Grateful for Grands

Mondays are for Melanie’s questions…

1. Is every piece of truth worth telling?   

Absolutely not! In particular, most hurtful opinions should be swallowed not spit.

2. Whom do you miss more Freddy Mercury or Prince? 

The fabulous Freddy! 🎶💔

3. If you could only email or text people for the rest of your life (no other form of communication), which would you choose?  

I used to love long, winding emails, but since most people prefer text (or messenger), I’ll have to give that the nod. I’m starting to prefer texting too, since it feels more immediate.

4. Would you prefer to work the midnight shift at a really creepy out of the way motel OR work alone for eternity?

Easy one: alone!

5. Bonus question because yes, these are a weird bunch this week:   What’s one secret you’re still keeping from your immediate family? (no details required.  You could say something like “The lost weekend in 1982”.  You can also answer “Why I NEVER keep secrets from my nearest and dearest!”).

I don’t keep secrets from my daughters. Secrets create stress and distance, and my overriding goal is to be close with my girls, always. Oh wait, I have one, lol.

6. Please feel free to share something uplifting that you’ve experienced so far in 2021.

I got to see my grands a few weeks ago!

~*~

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Grateful Share

Melanie reached into the Odd Basket for her questions this week…

1. Have you ever ‘butt dialed” someone?  (‘butt dialed’ means have you ever made a phone call that you weren’t aware of making, because the buttons on the phone got pushed by your sitting on them (in your pocket) OR having something in your handbag press against them?)

Only once. I’d been on a dinner date with this guy about 10 years ago and we had a nice time (or so I thought). A couple days later we made plans for a second date, but that night I fell asleep while holding my phone. Apparently since he was the last one I’d spoken to, I “pillow dialed” his number in the night. The nothing call stayed connected for hours ~ he seemed to have picked up but not disconnected, which is odd too. Anyway, I texted him an apology, but he never responded and we didn’t meet again. Maybe I said something scary in my sleep? I will never know…

2. If you were given 1000 acres of land, what would you do with it?

Sell it. I don’t have enough cash to develop property.

3. What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen on-line recently? 

Dunno about funny, but I just saw a very clever post on FB with celeb in photos at a young age interacting with their current self. Most “funny” things online are only mildly amusing meme rehashes…

4. Have you ever eaten something off the floor?  ‘5 second’ rule applies or not (the ‘5 second rule’ is that if you pick up the dropped food within a set time frame, it’s still ‘clean’ and you can safely eat it)?

Yep/I guess so.

5. Feel free to share your gratitude with everyone in the form of a quote, a thought or an image.

Since I forgot to schedule doctors for my month of lurve, I’ll express gratitude now for all the healers who have helped with my migraines and various other issues.

~*~

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

To Boldly Share…

Melanie starts the second week of February with a new set of Q’s…

Do you feel you ask enough questions or do you settle for what you know?

It depends on your definition of “ask.” I look stuff up online all the time and like to have multiple legit sources for important things. I’ll ask questions at work in order to get my tasks done properly. And I love to jibber jabber with my daughters and SILs. But I am not a huge fan of random opinions on stuff that matters to me and I really don’t understand this bizarre thing some people do of throwing medical questions onto FB. I mean, wut? Are you really going to follow the advice of some rando? I guess I’m lucky because I have real doctors as friends…

When did you fail to speak up when you feel you should have?

Omg, a lot, I’m sorry to admit. I try to avoid confrontation and so I’ve kept silent at bad “jokes” and during other tense times, and this unfortunately includes sexual types of situations where I ended up doing things I didn’t want to. Add to file: the millions of reasons Paula has given up dating.

When was the last time you felt lucky?

Yesterday! I saw some family, finally! 💖🍀

What is a boulder?

How Brits spell bolder? 🤣

~*~

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Home Share

Melanie starts the week with a new set of Q’s…

If the government offered to suspend all laws, and law enforcement for 24 hours, letting you (and everybody else) do whatever you wish… Would you be in favor of it, or not? 

I’m not in favor of this! Why would a law-abiding citizen ever desire this scenario when criminals are brazen enough as it is? I want MORE law enforcement, not less.

What would be the creepiest thing you could say while passing a stranger on the street? (We’re suspending the whole social distancing and Covid involvement in this scenario)

“They have us surrounded.”

As a child, what did you think would be great about being an adult, but isn’t as great as you thought it would be?

Romantic love.

What, in your opinion, has been blown way out of proportion?

Romantic love. I’m better off giving up any hope of it, since it never works out (for some of us). That said, I still enjoy good romcoms and romance novels.

Gratitude Section (Optional as always)

Where is your ‘happy’ place?  

Home sweet home!

~*~

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Grumpy Share

Melanie starts the week with a fresh set of SYW questions. I’m still in a big bad mood over WP blocks ruining a dozen or so of my posts last night. 😡

Is it necessary to trust someone you like? (friends, acquaintances or co-workers with whom you have no familial ties)

No, and I don’t trust many of them, if trust means do I think they’ll “be there” for me if I need help or whatever. Some I trust for this, but you never really know how people will behave until they do something, or don’t. Most relationships are transactional (I don’t necessarily mean money), so as soon as you can’t do something, poof! For example, there was someone I thought of as a good friend who dumped me when I didn’t want to go on a hike that would have hurt my back. Poof!

If we’re talking about trust as in do I believe they won’t steal my wallet, that’s just a bare minimum of allowing someone into my life.

Do you hold grudges? What do you do when someone really irritates you?

Yes, and I think it’s smart to do so, at least after you’ve given someone a few chances. Why would you want to forget how they are and allow them back to dump on you again? People don’t change. I don’t mean I allow thoughts of them to consume my days, but a certain amount of ill-will is important to maintain so I don’t forget. In my younger days, I would forget, let them back, and ugh disaster. This is especially true in dating type situations.

When I’m really super duper irritated with someone long-term, as opposed to a flash of annoyance, I try to get them out of my life as fast and as thoroughly as I can.

What’s the most sensible thing you’ve heard someone say?

This too shall pass…

Is crying a sign of weakness or strength in adults?

It’s not a sign of anything other than a biological process. Some people cry easily, and on cue, and some don’t. I try not to let it influence me one way or another. Hell, I cry at the dumbest things, and it means nothing.

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GRATITUDE SECTION  (Always Optional)

What small things were you grateful for this week?

Grateful for the ability to waste a bit of money on my new painting hobby, which I’m enjoying a lot, even though I’ll never be great at it. It’s a wonderful break from the screen, though of course I follow along on YouTube tutorials!

Midnight Raven

~*~

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Inauguration Week Share

Melanie starts our week off right with a new set of Q’s…

1. Why do we dream?

I consider it a data dump… to get rid of all the bits and pieces of broken code that float around our minds.

2. Do you think a person’s name influences the person they become?

No.

3. Does hardship make a person stronger? (example: What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger)

Sometimes. Being a lonely child forced me to find ways to enjoy things by myself, which turns out to be a strength. I’m glad I’m not needy for companionship. But hardship can also make you more fragile, like if you were deprived of proper nutrition or medical care…

3. Why do we judge ourselves by our intentions, but judge others by their actions?

Because we are all hypocrites! But seriously it makes survival sense to favor oneself and one’s family over others. I don’t actually see a problem with this most of the time, at least in public. Engage in berating yourself or your spouse in the privacy of your home…

4. GRATITUDE SECTION (Always Optional) Feel free to share some gratitude in the form of images, photos or writing. Thanks!

Grateful for nearby Crystal Cove 💙

~*~

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Share the Wealth

Melanie starts off the week with a new set of questions…

1. What should you get rid of, that would make your new year better, and why? (Don’t say Covid-19, we all want to get rid of the dang virus)

I would like to dump my losing streak at the Mega Millions lottery this week and cash in, baby! 💰

2. What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?

Buy a Mega Millions ticket and a Powerball ticket at the same time, w00t!

3. Does your family have a “motto” – spoken or unspoken?

“Don’t gamble.”

4. On a scale of 1-10 how funny would you say you are? (this does not mean ‘smell’ or looks; because this is a judgment free blog!)

I’m hilarious and also egotistical, so 11.

5. Tell everyone something that you found personally lifted your spirits!

I made $5.15 on Medium last month! 🤩✨

~*~

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

First Share of 2021

Melanie continues her popular Monday prompt with these Q’s…

1. What’s a relationship deal breaker for you?

Smoking, racism/anti-Semitism, criticism (especially of my perfect children), liars, disloyalty/infidelity, rudeness, cat allergies, pet haters, travel maniacs, excessively loud men, big extroverts, BMW owners/drivers, Trump supporters, Michaels. I’m sure I left some out…

2. Do you believe in extra-terrestrials?

I think it’s more likely than not that there is life on other planets. Whether these ET’s are capable of space travel, who knows. I do not believe they are lizards infiltrating our govt though. 🙄

3. In the morning, do you hit the snooze button on your alarm (sometimes repeatedly) or do you leap out of bed, ready to face the day?

Neither. I wake up early naturally and am in a lot of back pain. I try to get comfy and read the news on my phone, check email, FB, etc. Eventually, it feels more uncomfy to lie there than to get up, so I get up…

4. If you came back in the next life as an animal, which animal would you choose to be? (and even if you don’t believe in that, let’s suspend belief for a moment just to have a little fun)

A butterfly! 🦋

GRATITUDE (Participation is always optional)

5. What do you plan to work on this year to make it better than last year (personal goals, physically or mentally, or all three)?

Kindness, especially to myself.

~*~

©️2021 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.

Last Share of 2020!

Melanie has given us some brain-crunchy end-of-year questions today. Can’t wait to see 2020 slinking out the door with its tail between its legs. BUH-BYE!

1. Pick three words to describe this past year.   (please keep them PG. Thanks). ~ scary, sad, lonely.

2. What were the best books you read this year?   Or the best movie you saw?  ~ I read several good books this year. When We Believed In Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal was probably my favorite. I also enjoyed the weird movie Vivarium on Amazon Prime.

3. Because there was lots of time for looking inward, what is one big personal lesson you learned this past year? ~ to not be so judgmental. Everyone is imperfect, including me. I thought I would accomplish so much during all this down time, but it turns out I’m not that disciplined and chronic pain depletes my energy. I have given myself the gift of not being so hard on myself. It’s okay if I don’t exercise or write as much as I planned to, or at all. It’s okay just to get through the day sometimes, even if I’ve wasted most of it playing games on my phone.

4. Do you think Covid has strengthened or weakened societal bonds? ~ Neither. People are as they always have been. Everyone says they will cherish their family time more after this is over and blah blah blah, but as soon as we’re all vaxed, people will behave the same as they did before. In fact, they still are, if you consider how horrible people are treating each other online over politics, mask-wearing, and every other thing.

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GRATITUDE SECTION (Optional of course):

What is a New Year’s Wish You’d Like To Share With the World? I wish people would quit being such assholes to each other and reacting with rage when others have different ideas and desires. Why do you care if gays get married or some dude decides he’s a woman or a woman wants to terminate a pregnancy? Leave them alone and live your own life!

Cookie 🍪 Share

Melanie has some new Q’s for us this week, so let’s get cracking!

1. What is your favorite type of cookie (they’re called biscuits in Europe I believe)?

Omgosh cookies! Where do I begin? Okay, so I love the regular Tollhouse chocolate chip recipe on the back of their chip bag, but also my friend Cathy makes killer chocolate chip cookies with almond flour. Then there are PB chocolate chip cookies, so good (try Trader Joe’s!). And I am a big fan of regular peanut butter cookies too. Love buttery spritz holiday cookies. But you know what? Pepperidge Farm used to have a Vienna cookie in its “city line,” which was a coffee-flavored cookie sandwich with mocha filling… utterly divine. BUT NATURALLY THEY DISCONTINUED IT. 😡😡😡

(See my Monday Peeve on this topic.)

2. If you could choose one age and remain that forever, what would it be and why?

Well, I kinda liked being 33, with my two darling daughters, my mom around to help, and a tolerable marriage. But there was a short period of time in the fall of 2016 (I was 55) when I thought I’d found the love of my life… 💔

3. Do you have a traditional drink during the holiday season?

No, but I like Trader Joe’s spiced cider.

4. Are you able to still believe in holiday magic as you did when you were a child?

This is a have you stopped beating your wife type of question, so let’s unpack it. I did not believe in “holiday magic” when I was a child, or in any kind of magic ever. This gets people upset, but idk why. I seemed able to enjoy things just fine without thinking there was anything supernatural going on. But in fact, I liked holidays better after I became a mom when I could share them with my kids.

Lights enjoyed by Diane, Sam, and me in 2018

5. Gratitude section…

I’m grateful for all the hard work people put in to get covid vaccines ready for us. Thank you! 💖

~*~

©️2020 Paula Light and Light Motifs II. No unauthorized use permitted. Please check out Paula’s books for sale on Amazon.