To Lead or Follow, That is the Question…

Daily writing prompt
Are you a leader or a follower?

To be a leader or a follower

That is the question…

If one is to be a good leader

one must follow a good leader!

Following the leader’s example

by being a good leader,

is learning how to lead

by following the leader…

The leader teaches how to lead others,

by following the leaders example

Thereby, what the leader teaches

the follower does

in order to lead others…

Wednesday Words…

It’s Take a Camel to Work Day!

Come on, you know you want to do it! Who wouldn’t want to trade bad jokes over the water cooler, entertaining a Camel that may spit at you if the joke’s not funny enough? I’m just sayin that it could brighten up your Wednesday… that’s all.

Riddle Me This…

Daily writing prompt
List your top 5 favorite fruits.

My favorite dessert is a summer parfait with fruit, vanilla pudding and an angel food cake, cut into small cubes. I generally make it during the summertime, usually on or near a very widely celebrated holiday!

If I’m to enjoy a drink, it will be a very tropical one, with music playing in the background of an island theme!

What follows are pictures of fruit, used in one form or another, in one or both of the above mentioned items.

Which five fruits do you think are my favorites, based on the pictures shown, and the description given?

Ready, Set, Go!!!

Oh yeah, don’t forget to grab a cookie…

The Tale of the Turtle…

Episode 3

This world was so very big and frightening, thought the tiny turtle, as she hid beneath the plastic cup left on the beach. She’d been considering how to get to the water without being eaten by the huge Gulls, which were circling overhead.

When the tiny turtle’s hiding cup suddenly disappeared, to be replaced by the face of a large creature of some sort, she lay frozen in fear! Unsure of whether or not she was about to be eaten, or even trampled into the sand , the turtle found herself unable to flee!

The old man was just as taken aback, by discovering a turtle beneath the garbage he’d been collecting! For several moments, the two simply stared at one other, unsure of what came next. The old man wondered why the turtle hadn’t bolted for the water when he’d lifted the cup? Was she injured? The old man sat down beside the little turtle, to observe her further, before deciding whether or not to get involved. He’d always had a strong commitment to let nature be, allowing wildlife to exist the way they were intended, without humans changing the rules of nature. Now, for the first time in all these years, he was not so sure that walking away was the right thing to do.

Normally, these turtles all hatch at approximately the same time, covering the beach with thousands of little creatures, all running for the water at once. Even though one understood the theory of safety in numbers, the old man still chose not to visit the beach on those days, as it was sad for him to watch this part of nature. The hatching that usually took place on this beach had ended almost a week earlier, so he was perplexed at seeing a brand new baby cowering in the sand now, all by itself. Thinking back on things, the old man remembered seeing a flurry of Gulls near this area, just the day before; now it made a bit more sense, as to what they’d been doing over in these bushes. It occurred to him that this turtle was a very late arrival, most probably the last to emerge from the nest.

Unsure of how to proceed further, both the old man and the tiny turtle just sat there on the sand, side by side, one observing the other in an effort to make sense of things. He was considering whether or not to assist the baby in her dash for the water, or maybe he shouldn’t do anything at all. The old man began to consider picking up the frightened turtle, taking it home with him and calling the nearest wildlife rescue.

At the same time, the little turtle was thinking on things, the way a turtle might. She was pretty sure that she should head for the water, but where was everyone? She’d been hiding under her cup all morning, waiting for other turtles to make a run to the water with her, but no one came. Sitting here now, she realized that she must choose to either run or be eaten! The turtles instinct told her to curl up inside her shell, and await the creatures departure. Hopefully, it would think her dead and wander off down the beach.

Will the old man help the tiny turtle? Should he? What’s one turtle’s fate going to do for the species itself? Would it be a better fate for the tiny turtle, to simply let the Gulls do their work, thereby providing food for them and their own offspring? The odds were already stacked against her reaching adulthood, anyway.

There is such a fine line between helping and interfering that many choose to do nothing, for fear of making a thing worse, rather than better. Will the old man follow his heart and help this turtle, or will he put the cup back down over her and walk away? Can he throw out the rule book, just this once?

You know, I think we’re all faced with a choice, to actively help in our planet’s conservation, or simply do nothing. I realize that it seems daunting, trying to undo generations of global overuse, in hopes of restoring it for our future. We often feel overwhelmed with the big picture, feeling feeble and useless in making any difference at all, so we just don’t look or think on it.

Perhaps the change we need, is to do good even if we don’t think we’re enough… one person at a time, one small act after another. Something as small and miniscule as putting your wrapper in a bin, rather than on the back seat floor of your car, or worse, on the ground. Tiny things add up!

What if the important thing about helping the turtle, is not so much whether she will reach adulthood, but more so about the old man’s willingness to do the right thing? Even if he doesn’t realize it, the old man is helping! Our global warming issues, along with our wildlife conservation efforts are daunting, to say the least! We cannot expect an overnight fix, nor a rapid outcome of what has taken generations to cause! Every little act or effort toward furthering our planets recovery, takes us all, one step at a time.

Tune in next Tuesday, as we learn the fate of our tiny turtle…

I’m Out!

Daily writing prompt
What’s one small improvement you can make in your life?

As per the specific word usage of the daily prompt, there’s nothing small left for me to actively do, aside from only answering prompt questions that have a point!

The list of small improvements needed in my life is quite substantial, but as I’m tapped out in the DIY department, there isn’t anything worth mentioning that would satisfy the prompt. Let me be clear in saying that I’m not being negative or tetchy in my response… I’m simply keeping it real!

Count yourselves lucky, as I nearly put a picture of a working toilet on this response… you’re welcome!

Here, have a cookie…

Ode to My Chica…

Til the wheels fall off…

Daily writing prompt
Share a story about someone who had a positive impact on your life.

We met each other while attending college, nearly 12 years ago, and we’ve been friends ever since! I remember standing outside a classroom, as we waited for the teacher to arrive and unlock the door, and she was standing next to me against the wall. The first thing I did was stop her and give a disclaimer about myself… I wanted her to be warned of my frigid nature!

Well, she seemed to take it as a challenge, rather than a deterrent! It wasn’t long before we were choosing classes together and carpooling to campus, as we lived not too far away from one another at that time.

We shared classes, snacks, coffee and a good bit of shenanigans! We just knew we fit together like peas and carrots, as Forrest Gump would say! I even rescued her from being used as a stripper pole by a strange woman under the influence of some drug or another… I’m being fully serious! We’d shared an evening class at that time, so it was late and dark when we stopped off at the restroom near our classroom, before heading home for the night. I’d heard the door open and someone enter while I was using the facility, but it wasn’t until I went to wash my hands that I saw who it was. There before me, bravely trying to wash her hands was my Chica, with some strange woman trying to dance to the rhythm of a distant drum, up against her side. Forgive me for not washing my hands, but I just grabbed my Chica by her arm and we bolted out of the bathroom, laughing uncontrollably, as we ran for the car.

We have gone through a great deal of adventures, one of which involved a stay at some nearby hot springs, where we made some hilarious memories. I cannot imagine doing any adventures that she isn’t involved in somehow… and I cannot imagine going through anything difficult without her support either!

My Chica held me together, through some of the most difficult and painful parts of my journey. Many times, it was she that gave me hard truths I needed to hear, in order that I get up and keep going. Never would she let me wallow for long, in the midst of my miserable circumstances.

She has cheered me on, been there for me when I felt abandoned and alone, and faithfully stood beside me through hell or high water! Talk is cheap, but unconditional love is priceless and the woman has lavished it upon me for all our years together! When I saw the prompt question, she was the first person that came to mind, outside of God and my husband.

My Chica has to be one of the most genuine human beings I’ve ever encountered, and I thank God for her every day!

Well, I’m off to enjoy a glorious sunny day with my Chica, as we cruise around in her Classic Ford Thunderbird, for a Mother’s day treat to ourselves… hehe!

Here, before you go, take a cookie…

Choice…

Daily writing prompt
What does freedom mean to you?

If I am to be judged for who I am, and what I believe, let it be done by looking at MY choices… not by the behavior of another human’s choice! Wiwohka

Just sayin…

Here, have a cookie…

As They Say…

Good Morning everyone! Are we ready for another As They Say phrase? It’s such a glorious day that one might say, it’s the cat’s pyjamas! Oh, I don’t know for certain if that’s the right way to use this, but per FibercraftGrannie’s request, I shall give it my best try!

When I think of a cat in pajamas, it makes me giggle. I can’t help it! The idea brings back so many memories of my children playing dress up with our cats. I couldn’t stop myself with the AI photo generator, and it didn’t do me wrong with the choices of swanky felines it offered up!

Granted, we all now have a funny picture in our heads, but whether or not it comes close to the actual definition, is still yet to be determined. What the phrase actually means and the time and place of its’ origin, shall now begin…

Considering the history of cat’s within our society, one leans toward life on the farm or covered wagon days… when cat’s were mostly used for keeping the rodent population down in folks barns. I can imagine a child playing dress-up with the family’s resident mouser!

Then again, perhaps it was simply the diversity of cat’s fur colors and textures that brought about the idea. There may have been a cat born with colorations that looked just like a pair of PJ’s! With this in mind, one could surmise that the phrase possibly traces all the way back to the time of the Pharaoh’s. If memory serves me right, the Egyptians revered cats, so there were cats running all over the place. It’s quite possible there were cats walking the halls, looking like they were dressed in clothing. Or maybe, we can imagine some child from the royal house, snatching up the closest Flurby and dressing them up like a baby.

Hour after hour, Pharaoh had to sit on his throne, listening to endless problems, being required to offer up all the right answers. The bright spot of his day, might have been to see one of his many children, peeking at him from behind a curtain in the back of the hall. After a particularly rough day, the odds are good that seeing a child carrying a cat dressed like a person, would bring a smile to Pharaoh’s face. The next time the man heard good news, he may have simply said, “Wow! This great news is the cat’s pajamas!”

I realize that you may be laughing right now, but hey, it could have happened that way… Just sayin!

Let’s test this answer against our Googlanator machine:

The first thing I noticed was that some sites spell it Pajamas, while others spell it Pyjamas. I’m going to just leave it the way I’ve spelt it, as it doesn’t change the definition!

I tried to look at the information offered on Merriam Webster, but it was pretty inadequate for an in-depth answer. I continued my search, landing on this one from Wikipedia,

THE CAT’S PAJAMAS

Etymology

Popular in the US as early as 1922[1] around which the bee’s knees, cat’s whiskers, and numerous other similar phrases gained prominence.[2] Sometimes attributed to cartoonist Tad Dorgan.[2] It is widely believed that the origin of this idiom predates considerably, tracing back to the early 1800s in England. During this period, a tailor named E.B. Katz crafted silk pajamas for members of royalty and the upper class.[3]

Noun

the cat‘s pyjamas pl (plural only)

  1. (idiomatic) A highly sought-after and fancy example of something, usually referring to inanimate objects. That new car was really the cat’s pyjamas.

While my definition doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the actual origin of the phrase, it still makes more sense the way I wrote it, if I’m being honest. Google took all the fun out of it! Oh well, right is right and wrong is wrong, so I’ll stand down and let history have this one. I’m still using my version, though, because I like mine better!

I have one more idiom offered that I’ll work on next Saturday, but will be needing your suggestions to keep us rolling forward. Be sure and offer up your ideas in the comments section, and I’ll put em on the list in the order I receive them.

Now, go have a fantastic day with your loved ones… hugs