Homework

"The right word may be effective,

but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause."

Mark Twain

Here it is the night before my writing group meets and I have not yet done my homework. I've thought about it, and considered beginning it several times. But when I look at the first question I get stumped. What word do I hate? Now that's a hard one, and they get harder still! I've got to wonder if the people on the Actor's Studio have been prepped. They spit out their answers quickly, seemingly without much forethought. Undoubtedly anyone who goes on the actor's studio knows ahead of time the questions are going to be asked. Well I've known for three weeks and I still can't come up with definitive answers. Here's my best shot.


What word do you hate? Can’t
Actually there are lots of words I don't really care for, more for what they represent than the word itself. Like gun, war, hurricane, and vomit. However, can't implies limitations that I wish did not exist.

It's a little weird that I would choose this word because I actually use it a lot. In fact, I am often paralyzed by the fear of can't. It's something I would like to change about myself.

What word do you love? Love
Love just says it all, don't you think? I love certain foods. I love to dance. I love to walk in the rain. I love Sweetie. I love falling leaves and the colors of autumn. Love is more demonstrative than like. Love means you really "get" the object of your affection.

I also believe that love is another name for whatever higher power you want to call God. I believe the last thing the Great Creator did before sitting back and admiring His/Her creation was blow a giant kiss to all four directions. In that kiss he whispered the word love to the mountains, the seas, the trees, the sun, the moon, the animals and the people. "Love my children is the key that will unlock all the mysterious of the world." Embrace it. Share it. Live it.

What sound do you hate? A baby’s cry
My baby will be 36 years old next month. Where does the time go? I was standing in line waiting for a hot dog at the mall's food court today and I heard a baby cry. It's been years since that sound would cause my breasts to leak, yet I still responded in a physical way. My mom sense needed to see that the baby was okay. I smiled as the mom and baby rushed to the exit. I'm guessing the little one was announcing its tummy was empty. A baby's cry is a simple sound but at times can be determined, furious, needy, and oh so pitiful. The world over, I think a baby's cry is a call to arms by mothers who try to stand their ground and fight back. If not for themselves, for the children. May we all listen for the sound and do what we can to comfort the one who cries. It goes back to love I think, don't you?

What sound do you love? A baby’s laugh
If a baby's cry makes me want to weep, then just the opposite is true of a baby's laugh. I'm not sure if a baby knows degrees of emotions. When it feels a negative emotion it fusses then cries. But when it feels good, and it's little smiling muscles have developed and it lets go for that first time with a real laugh. Oooh, that is heaven to me.

What is your favorite curse word? I'm not sure I have a favorite although I think I use damn, shit, and crap on a fairly regular basis. I use the "F" word some, though not nearly as much as I used to when I broke out of my 35 going on 15 stage of life. That's when I said it just because certain people expected me (told me) not to. Nothing triggers a good "FU" response from me than someone saying don't do that!

There are times when he is driving that Sweetie gets quite upset with another driver's ability to handle an automobile. He'll shout out some obscenity like you asshole. In the moment I fear a full on road rage incident. But I've learned it's fun to use the opportunity to call the other driver every name we can think of. I'll shout - windows up, of course, "dickhead". Sweetie will counter with "shit for brains" and we'll just keep going til we've used up every nasty name in the book plus some we've made up. While I don't consider myself a big cusser, I hold my own pretty well. There is something to be said about the safety of one's own private world!


If there is a heaven and you reach the pearly gates, what would God say to you?
“Well done, my good and faithful servant."

I can't tell you the chapter or verse but I love this saying from the Bible. I hope to live my life so that there is nothing else God could say to me, but welcome home. I may have to give up calling people doo-doo heads, but that shouldn't be hard because we'll all be angels!

What about you, got any favorite words? Let's hear them.

Wishing for you at the end of this day the perfect love of a child asleep in your arms. If there is no child around, then wrap yourself in love and peace.
Merry ME