Daily writing prompt Tell us about a time when you felt out of place. View all responses I love this question because I always feel a little out of place—and I’ve made my peace with it. At most social events, I can feel an invisibility cloak sliding over me. I people-watch, sip a drink, and drift into my own thoughts like…

Daily writing prompt Your life without a computer: what does it look like? View all responses It looks like an electric typewriter, trying to figure out margin settings, and lots and lots of whiteout.It looks like a commute to work.It looks like sitting in an office and rebuilding office etiquette and enduring microaggressions in person.It looks getting my news from newspapers again.

Daily writing prompt What's your #1 priority tomorrow? View all responses Happy Monday dear readers. I'm back. I decided to take a short break and let go of all of the have-to-dos in my life, those that are imposed upon me and those that I had imposed upon myself. I allowed myself to get up each morning without one single thought of what I had to do.

Write about your most epic baking or cooking fail. Another food prompt, I see. Well, my biggest recent fail wasn’t entirely my fault—I was conned by a recipe for cauliflower mash that promised to be a good substitute for mashed potatoes. Please hear me and hear me good: cauliflower does not replace potatoes. I don’t care how much parmesan cheese you throw in.

I’ve been experimenting with different platforms and have decided to give Substack a try. My plan there is to take some of the short prompt responses I’ve shared here and flesh them out into fuller, essay-style pieces — the kind of writing I hope will one day move toward publication. Poetry will remain a companion to my work, woven in as it has always been.

What are your favorite types of foods? Today my favorite type of food is beans. A local nursery I go to carry several varieties of Rancho Gordo beans. I usually get the small black and red beans that a soak, slow cook, then freeze to pull out to make chili from time to time. The other day, I went to the nursery in search of a new houseplant and found a beautiful one with silvery-purple leaves that reminded me of my mom, so I scooped it up.

How often do you walk or run? One memory of my mom that always stays with me is the care and commitment she gave to my youngest brother, who has been blind since the age of sixteen after a drunk driver hit his vehicle in 1997 and nearly took his life. This memory comes from the last year she lived in Stockton.

This woman is a super hero! Park your judgement at the door, enter, sit and learn as she teaches untethered to any political party. Features image by Noel Vasquez / Getty Images file

What's your favorite word? Today my favorite word is empathy. It names the emotion we feel when something tragic happens to another living being in a way that feels undeserved. Empathy is tied to what we know of the person, it cannot be forced or contrived. When we hear of harm done to someone we don’t know, we may still feel for their suffering.

Charlie Kirk believed that he was rational in his assessment of gun violence in this country. So, in his honor, may we take a moment of rational thought concerning his death and the media coverage …

I’m really enjoying the second season of With Love, Meghan. There’s just something about this series that lifts my spirits and makes me want to do special things for my family and friends. I still think about that simple cake she made last season—since I’m on PTO for the next two weeks, I think I’ll finally make it! This new season has been such a treat.

Daily writing prompt What personality trait in people raises a red flag with you? View all responses To respond to this prompt, I clicked over to ChatGPT and asked, “Is there a finite number of human personality types?” I had always suspected there was. That suspicion came mainly from my younger years when I job-hopped from office to office and kept running into the same personality types—just in different skins.

This truly warmed my heart! Winners!

Name the professional athletes you respect the most and why. I’ve never been much of a sports fan. I don’t follow players, and I don’t have a team I’m loyal to. In fact, sports fans have always puzzled me. I can’t quite grasp how people become so personally invested in something they’re not actually part of—though, if I’m honest, I’ve had moments when I understood.

Daily writing prompt Write about a random act of kindness you've done for someone. View all responses It’s a busy weekend with family but I didn’t want to mess up my posting streak so I am revisiting another older post. For my new subscribers I hope you enjoy this one and feel free to comment. For those who may recall this one, here’s a second chance to comment.🫶🏾

Hi all, I have my prompt response in draft mode. Today got away from me so I will be posting it soon. In the meantime, I decided to repost one of my vss365’s

Daily writing prompt Are you holding a grudge? About? View all responses One thing I know for sure is that holding a grudge is not part of my ministry. It takes too much energy and memory to carry that. I’m barely holding on to my memory as it is, and I refuse to waste it on things that don’t serve me.

Daily writing prompt Share a story about the furthest you’ve ever traveled from home. View all responses I’ve only traveled within the United States. As an adult, I’ve been to Atlanta, Chicago, North Carolina, Kansas, Texas, Virginia, Washington DC, Washington State, Arizona, and Hawaii. When my mom moved us from Alabama to the Bay Area in the 70s, our trips never went further than the cities along the I-880 corridor.

Daily writing prompt What does your ideal home look like? View all responses It looks just like the one I live in now. It’s a single-story home with enough space for my husband and me to each have our own office, plus a guest room. The open floor plan gives us the feeling of having plenty of breathable space. We’ve furnished it without clutter, which I notice in many homes.