Category Archives: Writing Prompt

Getting Back in the Groove of Blogging

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! As I mentioned in my first blog of this year (2023) one of my goals is to blog an average of three times a week. One of those ways is to write my Weekly Plans every Sunday morning. Another way I plan on accomplishing this goal is to write a Weekly Check In every Saturday evening.

There is another way that I plan to get back in the groove of blogging more frequently. The way I plan to do that is to start doing free courses through WordPress’s Blogging University. The first course I plan on taking is Finding Everyday Inspiration which is twenty days. The second course I plan on taking is Developing Your Eye I and is seven days. The third course I plan on taking is Intro to Poetry and it is also seven days. The fourth course I am taking is Developing Your Eye II and it is also seven days. That equals forty-one days straight of blogging.

In all honesty, I hope I can stick to this plan especially since I am working full time once again. I am planning on starting this on Sunday, January 22nd, 2023. I am waiting to do this so I can put it into my calendar as I am working on time management as part of my New Years goals as well as making sure I get more into the swing of things at my new job.

I do not have much more to say or discuss in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Everyday Inspiration, Day 6; The Space to Write

Posted on by Gertie

Finding the right space to write in Seattle can be a bit challenging. I say it is challenging because it all depends on the the time of year. When it comes to late autumn, most if not all of winter and early spring I tend to write inside especially when it comes to blogging. That means my awesome cat, Billie sits by my side or on my lap when I am writing my blog. Occasionally, I do go to the library to blog. During the not so good weather months or what I call the yucky weather months, I tend to do most of my blogging at home so I can get some inspiration especially from my cat, Billie. Occasionally, I also go to a coffee shop to have a London Fog as I people watch as I write my blog. So, during the yucky weather months the blogging part of my writing is done inside especially since I live in Seattle.

Now when it comes to the nice late spring months as well as most of the summer months I tend to blog outside. I tend to go to both Cowen and Ravenna Parks since they not only connected but feels like you are in the middle of nature. It feels like the middle of nature despite being in a middle of a major city of Seattle. Cowen and Ravenna Parks feel like you are in a small forest which is why it feels like you are in the middle of nature. I personally prefer writing outside in nice weather, weather it is blogging or other types of writing.

As you can tell, my writing is dependent on the weather and sometimes my mood if my mental health symptoms are acting up. Mainly it is weather dependent. I love being inspired by writing in different places.

Everyday Inspiration, Day 3; One-Word Inspiration

Posted on by Gertie

HOME

The one word I chose for inspiration is the world home. Home can mean many different things to me. Home to me has many different places. The home I am going to discuss is the home I live in. The home I live in is in the City of Seattle. My home has pictures of my family which includes current a past pets. I art work that my brother made me when he as in school as I am eleven years older than him. I also have artwork which include glass-work from friend. My home has posters of favorite musicians posted.

Anyway my home has things in it that my loved ones have given me such as art work, quilts and stuffed animals. In fact one stuffed animal I got when I was born from an uncle. It also has a baby blanket a great aunt made me when I was born.

For me a home isn’t just a place, it’s a place to put old memories it and make new one in as well. Home is also where the heart is. In my case home is where my cat is and I love I can come home to my cat.

Everyday Inspiration, Day 1; I Write Because….

Posted on by Gertie

There are many reasons why I write. As far as the reasons I write my blog, let go back to why I started to blog and continue to do so. I started this blog for two main reasons. The first reason is to give hope to those who have not yet made the choice to be in recovery or struggling in their recovery and to remind people who are in recovery that they are not alone as I am in recovery. The second reason why I write this blog is to show those people people who do not have a mental health diagnosis and/or addiction that folks who do struggle with such issues can and do live productive lives however it looks to that individual.

There is a third and very unexpected reason why I blog. When I started writing it was to help other know that they are not alone and let people who don’t struggle that we are just like everyone else. Little did I know that blogging would help with my own recovery and I am so grateful for that.

Now you all know why I write my blog. I hope you continue you to read my blog.

Getting Back to Blogging on the Regular Basis

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! I have been doing some thinking and am wanting to get back to blogging on the more regular basis. I tend to go weeks and sometimes months without blogging and it really bothers me I am not keeping you my reader more engaged. So, I am going to start back up my “Weekly Check-Ins” this Saturday evening. I also plan on starting my “Weekly Plans” this Sunday morning before my volunteer shift.

Another thing I plan on doing is WordPress’s courses through their Blogging U. I will be doing four courses. Those four course are Finding Your Everyday Inspiration, Intro to Poetry, Developing Your Eye I and Developing Your Eye II. I will start with Finding Your Everyday Inspiration this Sunday and is a twenty day course. Then after I am done with doing Find Your Everyday Inspiration, I will do Intro to Poetry which is a ten day course. After Intro to Poetry I will then do Developing Your Eye I which is a ten day course. After I do, Developing Your Eye I, I will do Developing Your II which is another ten day course. All this will be a total of forty days in a row so I hope it becomes a habit to continue in the New Year as doing all four of these course will going into the New Year.

I do not have much more to discuss in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my perspective that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Everyday Inspiration; Day 1: I Write Because…

Posted on by Gertie

I write this blog for many reasons. I started this blog to help those who struggle with mental health challenges that recovery is possible. I also started this blog to educate those who do not struggle with mental health challenges that folks who do can live productive lives however that looks like to the individual. I started this blog to help lessen the stigma around mental health challenges which includes self stigma.

The one thing I did not expect when starting this blog what that it would become a form of self care for me. Little did I know it would help me with my recovery. Realizing that blogging has helped me with my recovery was and is a nice surprise to me. I am grateful that it has helped me with my recovery and continues to help me with my recovery.

As much as writing this blog has helped me with my recovery, I just really hope it has helped others with their recovery. Helping others with their recovery is why I continue to write this blog. I’m not sure how many people my blog is helping with their recovery but if it helps just one person then it has done it’s job.

As you can tell there are many reasons I write this blog and I hope it gives you some form of hope.

Musical Incantation

Posted on by Gertie

The Prompt: You’re absent-mindedly singing to yourself, when suddenly the topic of the song comes true.

I would hope to be singing something like Lean On Me or Stand By Me as these songs are about friendship and being of support to someone. Being a good friend and being of support to someone is one of my goals in life. A simple goal to change my little corner of the world. If we can make a difference in one person’s life then maybe that person can change the world and you helped in a small way.

At The End of The Rainbow

Posted on by Gertie

You and a friend have decided to try and follow a rainbow to see if the end holds a pot of gold. But when you finally reach the end, you find something much more valuable than a pot of gold—and it changes your life.

It is a simple as we find out through the journey we went on that our friendship will last through the good times and the bad times. Because of this we received what our hearts desired. For me it was an education in the mental health field and for my friend it was marrying the love of her life.

 

Table For Two

Posted on by Gertie

Craft a story or scene about two people—or other nonhuman characters, if you prefer—from very different backgrounds sharing a meal together. What do they learn about each other that they weren’t expecting?

This is an easy one for me as Junior and I come from two completely different backgrounds. Junior is a well off Mexican American while I am an Irish American who is not all that well off. He is well over six feet tall and I am just barely over five feet tall. Junior is a successful firefighter while I am an unemployed Peer Specialist dealing with their mental health conditions.

Junior and I maybe completely different from each other especially when it comes to how we were raised yet we have a lot in common. We both play musical instruments. He plays the bag pipes, drums and trumpet while I play the flute and teaching myself the harmonica. We both are in the “helping” professions. We both have a sense of humor. Humor that gets us through rough patches as individuals and as a couple.

I think what Junior and I learned about each other is something that we weren’t expecting but not a surprise was our desire to advocate for those who do not have a voice. Especially those who don’t have a voice in the communities we most identify with. Another thing we were both surprised about is the love of sports we have.

Thank you for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

 

The End of the Road

Posted on by Gertie

Think back to a moment where you’ve come to the end of the road with something important in your life—a relationship with a lover; moving out of your childhood home; graduation from school; etc. Write a scene wrapped around that moment, describing how you felt (good and bad) and how you closed the door on that chapter in your life.

This writing prompt is difficult as I can come up with a lot of end of road stories that have influenced me to where I am at in the moment in time. If it wasn’t for end of road experiences I wouldn’t be in recovery. In recovery with an eating disorder or mental health. I wouldn’t be working on my recovery with self-harm.

Its the end of the road experiences that I have experienced has been what Oprah called Awe-Ha moments. Moments that have changed my life and hope that the experiences I have had can help change the lives of others so they can go on and help others themselves.

Thinking about the end of the road not only has me thinking about my recovery but my grandma and her currently being in home hospice care. For her its the end of the road yet she still has her sense of humor. The same sense of humor that I have to help me through her dying. I hope as I deal with my grandma dying I hope I can laugh at life like she has.