Use Your Words - One Of A Kind

Today’s post is writing challenge. This is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once, and all the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.

My words are:

candle ~ trident ~ warmth ~ under ~ one of a kind

They were submitted by The Bergham Chronicles - thank you, Jules!

A while ago I participated in one of Coach Daddy's legendary "Six Words Challenges", the assignment of the month being to summarize one's memoir - in only six words.

I didn't think long and submitted the following:

"Shoot now - aim later"

Oh, wait, that's only four words!?

"Acting impulsively - adjusting as I go"

There!

Which shows exactly what is going on with me ;-)

I've been like this since I can remember. It's not about making stupid decisions and regretting them. Actually my instincts are pretty impeccable, conisdering. It's more about acting and commenting immediately, yet not always fully considering the entire message, background, reasons, you get the picture.

Also, I am always running. Not jogging. God, no!

Bustling around.
Jumping from one thing to the next - one idea chases the next in my head.
Getting stuff done - hey, I don't want to be the girl who enthusiastically starts something but never finishes it.

Never mind if I got my priorities right, though.

It's better to start an activity than to sit around, debating, or twiddling my thumbs, uuuugh!

I just can't slow down. To be efficient seems to have become my life motto. Once everything is done, I will be able to relax and enjoy my ultimate freedom.

Only that this moment will probably never come. Not to me.

There's always that thing I need to do. Like transforming the Legoman I made for Colin's birthday into a Christmas Elf. An hour of my life gone...!

For the rest of the day I was feverishly loading my (dish) washer, running to the market and back, honking at an innocent delivery truck that was blcoking my driveway - cause I needed to get home and make lunch NOW!

At 12:05pm the phone rang. "You have to come and pick up Colin - there has been an accident!"

I was crying on my way to school. When I pulled into the parking lot, I told myself to get a grip and be the grown-up. I did great for a minute until I saw him:

He was involved in a friendly fight, and the friend tripped him.

My poor, poor baby!

I had to take him to the toy / book store when we were finally done.

Allow me this digression:

When you travel, does it happen to you that people that you meet, that you have never met, figure out what you're all about?

It was on our honeymoon in Australia, 2004.

We signed up for a day trip to watch dolphins or meet kangaroos, I don't remember. We were waiting in front of our hotel for the tour bus to pick us up. When it didn't arrive at 9am, we were checking our watch, pacing up and down,....

Just as we were considering to go back in to the lobby and ask if there was another pick-up spot we might supposed to be waiting, Phil approached us. He was the hotel concierge.

2004

"You guys must be Swiss" he said. It wasn't even a question, he stated it matter of factly.

"We are. How do you know? Did you recognize our accent?"

"You worry about time."

"Excuse me?"

"It's obvious that you are waiting. You worry about time. Swiss!
See, Americans worry about service, Swiss and Germans worry about time - us Aussies just want to make friends!"

He was so right!!

During that month in Down Under we only met friendly people. Nice, cheerful, accommodating man and women.

It started right at immigration. The customs officer asked the usual questions, then he patted hubby on his back and went "a piece of advice, mate: don't drink the water!"

What? Why? Was it not sanitary? We had never heard anything about the water in Australia being questionable?

"Water is for washing. Drink beer!"

True story.

End of digression.

The other day C and I were in the city. In the elevator of the parking garage we met a lady who was smiling and doing a fist pump. "I'm done!" she exclaimed, beaming.

"Last day at your job?" I randomly asked. "Nah... I'm done with my Christmas shopping. I have got everything, can you believe it?"

I congratulated her on a fabulous job done, wished her happy Holidays and left the elevator. As soon as the door was closing, Colin looked at me, puzzled, and asked "what is she so happy about?"

I tried to explain what a good feeling it is must be to be done with everything. No more gifts to find, buy and wrap, no more cookies to bake (let me just say that the ones I have made so far are gone. So I'll have to start over.), no more plans to make on when to invite whom over,...

The journey is the reward? I won't even go there!!!

I realize I have probably used up your patience and attention span, and I still haven't used my words yet.

I'm determined not to fret about it.

Instead let me brew some coffee. There is some leftover gingerbread my friend gave me. Plus I'm gonna light a candy roasted almond scented candle, play some Mariah Carey and WHAM! and enjoy the warmth of my little Christmas wonderland's atmosphere, fantasizing about bumping into George Clooney under the mistletoe. Ha!

I pledge to stop and smell the ~~roses~~ gingerbread and enjoy the Holiday Season. I'll start tomorrow. For now you'll have to excuse me, though. There are still a couple of Christmas gift options I need to check out:

PS: Trident? Really?

I grew up thinking this was a chewing gum brand name. It's an actual word? How on earth am I supposed to use it???

Coincidence had it that during lunch hour at the office we were talking about Campione d'Italia, an Italian exclave in Switzerland, and my coworkers said that the (neutral) Swiss army should get together and plan a trident attack. Wow.

Now go find out what my blogging friends' words were, and what they did with them: