Prompts taken from a writing pin on Pinterest.

Two Things You’ve Never Done, But Would Love to Try

1. Ride in a gondola in Venice. This has always been one of my top dreams, right after dancing in a white dress on the beach, but I’ve already done that. Even if they say it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be, I have a feeling that it just might be.

 

2. Travel through the New England states. There are a few parts of the United States I haven’t been to, but New England has always held the strongest pull for me. I think we would have a kindred spirit understanding, especially if it was in the fall.

One Thing That Might Scare Others, But Doesn’t Scare You

Being onstage. I know for a fact that it scares others – they’ve told me so themselves. But the stage has always been my home – my friend. When I walk out onto its floorboards, the lights shining in my eyes, and look out over the crowd as a different person, I know joy that’s unlike anything else I do.

Two Things in Your Life or the World Around You That Are Changing

1. The stages of life that I share with close ones. Pretty soon, most of them will be married, and I will not – and we won’t understand each other quite like we used to. But we’ll just have to live life slightly adjusted, and I’ll put my trust more and more in the Savior who will always understand me.

 

2. The power of social media in people’s lives. I kind of hate it, even though I participate in it. But I refuse to let it dominate me. I refuse to let my phone be more important than the people in my life. And I refuse to give in to its impulsive sway.

Three Things About This Time of Year

1. New school supplies line the shelves and the bins at the stores. Pencils and crayons are sharp, notebooks are fresh and clean with empty pages, and binders are not yet as heavy as they will be in just a few months.

 

2. Smoke fills the air here in the Northwest. Wildfires rage, there’s no sign of rain, and the sun is a bright orange ball glowing in a hazy sky.

 

3. Watering the grass is a morning and nightly routine that I actually find comfort in. It’s a great joy to take care of something and see it respond with growth – literal growth. Seeing my lawn so lusciously green [out front at least] after it was so brown and bare last summer fills me with motherly pride.

Three Little Things That Mean a Lot

1. When someone puts their hand on your arm. Not in a creepy way, but in a small gesture that communicates human contact – and makes you feel cared for.

 

2. When someone takes the time to remember your name and use it in conversation. Hearing your name spoken is a powerful thing, even if we don’t realize it, and when we call someone by their name, it communicates a knowingness.

 

3. Making eye contact with someone in a group when you’re laughing. Research says that our eyes inadvertently seek out the person we most want to connect with in a group when we laugh [or maybe it was some random Pinterest article that claimed to know everything about my soul].

One Thing You’re Thinking About, But Not Quite Ready to Talk About Yet

The grief that slowly builds as those we love slip away from us.