Bloganuary prompt: What do people incorrectly assume about you?
Others may assume that I am unassuming,
but my assumption that they assume so
would, indeed, make their assumption incorrect,
would it not?
It is more likely that I assume things about others
that would prove to be incorrect.
But if I’m assuming that my assumptions are incorrect,
then are they really assumptions?
My head hurts now.
The photo above is of Auggie, my unassuming grandpuppy whom I failed to feature in previous posts. Auggie, please don’t assume that I love you any less. You are near and dear to my heart.
“I’m really sorry I did it. Really, really sorry. Um… which ‘it’ did you discover?”“I don’t know why the cat dug up the water sprinkler, but I scared him away just before you got here.”“Hmmm. Fruity, black currant, vanilla, buttery… I’d say cab-sauvignon aged in oak.” “I’d say cherry Pop Tart.”“Are you sure, brown dog? Bark if I see ANYTHING at all on the street, and twice as loud if I see NOTHING at all?”
It’s January, and so begins the #Bloganuary Challenge from WordPress, where participants are given a daily prompt for blogging inspiration. Today’s prompt: What advice would you give to your teenage self? So here goes.
Dear Teenage Me:
Look at you! So young, I hardly recognize you – er, me. I know, you think it’s odd that an old fart like me is addressing you. You work so hard to stay invisible, and yet I see you. It’s not easy for me, either. I tend to avoid people, especially teenagers. You kids are very intimidating at that age. And, well, I try to stay invisible, too. Still.
You have a long row ahead of you (that’s a good thing so keep going), so here are some pointers to get you through a bit easier than I had it.
When you get your wisdom teeth pulled in your twenties, do NOT use tequila as a pain killer. The side effects are not worth it. You will wake up wishing you could get more teeth pulled just to take your mind off the hangover.
Nurture your artistic self. You don’t have to excel at art or music or writing or photography or stained glass or anything else in order to validate your interest and participation. If it feeds your soul, it’s worth doing.
Don’t dance like nobody’s watching. Dance like you don’t give a flying leap whether they’re watching or not. That will come in handy when your second grader pulls you out on the floor during the school music program to dance the macarena with her.
You’ll be a better parent than you think you can be. Listen to your kids. They’ll let you know how you’re doing. But maybe don’t let your children write their own absentee excuse notes for school. When you actually write one yourself, the school will think it’s fake because the signatures don’t match.
Don’t despair. When you think you’ve hit rock bottom, there’s only one way to go: up.
Well, that’s about the extent of my garnered wisdom. Check back in another twenty years, and I can advise you on how to get through your midlife crises. By then, however, you’ll realize that you don’t need other people’s voices in your head, you just need to trust your own.
[to the Tune of the Tennessee
Waltz (two-three) (one-two and-a)]When I was Seventeen
High school band Agony
Playing the French horn, you
See (two-three), (one-two) while the
Rest of the Instruments
Soared with the Melody
I got the Slow after-
Beats (two-three) (one-two).
Chorus:I re-
Member the Days in the
Stuffy band Room as the
Teacher's baTon counted
Three (two-three) (one-two) I would
Wait for that Moment when my
French horn would Shine as I
Sweetly played Two after-
Beats (two-three) (one-two) instru-Mental interLude here. Find your
Horn, play aLong dear, and
Soon you will See what I
Mean (two-three) (one-two). If you're
Lost in the Melody
Listen for Me and I’ll
Carry you Through to the
End (two-three) (one-two).
Oh the
Waltz would start Playing with the
Saxophones Braying, the
Oboe would Try to com-
Pete (two-three) (one-two). Clari-
Netists’ reeds Squeaked as the
Flautist's breath Peaked, and the
Trombones’ spit Rattled and
Leaked (two-three) (one-two).
Chorus:I re-
Member the Days in the
Stuffy band Room as the
Teacher's baTon counted
Three (two-three) (one-two) I wouldWait for that Moment when my
French horn would Shine as I
Sweetly played Two after-
Beats (two-three) (one).
A palinode or palinody is an ode or song that retracts or recants a view or sentiment to what the poet wrote in a previous poem...
The writing challenge is to write a palinode. This can be in relation to a poem you have written before (please link or include prior poem)...
My prior poem, which I posted on April 13 of this year is Spring Reveal:
What Rhymes with Stanza? 