I would call it a mutual vibe and the willingness to open up. It is an equal interest to dig deeper, to strengthen and develop the friendship further. In other words it’s all in, or not at all. If you need a label for this, find one yourself.
Tag: dailyprompt
Nothing, Really
No matter if the task or project to be done is self chosen, or given to me by someone else, I do the best I can. Rarely do I meet or exceed my own expectations of myself. That’s why I have given up on trying new things, because I am not satisfied with what I am able to achieve.
Is what I do good enough for others? You’ll be the judge:
“Well, you tried your best”.
“It’s okay, but you could have done a little bit better”.
“I expected more from you”.
So I guess the answer for today’s question needs to be “Nothing, really”!
What’s The Point?
Okay, I’m going to approach this question from a different angle. Keeping in mind, that I don’t have any clinical studies to back my thoughts up with, but it appears to me, that we are unlearning the ability to [actively] listen to one another. Especially ever since smart phones do just about everything, except make a cup of coffee [exaggerated to drive my point home]. Be honest, how many times have you seen this, especially among the young people: they sit at the same table and have a chat via cell phone and one of those annoying apps [for example]. Instead of verbally communicating, they write text messages, with their fingers moving across those tiny letters in high speed. Add some emojis for additional charme and we have our new form of communication. Take all of those entertainment apps, with short videos and pictures. Everything needs to be easy, colorful, funny and quick to absorb. That doesn’t do any favors to our attention span, does it? And it is noticeable in face to face conversations, time and again. During social interactions – that I could not successfully avoid – it becomes apparent to me increasingly often. We wait [im-]patiently for the other person to finish, just so we can finally have our turn to speak. I catch myself disappointingly often, realizing afterwards, that I “heard the other person talking“, but did I really pay attention from start to finish? Did I really listen and understand what was being said? Or did it require too much energy already to be respectful and patient, while the other person with whom I’m having a conversation, ended communicating their thoughts? Did I only pretend to be interested to begin with, but blamed it on my short attention span as an excuse, and to make myself feel better for not “actively” listening?
I’m probably wrong, anyway. Progress is a good thing, overall. But as it all unfolds now, we haven’t done ourselves any favors with cell phones and how they seem to “control” our lives. With regard to communication we definitely need to get back to the basics. No offense intended, it is just my humble opinion based upon what I see – on the rare occasion that I leave my house.
Have a lovely weekend, everyone!!
Most Precious
The items most dear to me are related to Aubree. They include a blanket that I made for her for Christmas in 2012. She loved to snuggle up on or in it, especially during the very cold Wisconsin winter months.
Another precious keepsake for me, is Aubree’s last plush toy. It is a dog, that she didn’t really play with anymore in the last year of her life. But she loved to use him as a pillow, and brought him everywhere. Now, a year and a half later, he is a great comfort to me and sits on my couch, always ready to catch my tears when I miss my little angel.
I also made two picture books with precious memories of our 13 years together. And even though I carry them in my heart, it is still nice to look at the photos of her.
Another item of great value is my heavily used, quite beaten and scratched up iPod. Because right along with dogs, music is the greatest source of happiness and comfort in my life.
My rather short list of personal belongings, that I hold most dear may not seem significant or valuable, but they mean the world to me.
No More Nice Things
Since having lost all of my belongings two decades ago, including my much loved cd collection, any interest or passion for collecting nice things is gone. That is likely due to an underlying fear of potentially losing everything again.
Food For Thought
If I recall correctly, I tried answering this question a time or fifteen. My response will remain the same: to live like a gypsy. I romanticize the idea of not being tied down to one specific place. I’d rather be free to leave anytime I want, to wherever my heart is happy at that point in time. With a sweet dog by my side, a few essential possessions as well as a truck, I’d be quite happily on my way, to follow the tip of my nose. That is my idea of freedom…
Since my return to Germany, I find myself comparing the life I live now with the twenty years in America. And as frustrated, or disappointed, as I am to admit this, the conclusion I reach is always the same. Here in Germany I feel like a caged animal. How good it is, that you can’t ask me to explain myself because I’m quite sure, that any attempt would end up being an epic fail. I can only share, how I feel. It’s a restlesness within, a desire to get away. Why? I don’t know. Strangely enough, in the US I didn’t feel that way at all. That is my self-imposed guilt trip…
I should count my blessings and be damn thankful for all of the positives in my life. Everything my mom does, to make sure that I’m okay, as well as the financial assistance I get from the German government. My life is so good, compared to the lives of millions of other people around the globe. I should really stop my whining, don’t you think? I mean, I have so many liberties every single day, that other people dream about, or pray for every night. But it’s never enough, is it?
You may be certain, that I am not happy with my response to this question. But, without some in-depth-thinking, I can’t give a better answer today. Sorry.
Drum Roll, Please
The public figure I disagree with the most is Donald John Trump, the 45th and 47th President of the United States of America.
La Cenerentola
This past Saturday, I saw “La Cenerentola”, a modernized version of Cinderella. It was being sung in Italian language with German captions. Although I will clearly slot myself into the ‘traditional opera’ category, I truly enjoyed this performance. It was another lovely evening at the theater.
On My Own
The fact that I am not a group oriented person to begin with, takes me out of the running for being a leader. Due to trust issues, resulting from past experiences, I hesitate to follow anyone’s lead. I guess that leaves me to my own devices, which is probably best anyway.
The ‘Off-Brand’ Kind
To start out with, I have a Samsung cell phone, because my mom got it for me. My other “luxury” is a refurbished Apple iPod. Other than that I’m the off-brand kind. On a rather small monthly budget, well known brands aren’t an option regularly. When I was still working, I didn’t need to turn every penny twice and could afford to purchase expensive things, just because I wanted to have them, not because they were a necessity. Among other things, I always had the newest model cell phone, Skechers shoes, Bruce Makowsky purses, pricier perfumes, Starbucks coffee 2-3 times per day and Victoria’s Secret clothing. Truth be told, I don’t miss those days, believe it or not. Subsequently I learned, that all these expensive goodies pacified the unhappiness and drama in my personal life. Since moving back to Germany and the circumstances I find myself in these days, due to mental health concerns and early retirement as a result, I am much more in touch with reality again. Off-brand items do just fine, I have everything I need and that’s good enough.
Trivialities & Intricacies 
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