Creativity and TV Shows

It wasn’t until recently, maybe in the last few years, that I realized I watch certain types of shows on television.  I’m not really one for comedies, necessarily, although I’m not against watching them.  I also don’t really like shows that have too much drama and if they do have drama, I like it to be on the light side.

That isn’t to say that I don’t watch drama… I do.  Some of my favorite shows are The Walking Dead, Dexter and The Game of Thrones.  But when I say I watch those shows, I also admit that I can only watch “so much” of those shows.  I definitely can’t binge watch any of them, and when I found myself doing that in the past, I always paid for it emotionally.

I really do enjoy good writing (which I believe each one of them have in spades), but I also enjoy shows that don’t take themselves too seriously.  My fiance decided to start watching Lucifer this season and I was really skeptical at first, but honestly, I really like the show.  It’s pretty ridiculous for the most part, but honestly, I consider it good fun.  I laugh multiple times when I watch it and it honestly just makes me happy.  I guess I wasn’t too surprised, though, that there is some sort of petition going around to have it banned.  Does anyone else find that ridiculous, or is it just me?

For the most part, though, I enjoy shows that feature creativity.  I can’t honestly believe I’m admitting this, but here is the top list of shows I watch that are based on creativity:

• Face Off
• Project Runway
• Ink Master
• The Voice
• Chopped
• Top Chef (When it’s actually on, although I haven’t seen a new episode in a while)

They are all different types of creativity, to be sure, but I’m always amazed at other types of creativity that I don’t have the talent for like drawing, making clothes and cooking.  There was a point in my life where I thought I might sing, but honestly, that is so hard, and I can’t but bow before the greatness of those who can belt out a song.

Maybe I’m fooling myself in thinking that other types of creativity are hard when writing has its own set of difficulties…

What about you?  What types of shows do you watch in your free time?

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One-Liner Wednesday – Goodness Within

“You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you, and allowing the goodness to emerge.”
-Eckhart Tolle

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One-Liner Wednesday is hosted by Linda G. Hill. Click the link, read the rules and join in now! You won’t regret it!

Wordless Wednesday – Signs of Spring in other places

This post is part of Wordless Wednesday.

Teaser Tuesday – The Langoliers

I read this novella when I was probably twelve or thirteen while I was visiting my sister in California.  I remember staying up late one night after everyone else went to bed to read it.  I was in a strange house, reading an eerie book and I remember feeling scared every time I heard a strange sound.

I’m not sure why I decided to read this again, other than the fact that it is in a book with other stories I haven’t read yet and it happened to be the first one.  I’m excited to see how I receive the book now that I’m older and have more experience with scary shit.  Although, I’m not sure this one is so much scary as it is just weird.

I watched the mini-series on TV when it came out.  I think it was pretty good, but I honestly can’t remember.

The entire book is called Four Past Midnight written by Stephen King, composed of four short stories/novellas.  I’m going to try and read a story each week so I can have material for the next three weeks.  We’ll see if that actually happens, though.

My teaser comes from The Langoliers on page 13.  I hope you enjoy!

” An animal, one with extremely sharp teeth and claws, awakened and started to snarl inside of her head.  She knew the name of that animal; it was panic, and if she didn’t control it fast, she might do something which would embarrass both her and Aunt Vicky.”

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Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Jenn at Books and a Beat.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Mindful Monday – Stop talking, be silent and listen!

As many of you know, I’ve been sick for just about two weeks now.  I went from having stomach issues to a full-on head cold that feels like it could very well be a sinus infection at this point (that’s probably me just feeling like all sorts of crap, because doctors won’t diagnose that for at least a week, and I’m a few days short…)  Needless to say, my exercise schedule that I was so excited about has come to a screeching halt.

I’m not one of those people who exercise through illness, although I know there are people out there who do.  When I’m sick, all I want are sweats, a blanket and a nice soft couch to lay my head down.  I can’t even begin to imagine going to the gym or running right now, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to and missing the hell out of it.

So, without any kind of updates on exercising, I was thinking about what to write that was interesting and fit the theme and I realized I’ve been thinking a lot about communication lately.

I went from a relatively silent household growing up to learning that you need to talk about everything; talk it out no matter what!  As an adult, I always felt that communication was important, and I’ve had an almost unhealthy aversion to silence, by which I mean lack of communication.  It’s only been relatively recently that I realized you can get to a point where no matter how much talking you do, things can get much worse rather than better.  And sometimes it is because you’re talking that it degenerates into something worse.

My fiancé found a quote the other day that he is obsessed with and I honestly couldn’t understand why for a while.  But the last few weeks have been rough for me internally and in my relationships.  I’ve been insecure and feeling terrible and I started to attach to things that aren’t true; which also means I want to talk things out… but talking about feelings can be misleading because sometimes they lie to you…

Dalai Lama said, “When you talk you are only repeating what you know; but when you listen, you learn something new.”

I found myself looking for a certain something when talking to my fiance.  I wanted him to respond in a certain way or I wanted a resolution.  But I was so busy talking, I didn’t even realize when he actually said what I needed, just maybe not in the exact way I was looking for.

That’s not to say that we should stop talking; no, I believe it means we should each say how we feel and then stop.  If you think about it, whatever it is only needs to be said once and then it’s okay to let it go.  If it needs revisiting later, it will reveal itself (hopefully).  Because sometimes the more you talk about something, the more you realize you are repeating the exact same things over and over again expecting different results.  After all, the only person you can change is yourself, and expecting someone to do or say something to make you feel better is an exercise in madness.

I suppose the biggest thing I’ve learned in the past few weeks is that silence and listening are parts of communication, maybe even bigger parts than actually talking (yep, and it only took 40 years…).

I’m not sure if I helped any of you, but it sure helped me to put those thoughts into words.

Happy Monday everyone!  May you find peace and light in whatever you are doing.

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This post is part of Mindful Monday hosted by Colleen at Silver Threading.

Song Lyric Sunday – Left Right Left by Charlie Puth

I’ve been sick for most of this week and haven’t put much thought into this week’s post.  However, I know I need to lighten things up a bit, so I decided to go with another singer I’ve been following recently.  I really like his debut album, Nine Track Mind, and have listened to it a few times.  The lyrics to most of the songs aren’t deep, which is usually my thing, but the music is catchy and has some blues in there.  I almost posted his song, Marvin Gaye, because the music video made me laugh, but I didn’t want to step too far away from what I normally do here.  I did attach the link in case you wanted to check it out though…

I’m probably over-thinking this one anyway.  I tend to do that in general, but almost to a fault when I’m sick.

The reason I picked this particular song is, of course, the lyrics.  I try to always live my life in the present moment.  Bad things happen, but things will not be the same in a week, or a month or a year.  Sometimes, though, all you can do is just take one step and then another until you are finally back on your feet.

I hope you enjoy this week’s Song Lyric Sunday choice.  Feel free to read the “rules” below and post one of your own.  Thanks to everyone currently participating.  I enjoy this so much every week, sharing music with my amazing WordPress family!

Left Right Left by Charlie Puth
Written by Charlie Puth and others
Lyrics found at AZ Lyrics

Oh I been hurting lately
I’m down on all my luck
Sometimes there’s no one there by your side
I don’t deserve this baby
But I know that I can’t give up
Tough times I just take them in stride

I’m almost there, only one more step
Left, right, left, right, left
I’m moving on, I got no regrets
Left, right, left, right, left

I said times are changing, tell me how can I keep up
Every time that I turn around there’s a wall
But I’m climbing daily, until I see the top
And I get up right after every fall
When you’re brokenhearted
And you’re lost without me
Yeah you gotta walk alone, yeah it’s true
Flash every smile cause I’ve been lost for miles
I know you’ve felt this way before too

We’re almost there baby one more step
Left, right, left, right, left
We’re moving on, we got no regrets
Left, right, left, right, left
Left, right, left, right, left
Left, right, left, right, left
We’re almost there only one more step
Left, right, left, right, left

I know it looks like it’s too far
But it’s nothing compared to how far we’ve come
Walking down this boulevard
When the darkest times come right before the sun

We’re almost there baby one more step
Left, right, left, right, left
We’re moving forward and there’s no regrets
Left, right, left, right, left
Left, right, left, right, left
Left, right, left, right, left
We’re almost there only one more step
Left, right, left, right, left
Left, right, left, right, left
Left, right, left, right, left
Left, right, left, right, left
We’re almost there only one more step
Left, right, left, right, left

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Here are the “rules”:

• Post the lyrics to a favorite song or a new song you want to share
• I’ve started including who wrote the song. (I think it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due)
• Make sure you also credit the singer/band and provide a link to where you found the lyrics
• Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song
• Ping back to this post or my own Song Lyric Sunday post
• Read at least one other person’s blog so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process

Check out the new badge for Song Lyric Sunday!  Feel free to start using it in your posts or add it to your site to show you are participating.

SoCS – Lost to Unreality

The hollow air echoes,
undulating unreality in every breathe.
Every line of sight,
a deep tunnel stretching endlessly-
the more I try to grasp,
the farther it slips away
and I’m left shaking
splintering
shattering
helplessly waiting
for reality to ascend.
Tears might help,
but rarely do.
Fear grips my heart,
its icy fingers biting,
grabbing
clenching
and suddenly
I can’t catch my breathe.
It hitches and claws,
tearing its way from my lungs,
out through my mouth in terrorized gulps.
Reality is lost,
floating around the edges of oblivion.

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Stream of Consciousness Saturday is hosted by Linda G. Hill.  Today’s prompt is “real”.  Do you know when you’re sick, how you have that feeling that nothing is real?  That’s how I feel today.  That’s also where the poem came from – trying to describe that feeling.  I hope it isn’t too bleak for your Saturday!

Feel free to click the link above and join us in our stream of consciousness writing.

Friday Fictioneers – Mama’s Dignity

PHOTO PROMPT – © Ted Strutz

Mama always said you should never waste an opportunity to show your dignity. “Never leave the house in your pajamas”, she said. “People might think you come from trash, and we ain’t trash!”

Mama’s dignity is mine now, in the house and on the property. Just yesterday, we had to replace that old toilet in the bathroom and those idiots dumped it out by the garage. I took one look and knew what had to be done.

With Mama’s voice ringing in my head, I prettied it up some so the neighbors wouldn’t think we was dirt.

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Friday Fictioneers is a weekly flash fiction prompt where we are given a photo and asked to write a 100 word story – beginning, middle and end. This one came in at 97 words.  I hope you enjoy!

Click on the blue froggy to read other amazing 100-word stories!

How do you trust your intuition when fear of failure is so much louder?

I feel like I’ve always had a really strong intuition; the problem is, life has taught me to ignore it.  I suppose that sounds a bit like I’m not taking responsibility for my own actions, and maybe I’m not.

However, this could be something I can turn around and eventually unlearn all the things that bad experiences have taught me.

That’s probably why I’m writing this post – so I can work it out in my head and maybe come up with a plan.  But that sounds boring (even to me) to read, so I think I’ll just forego the planning stage and talk about the “wondering” stage.

I was at work today and received an IM from my boss.  She said she thought I needed to trust my intuition more; which I completely agree with.  I don’t know how many times I questioned something at work but didn’t say anything and later found out I was correct.  I even tell my boss (after the fact) when I noticed things that needed to be fixed or changed, but I can’t really offer a reason why I didn’t say anything.  At this point, I can only imagine she must think I am the most timid person in the world; which I’m not.

I think the biggest part of it is fear of failure.  Just yesterday, I made an assumption about something that my boss later told me I was completely wrong about.  So, where was my intuition then?  I’d like to say I was sick and not thinking straight, but I really have no excuse for that particular mistake.

Outside of work I have the same things happen, but it’s more in how I feel about things.  I had to take my son somewhere and found out his Dad would be there.  I had no reason to not want to go, but I really didn’t want to do it.  I thought my dread came from the fact that it was a baseball clinic in a gym on a Friday night.  Who wants to sit through that?  Well, maybe some people do, but I was bored just thinking about it.  But my feeling wasn’t about being bored.  It was a different type of feeling.

As you might expect, the night didn’t go very well and I ended up in tears.

Was my intuition telling me to be wary, to be aware and protective?  Perhaps, but why the hell is it always so confusing?  I think I’d hear it much better if it was more clear in its warnings and not just a weird lump of dread sitting in my belly for indiscernible reasons.

Or, was I just setting myself up for the situation that occurred?  You know the whole “what you think you create”?

Where’s the line and how do you know the difference?

I suppose the only thing we can do is exactly what I’ve mentioned – be aware; be present; listen and assess.  I’m assuming that old intuition can’t always be right, can it?

Wordless Wednesday – So this is Spring?

This post is part of Wordless Wednesday.