Thank you for spending a few moments with this ever-curious Placid-Adventurer as I share my thoughts and explorations…. remember follow The Placid Adventurer page on Facebook.

  • Starting Over…Again and Again…

    Daily writing prompt
    What would you do if you lost all your possessions?
    View all responses

    Living with less seems like a noble idea for those of us who have amassed a bunch of stuff. Downsizing, moving, making room for a new addition to the family: wonderful reasons to pare things down. Unfortunately, sometimes disaster strikes. Those important items we have placed in a “safe place,” may be inaccessible when trying to escape from danger. When devastating destruction is upon us; our thoughts go to the preservation of life, as they should. The concern for family and friends naturally supersedes the prioritization of property.

    As we view national and international headlines; we are continually reminded of the devastation wrought by nature and the inhumanity of mankind. Under those circumstances, our best efforts at protecting our cherished possessions, may be fruitless. I experienced that, to some extent, during a particularly active hurricane season in Florida about a couple decades ago. In retrospect, those losses made it easier to extricate myself from a bad situation and probably saved my life. I am one of the lucky ones.

    In subsequent years, I have come to appreciate the concept of “traveling light,” throughout life, even more. I have tried to impart, to my children, the distinction between “valued possessions,” and “anchors.” We sometimes place so much importance on “things” that we are preventing ourselves and our families from truly experiencing life to its fullest.

    My heart goes out to those who have lost so much. It would be insensitive to believe that they can immediately see a brighter future within the rubble and destruction. I love to believe that we can rise out of the figurative ashes like a phoenix; but it takes time: Time to recover from the loss, time to mourn, and time to realize that we are resilient.

  • Today’s Writing Prompt: What personality trait in people raises a red flag with you?

    Well okay, I’ll bite this hook!

    How about those people who never have anything positive to say. You know what I mean; it’s as though they always have a chip on their shoulder, and go through life with their hackles up, just waiting for you give them something…anything to disagree with you over. When you don’t rise to their occasion, suddenly they decide to find fault or misconstrue what you do or say as an act of aggression, and voila…game on! There’s nothing you can do to avoid these situations, and certainly no easy way to disengage gracefully… especially if you’re on the job (or maybe it’s someone closer to home…).

    Lieutenant General Robert Baden-Powell (the uncontested inspiration for the Boy Scouts Organization) wrote a message to scouts everywhere, that they should “Try and leave this world a little better than you found it…” It was a concept that resonated with me as a youth (I was a Girl Scout forever), and an ideal that I have carried in my heart and soul every day of my life. I am not a particularly religious person, but I have always felt that it is our responsibility to live by that code.

    In many cases, I try to make physical improvements to places I live, because I want it to be nicer than it was when I arrived (that’s obviously a subjective goal… we all appreciate different things); but more importantly, I believe; I want to make a difference in the moment. As someone who has spent a lifetime in the customer service industry, I know the impact of gratitude and a kind word. As a manager of people, I like to get to work early so I can scope things out and vent my frustrations to empty air. I hear my thoughts verbally and am grateful that I can then ponder the more appropriate approach to deliver the instruction that my team really needs to hear. When I thank them at the end of their shift, I can be specific about what I appreciate about their work. When I ask my customers about their experience, I want the truth, so we can do better. When I thank anyone, and everyone, in any facet of my life, it is done with sincerity. It is therefore, difficult to understand people who are mean and nasty.

    As always, these writing prompts, are relatable to my thoughts. Earlier today, I was wondering why it has been so long since someone told me that they appreciate me? Notwithstanding the fact that I work too much (which pisses off my partner at home); and keep myself to myself most of the time outside of work; there aren’t a lot of reasons to thank me for just being me, lol! I will, however, not stop appreciating the people I encounter. I hope they know that I’m not just saying it just to say it.

    By the way, have an awesome day! I appreciate your posts!

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