SPARK #13: (Autumn) List for Life

How appropriate. The free journal I ordered last week arrived today, on the day we celebrate journaling. I love how life works! (most of the time)

So this morning someone showed me her list entitled, "Autumn Wishes" in which she listed 47 items she wanted to experience during the fall. And so I took the challenge myself. In light of the recent announcement that cursive is on its way out, I wrote this post by hand.

SPARK #13: What would you include on YOUR autumn to-do list?

Feel free to LINK UP if you discuss today's SPARK on your blog.

SPARK #12: Journal Giveaway (Could There BE Anything Better?)

I have a weakness in my heart for Buttons, by AmandaRaeK. Aren't they wonderful?!

I used to be religious about writing down goals on New Year's Eve. But see, here's the thing. Chalk it up to being a writer, a woman, a whatever-might-apply ... I find New Year's Eve to be very depressing.

I don't know if it's due to the end of another year, the insane repetition of Auld Lang Syne, or the reality that another diet is just around the corner, but I think I would survive if New Year's Eve never happened.

This is what my yearly goal-writing scenario used to look like:

Each New Year's Eve, I would sit down and list my goals for the coming year. And, inevitably, on January 2nd or 3rd (when I'd pull out the list again) I would see a bunch of failures or personal impossibilities, mixed with tear stains in the margin and heavy underlining.

No more New Year's Eve goal writing for me.

On my birthday each year (which is significantly less depressing, perhaps because cake is involved) I choose 5 things to work on. (So those who know me are thinking, "ONLY 5?! Give me a call!") Right?

My birthday was this past week. So I am thinking about goals.

And really, why not think about goals throughout the year. Much less intimidating than year-end exams.

SPARK #12: What do you want to achieve this year? What do you want to achieve within the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve with your life?

Visit the HouseHoncho Facebook page today to claim your coupon for a FREE journal from Paper Coterie!

SPARK #11: The Richest Man in the Cemetery

These Bike Hand Warmers, by warmYourself will make a perfect autumn/fall/winter/spring accessory.

Life is short. Eternity is not.

Today--in light of Steve Jobs' death yesterday--I've been reading some of the things he wrote and said through the years. Whether or not I agree with various points he made, his insights are unique.

Tonight's SPARK challenge is simple. Respond to this statement, made by Steve Jobs on May 25, 1993, for CNNMoney/Fortune:

"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me."

My thoughts are many. Tonight, my words are few.

Please feel free to respond to tonight's SPARK in a post on YOUR blog and link up below!

SPARK #10: A Turn in the Road

I love mamapainter's work! Check out this print, BOO.

I am very excited to unleash a new feature here on HouseHoncho.com! If you are a blogger, this post is for YOU!

Since beginning SPARK Thursday, I have received several requests from readers to find a way we can share the things fellow bloggers are writing in response to the weekly SPARK challenge. I think it's a great idea.

So here's the deal. At the bottom of this post, I have listed a place where you can easily link up your blog post if you choose to write the weekly SPARK. You have 1 week to post your blog until the linkup locks.

Very cool. Give it a try!

Today's SPARK challenge is simple. I suggest setting the egg timer for 5 minutes and writing, unedited, on the following topic:

Robert Frost wrote a poem titled The Road Not Taken.  Name a road you’ve always wanted to travel. 

SPARK #9: The Namesake

Happy Autumn! Friday marks the first day! Check out these lovely earrings by CreaShines!

I am thinking about names tonight. I attended a baby shower. It's inevitable.

After searching the Internet in vain for a baby shower game to enjoy with my friends, I created one of my own. (Mainly, I didn't want to pin the tail on anything--specifically the mother's belly--and I wasn't interested in sticking my nose in a diaper of any kind.) In the process of creating the game, I did some research of baby names and here are 10 of my personal favorites that I found. (Yes. These are actual names that belong to actual human beings.)

Audio Science
Brick Wall
Camera
ESPN
Moon Unit
Moxie CrimeFighter
Male and Female (twins)
Mr.
Number 16 Bus Shelter
Violence

There are two main reasons my husband and I gave our son the name that we did. 1) It is a family name. 2) It passed my litmus test (which is simply: How would the name look on a nursing home door in 80 years?)

Anyway.

SPARK #9: Where did your name come from? What does it mean? What do you want it to represent to others?

I'm still trying to imagine how someone would introduce himself/herself as "Brick Wall."

SPARK #8 : Ode to Autumn

Time to pull out the fall fashions. What? No fall fashions? Check out these cool patterns by TheFancyLamb.

It is 42 degrees outside. I can smell the faint drifting of a bonfire through the open window. It actually feels good to curl up under a blanket. A trip to the apple orchard is close at hand.

Fall is one week away. Kind of hard to imagine, isn't it? Where did summer go?

Anyway.

Tonight's SPARK comes from a file of prompts I keep in my office.

"What is your favorite memory of autumn? How old were you when it occurred? Take 5 or 10 minutes to write about it as if you were recording it in real time. If it helps to look at photos of yourself at the age when you experienced the situation, go for it."

While you're writing, I'm going to dig out that recipe for gourmet caramel corn.

SPARK #7: Against Forgetting

This retro flower tree,  by Sascalia makes me think of fall. (And I love fall with all my heart.)

Not long ago, I stood before a classroom of writing students and asked them to share their memories of September 11th. I wasn't prepared for what came next ...

What I anticipated was a recounting of terror-filled moments and media anecdotes. I could almost hear the rumbling of voices talking over voices--"Pick me! I have something to share!"

This was a classroom of talkers, after all, who could make the contents of a phone book sound exciting.

But what I received in response to my question was a room full of glassy-eyed, blank expressions. I could have asked them to translate the Estonian phrase, "Made sa vaatad" and I would have witnessed the same reaction.

I learned quickly that these students knew nothing of 9/11 except what they had read in textbooks or discovered on YouTube.

It doesn't take long, I learned, for generations to be separated by major life events. Today's 15-year-olds know little--if anything--of that horrific day. No doubt they look at 9/11 the way I view Vietnam or the fall of the Iron Curtain. I can respect it in the way I know it was important--the way I know freedom is important or forgiveness.

But it's all conceptual.

And since that day in that classroom, I have grappled with ways that I can share history with those who come after me. Maybe my account will be imperfect. Maybe the details I share will not be relevant to the world at large. But they will be details that make the events more real to those I love.

9/11, after all, is a day that shouldn't be forgotten.

SPARK #7: What do you remember about 9/11? 100 to 200 words.

Here is what I remember.

SPARK #6: The Evil Fourth Step

Check out this bright red Sea Star watercolor by giardino. Reminds me of dreaming ... which I need to do. 'Night.

Today I was people watching (unintentionally--I am tired) and I saw two girls walking arm in arm. They were taking three steps forward, followed by one step backward.

The game went on for quite some time before it occurred to me:

Even though the girls experienced a setback in their progress every fourth step, they still moved forward.

And then the wheels started turning.

Home management
Motherhood
Friendship
Sisterhood
Marriage
Employment

In each of these opportunities--as well as scores more--there are seasons of shortcoming. It's just the way it is. Humanity always wins in the battle against perfection. But instead of beating myself up about that frustrating fourth step, I've got to focus on moving forward. Giving up and sitting on a park bench isn't going to allow me to experience those other three (glorious!) steps that move me in the right direction.

Which brings us to this:

SPARK #6: What is a challenge in your life that really pushes you to your limits? Perhaps this is a goal you have achieved. Perhaps this is a goal you still need to achieve.

SPARK #5: The Joy of Procrastination

Forget gold. Pyrex should be the new standard for monetary policies, especially this set from sevenbc! Invest in Pyrex!

What we don't do in a day is often more insightful than what we do accomplish.

In the past 15 days, since becoming a mom, the biggest change is what I consider "a reasonable accomplishment" to be in any given day. Tasks that were once mundane are now great feats. Preparing an appropriate dinner (as opposed to eating out of a box or bag) deserves a medal. Preparing clean clothes for the family and ensuring everyone has time for a bath is newsworthy.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. I wouldn't have it any other way.

But I have noticed that many of my pre-motherhood goals are slipping by the wayside. It's a sort of metamorphasis, I think. Which leads me to this:

SPARK #5: What is something you intended to do today, but didn't? Why not?

And in case you believe this question to be ridiculous, think again. What you didn't do today is very insightful ...

SPARK #4: Game Change

Rare, red vinyl pair of original Herman Miller, Charles Eames shell chairs by thevintagesupplyco. These chairs make sitting an art.

The house is quiet. In the battle of sleep vs. my son, sleep has prevailed. It's funny to think that the silence feels strange when only a few weeks ago, silence was the norm. So much can change in an instant ...

SPARK #4: Write about a change you have experienced in your life that has been impactful. 100 to 200 words.

And one more thing before I go:

Through the years, I've heard various of my friends complain that they don't have enough time to keep up with journals, baby books, scrap books, etc.--with or without children, life is busy. I get that.

But here is my encouragement to you. Even if you only take one day a week to document something important--a page in a journal or scrapbook, for instance--you will still have 52 pages at the end of a year. And that is not a shabby goal.

Perfectionism is too often the enemy of accomplishment.

I was reminded today--via the story of a sweet mother of 7 who is battling cancer--that life is short.

Go ahead--write something down.

SPARK #3: To the Moon and Back

Today's SPARK challenge is all about love. Write to or about someone who has changed your life. Any age. Any stage. 100 to 200 words.

I began a journal for my son on Monday when he came to live with us. (See the photo above.) Here is a snippet from that first page ...

"Buddy, I would say it was love at first sight, but in reality, we loved you long before that. Nearly 30 months ago we heard about you and saw you for the first time. There was never a question for either your dad or me that we wanted to adopt you and love you for the rest of our lives ..."

XOXOXO,

Spark #2: The Upside of Irrationality

Bliss Pinwheel Party Decorations by Cupcake Social. (So cool!)

Tonight's SPARK challenge is simple: Write about a time you experienced the unexpected. 100 to 200 words. Here is mine ...

The 90-year-old mother of a dear friend of mine died a couple of years ago, and I decided to attend the funeral in support of my friend. I should have been clued in that the funeral would be like nothing I'd ever attended when I entered the creaky old house that served as the funeral home.

I felt like I had walked onto the set of the Adams Family.

Sitting in the cramped space--knees against the back of the chair in front of me--I watched a man (whom the 90-year-old woman had never even met) perform a sort of one-man-show. He read the eulogy, he gave a tribute, he shared words about the deceased, he brought the challenge to the family, he sang a solo, and he led in prayer.

He even shed a couple of well-timed tears.

Between each "task" that he performed, he would put his hands straight at his sides and lower his head like he was resting between scenes in a multi-act play.

I fought hard not to think of Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins when the character, Bert, performed the one-man-band at the park entrance, collecting spare change in his hat.

At the end of the funeral, the man (to my surprise) introduced someone who would close the service with a special song. I didn't think I heard the man correctly when he said, "Please welcome Josh Groban." But soon enough, static sounded on the speaker over my head, and Josh's voice filled the room.

That was when--though I was still in my twenties--I decided to go home and write up plans for my own funeral.

Spark #1: In Search of Memory

Photo: gnome baby upcycled dolls by SewnNatural

A few years ago, I was teaching the art of memoir to a room of senior citizens. I encouraged them to write down the earliest memory they had ...

One lady wrote down the story of her parents and grandparents during a time in history when people were killed by the thousands for their ethnicity. She read her entry with tears rolling down her cheeks.

The next week, I came back and encouraged the group to write another memory--something about their family or friends--whatever struck their creative genius.

Again, this dear lady wrote the story of her parents and grandparents. Again she cried.

It didn't take me long to realize she was trapped in memory. Over the course of my teaching this group, this dear lady wrote and re-wrote the story. And I became a believer that memory can be as real years after the incident as the day the incident happened.

SPARK #1: Write about a childhood memory. Good or bad. 100 to 200 words.

Feel free to share it with me. Share it with the group. Keep it for yourself. Whatever you want to do. Just write it down!

I will share my response to SPARK #1 in the Facebook group soon.

Keep it simple.

Introducing: Thursday SPARKS

Check out this rendering of a row of beautiful brownstone houses by claudiagpearson! Lovely.

I love stories. No surprise since I work in an industry where story is king.

No doubt, my grandpa had a hand in sparking this love of story. He told the best stories. When I was in college, I decided to ask him if, in lieu of a traditional Christmas gift, he would put some of his favorite memories on an audio tape. I supplied him with a 60-minute tape and told him that he didn’t need to feel like he was supposed to fill it. But that anything he put on it would be special to me.

Well, he didn’t fill it. Instead, he filled 12 90-minute tapes, front and back, with the stories of his life. I have listened to them—in their entirety—several times. And each time I listen, I feel like he is still in the room ... even though he has been gone for over a year.

Those memories are a gift.

My husband lost his grandma this past Monday. One of the greatest gifts she left her family--in my opinion--is the stack of notebooks she filled with family history. I have looked through them and hope to read them in their entirety soon.

Journaling--specifically writing down memories of days gone by--is a gift to future generations. (As well as an exercise in therapy. Trust me.) I believe so whole-heartedly in journaling memories that I have given workshops and aided retirees in writing down their stories without collecting a penny in return.

Today I am announcing a change to this blog. Beginning this Thursday--and every Thursday for at least the next year--I am going to offer prompts here on the site called Thursday SPARKS. Grab a notebook, open your computer, find a tape recorder ... I don't care how you do it. But each Thursday, I am going to post a SPARK on the blog that you should consider recording your answer to, whether or not you are "a writer."

What is a SPARK?--a writing prompt that illicits a memory that is: 

Simple, Personal, Actual, Recordable, Keep-worthy.

Come back Thursday for more information. I think you'll be glad you did.