might have to type rhythm a hundred times to learn it. Like writing our spelling words ten times in elementary school.
There’s the rhythm of breathing which is not always consistent with my sweet husband who has no experience about how his snoring and undiagnosed apnea sound. There’s the rhythm of dance and a long walk. A drum beat, a heartbeat. A cat’s purr.
I love to hear Mama Cat purr. It’s been just over two weeks since I brought her home from the church. She’s always been anywhere from very feral to semi-feral. She’s still skittish, (that’s putting it mildly) but she is affectionate with me, rubbing on my legs and letting me pet her, as long as I follow HER rhythm and don’t push the envelope. If I push the envelope at all, like touching her foot the other day, we have to take a couple steps back. But she is usually happy to see me in the morning when I feed her. She vibrates her tail and sometimes, once I’m seated in her room, she will roll over and show me her belly, which Jackson Galaxy of the show, My Cat from Hell, says is a cat hug – when they show their belly. I was able to rub her belly, but I’ve backed off of that since the foot touching setback. Mama Cat is coming around and being very affectionate again as long as I don’t make sudden or strange moves in which case she goes to hide in her cave.
People generally think I’m very patient and calm, but following Mama Cat’s lead is taking me to a new level of going with the flow and letting it be. She does not want to come out of her room and explore the rest of the house, but I have to trust her to come out when she’s ready. At least she has been sitting on the trunk perch and watching some cat TV.
CAT TV
My dad left me a lot of trunks. Like six or seven all together. I use them as furniture. Mama Cat is actually sitting on my dad’s safe which is virtually empty. Some day, maybe I’ll let it go, but for now, it’s a good height for this window.
Rythum rthym rhythm there, I got it, but I have to really think about it. Rhythm. Rhytym rhthym omg I’m getting worse. Maybe I need to handwrite it on a peace of paper so I can copy it from above. Rhythm. There. It’s hit or miss. rthym . I give up. For now. No, I just tried writing it on paper several times. It’s weird looking. Like it can’t really be spelled that way.
RHYTHM. Sigh.
I’d rather sing it.
I don’t really know this song beyond the main line, but I like it now that I’ve listened to it. Judy Garland has a great voice. This version is a bit lively for me, but it shows a lot of talent being able to sing and dance around like that.
May your rhythm be comforting or energizing depending on what you like.
Okay, here’s another version if you like it slower:
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For more SoCS posts and rules, visit our host Linda G. Hill, at:
Today’s SoCS prompt is: “coffee, tea, or me.” Find a flirty phrase of your own or use “coffee, tea, or me” in your post. Have fun!
I’ve heard that phrase, “Coffee, tea, or me,” in the 70s. But oddly, I didn’t know where it came from, so I looked it up. No, this is not planning. It’s curiosity. What’s even more odd is that I didn’t remember it was a movie. The book was published in the 1960s and was about uninhibited stewardesses and their escapades. It was made into movie in which appeared in 1973. That was about the time when I started working at the local movie theatre. Working concessions, and later, the box office was my high school and early college job, so you’d think I would have remembered this was a movie. But alas, sometimes I knew something very well in the 70s and don’t remember now. There’s only so much room in this brain.
I was probably much more flirty in the 70s. Yet, I don’t clearly remember any flirty phrases I used then. My friend had one: “Hi guy, Wanna Try?” She didn’t usually say this to a guy, but would say it when talking about a guy and rolling her eyes in a flirtatious way.
Eyes can be very flirtatious. Probably more than we realize. There’s a wink, or a smile, and all sorts of things like pheromones’ beyond our conscious awareness. In the seventies, I would be more likely to sing a song, maybe something by Donna Summer. Or maybe I’m just making this up in my head. Seems like I almost remember singing to someone…. I was going to find a Donna Summer video, but feel free to look for yourself. My stream is rolling.
I did sing for David when we reconnected in 2011. I danced around him at night on the beach singing, “It’s a Marvelous Night for a Moondance.” I’ll go find that one later maybe. I asked David tonight (Friday which if your reading this was last night) if I have or had any flirty expressions. He said, “Not really, but you do say, ‘Hi Handsome,’ sometimes.” I say that to him because he is handsome. It is kinda flirty. When we dated in the 70s he used to say, “If you feel froggy, JUMP!” That wasn’t exactly flirty, but it was funny in a goofy way.
I just took a slight detour to listen to “Moondance.” I don’t know all those words, so I probably didn’t sing much of it. But I do know all the words to “Blue Moon.” And I’m sure I’ve sung that one to my love. Here’s a very relaxing version:
And since that was soooo serious, let’s end with feeling froggy. These are giant frogs at the local aquarium. They look like they’re about to jump, don’t they?
“Here’s lookin’ at you, kid.”
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Thanks for a fun prompt, Linda! For more flirty streams of consciousness, visit:
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. I will post the prompt here on my blog every 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 will simply be a single word to get you 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 all of them! 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 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.
“Time After Time,” was originally recorded by Cyndi Lauper. While I like Cyndi Lauper, I also found this lyric version sung by Pink. It’s the words I want to focus on, so I picked the Pink one.
I love the chorus:
If you’re lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting
Time after time
The song came out right around the time I started thinking about having a baby which led me to thinking more about God. I remember watching the Cyndi Lauper video on TV in the 80s and thinking this song could be about God catching me when I fall, or a parent catching a child, being there, time after time. Of course it can be about any love that’s faithful, and that’s comforting any way you look at it.
“Time After Time,” was written by Rob Hyman, Cyndi Lauper for the album, She’s So Unusual (1983)
Thanks to Helen, at Helen’s Words of Life, for hosting Song Lyric Sunday. You can find more song lyrics about this week’s prompt, seconds/minutes/hours, at the link below.
Anything is Possible! 