Category: Writing Prompt Wednesdays

Do you prefer to dance with no one watching, with a group of friends, or with one special partner?

I am not a particularly good dancer. I  never have been. I don’t have a really good sense of rhythm. My parents never made me take dance lessons; in fact I went to one “to see if I liked it” and I didn’t –I think I spent a total of 15 minutes; the entire time sulking. I’m actually quite self-conscious about my dancing. I do love to “boogie” around the house when no one is home while I listen to Spotify and do chores. I am sure it’s quite the sight to behold. I do love it when I can slow dance with my husband. That’s a super rare occurrence. I think in the last 6 years of our married life we have maybe slow danced maybe four times. When I was younger and actually went “clubbing” or as my husband likes to say in my “bar star days” (which he seems to believe were much wilder than they actually were) I did dance a bit with my friends. Whenever my friends and I were out I tended to simply stand in the corner with a drink in hand because it really wasn’t my thing. I mean if I was drunk enough or rather once everyone else was drunk enough and paid me little attention I would cut loose a bit more on the dance floor.

What about you?

From Piccadilly‘s 200 Writing Prompts

Write about the weirdest job you have ever had.

I haven’t had many jobs. I was a Sickbay worker on a cadet camp base. I was a parts picker and packer at Ford. I worked one night as a hostess at an ABC Country Restaurant. I worked one day picking ice cream at a Nestle warehouse. Then of course I’ve been a teacher for the last 14 years and I run a business with my husband. Although in terms of the business he really does all the work, or at least 90%. I don’t classify any of my jobs as the “weirdest.” Obviously, since I didn’t last more than a day at two of them –I really didn’t like them. I mean there have been weird days or weird moments but no job has been the “weirdest.” For example, there have been “interesting” ailments to deal with. There have been “quirky” bosses. There have been “wacky” co-workers. And having to wear a full on snowsuit in indoors was pretty odd (necessary but odd). The kids that we teach are wonderful, special not too mention hilarious; they make everyday amazing and weird.

What about you?

From Piccadilly‘s 200 Writing Prompts

Describe, in a creative way, how you feel when you have a head cold.

I feel like a DRAGON!

Drained and discombobulated.
Red nosed.
Anxious because I may have to book a sub and that is so much more work and so much worse than being sick.
Gross!
Overtired and therefore extremely ornery.
Needing lots of naps.

I feel like a DRAGON!

What about you?

From Piccadilly‘s 200 Writing Prompts

Think back to your childhood. Write about an article of clothing or an outfit you remember one of your parents (or another influential adult figure) wearing.

My dad always wore a plaid flannel button-up shirt; with a white undershirt. There were never buttons only snaps. If it didn’t have snaps he wouldn’t wear it. The sleeves were always rolled up to his elbows, exposing the many scars on his arms from his industrial accident and subsequent surgeries. I think the shirts were always from Mark’s Work Warehouse. He always wore blue jeans (medium dye). And of course, he wore the typical “dad running shoes” and black socks which I remember my mom often darning them while sitting in her rocking chair. He had steel rimmed bifocals. And, he either wore a black leather belt with a buckle remnant of his past or blue thick suspenders. More often than not he wore both of them together. I see him clearly in my mind standing in his “uniform” with his thinning black hair combed back even though he’s been dead for 21 years. Wow Vivid his appearance is ingrained in my mind!

What about you?

From Piccadilly‘s 200 Writing Prompts

Have you done any research into your ancestors? What interesting surprises have you discovered?

I have always been interested in my ancestry, my paternal grandma was the gatekeeper to this information but sadly we became estranged and she died. Therefore I am cut off and disconnected from that part of my family tree. However, she always claimed we were descended from Lord Lovat of England and that there were many generations who were mayors in a town in England. Apparently, her parents immigrated to Canada because they wanted to live a life unencumbered by their “positions.” I am assuming perhaps there was a falling or or some sort of scandal but there was no way my prim and proper, “stiff upper lip” grandmother was going to divulge that.

My maternal aunt  is the keeper of knowledge for that side of my family tree.  I tried to do the www.ancestry.ca thing; they always have a special offer around Remembrance Day but I can only get so far back because the record keeping in the “Old Country ” wasn’t the greatest and I supposed when you flee your country, you leave a lot of stuff behind. Both sides are small; many died or couples had few children than would have been expected at those times. My grandmother and her sister married men who were brothers; so they had the same in-laws. And, interestingly enough all the women tended to outlive the men by decades; so there is a long history of lonely widows and zero divorces.

What about you?

From Piccadilly‘s 200 Writing Prompts

Complete this simile: “As awkward as ______________”

As awkward as an elephant on ice skates!

I think that simile best describes me in public settings. I am definitely an introvert and every meme about introverts is painfully hilarious because it is so true. I often put my foot in my mouth, I feel itchy in public settings and try to fade into the background. And because of my innate awkwardness I prefer to stay home and only have a small circle of very close friend. However, the job I have chosen is really only suited to an extrovert so I am capable of putting on quite the show while feeling like I’m gonna die inside.  My personal hashtag according to my friends is #lilaalwaysmakesitawkward so this prompt is pretty fitting for me. 

What about you?

From Piccadilly‘s 200 Writing Prompts

Do you prefer to read electronic books or paper books? Why?

I 100% perfect paper books to electronic books. I love going to the bookstore and scouring the shelves for the perfect book to read. I love the cover art. I love the way books smell. I love turning the crisp textured pages. I love adding another book to my collection once I finish reading it. I do read books on my iPad but it just isn’t the same. The only reason I do is because I have run out of books to read and I’m too impatient for a new one to come in the mail from Indigo or I am feeling too lazy to drive to the city or the physical book is out of stock in the store/online. My husband on the other hand probably has hundred of ebooks. I find I spend enough time staring at a screen at work so the last thing I want to do is read a book on a “screen.” Also, I like to read before bed and I try to limit my screen time before bed because my brain needs to power down and an iPad is just too stimulating. There is nothing better than curling up with a good book, a blanket and a cup of coffee or tea on the couch. It also drives me nuts when I have a book collection that is part paper book and part ebook; sometimes even though I have the ebook I will still go out and by the actual book because it bothers me when I look at the bookshelves and there are books missing. 

What about you?

From Piccadilly‘s 200 Writing Prompts

ReplyForward

What special traditions or holiday celebrations does your family observe?

Considering that Christmas was last month; I should probably spend a little time on those traditions. My mother’s family is Hungarian. No Christmas was complete without my grandmother’s walnut roll or apple square or red cabbage. My mother usually hosted Christmas Eve dinner and my cousins and I would get to open one present after dinner –we lived for it. Christmas Day was always spent with my father’s family. Now that I am grown and married my husband and I host both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with a ton of food. On Christmas morning, we wake up and open our stockings and then feast on Wifesaver made by my mother-in-law. Then we open all the other gifts. It is wonderful watching our nieces and nephews open their gifts. Another tradition in our family is that for everyone’s birthday, my mother-in-law hosts an amazing dinner and the birthday person gets to pick the menu; for example my sister-in-law and nephew always pick ham and hashbrown casserole; my husband always picks angel food cake. Every February a friend and I book a room at the Hotel Mac and have a luxurious “fancy bitches” staycation; we have even started doing it in the summer too! Another tradition I have is that every girls’ weekend with my best friend from Calgary always have Kraft dinner for breakfast because we used to do it ALL the time in university. And every couple of years we go and walk around the campus and reminisce and marvel at how the campus has changed.

What about you?

From Piccadilly‘s 200 Writing Prompts

Do you have anyone in your life that has acted as a mentor to you? Have you ever helped someone else out in this way?

I have had many mentors over the course of my 36 years of life. They have all imparted something different but equally important on me. The most obvious mentors would be family members, however, apart from them, the most impactful mentors have been my teachers. My kindergarten teacher taught me to love learning and is the reason I wanted to become a teacher. My Spanish teacher in high school perhaps was a once in a lifetime mentor; she guided me and gave me advice during some of the darkest periods of my life. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of her. We have lost touch sadly, but I like to think that she would be proud of me. When I first started teaching my first principal and vice-principal took me under their wing and I am forever grateful for that. First year teaching can be extremely difficult. I try to be a mentor to my students of course. I had the opportunity to be a “mentor-teacher” for a university student and although I didn’t feel worthy of this prestigious position it allowed me to grow and it allowed me to realize how much I had learned over my many years of teaching and how much I had to offer to someone. Being a more senior staff member I try to help beginning teachers as much as possible.

What about you?

From Piccadilly‘s 200 Writing Prompts

I love journaling; it has become part of my “being intentional” routine that I have talked about in an earlier post. Piccadilly makes it so easy! I also love sharing my journal with you all…

What about you?