#5minwritingprompt

What fear?

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Denial is a strong coping mechanism … and it can be effective for a while.

But eventually, the truth will not be hidden and our fears will make themselves known … often in explosive and hard to explain ways.

What do I mean by explosive? Well, we often hide our fear behind anger. So when the fear becomes so big, the anger can no longer hide it … the fear creates an eruption, spraying the debris from the anger to everyone within its reach.

Unfortunately, this explosion rarely addresses the cause of the fear, so the cycle of hiding and exploding starts again.

Facing our fears – or at least taking an honest peek at them – is the only way to identify what is actually causing the problem so we can start to fix it.

But oh, is it hard!!! Some of our fears have been so well hidden, they’re difficult to recognize even if we’re looking right at them.

But be brave, take one peek, then another. Find one fear, acknowledge it, and figure out why it’s there. Start to work on it, then take another peek to identify the next one.

It is hard and requires bravery! But oh, is it worth it when you no longer are a slave to your fear!!!!

What do you think? Do you have fears hidden in the corners of your mind?

Be brave, take a peek, and get help if you need it. Today’s free write is taking the first step by writing what you think of fears hiding and requiring bravery to face.

If you’d like to share, put it in the comments. But for now … Ready … Set … Write!

April 1

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It’s April 1, and Mother Nature has decided to play a joke on the Pacific Northwest US by dumping 10 inches of snow on the mountain passes… with more to come later in the day.

However, signs of spring are visible here in the valley, promising that the snow will not last… even in the mountains.

How are things where you are?  Is spring in full swing?  Are you already transitioning into summer?  Or are you in an area that is heading into fall? Or is the weather unrelated to what April promises for you?

Take a moment to think about what you want from this April, then… Ready… Set.. Write!

It’s Pi(e) Day

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3.14, the day of the endless number. Or … if you have a sweet tooth, the day to celebrate pie.

I don’t feel like I can write a lot about an endless number, except that it is creepy how often it comes up in the world of math and engineering. However, if we are talking about pie, there is quite a lot I could say.

Today, I think my favorite might be Raspberry cream. There is a restaurant here in our town that gets pies from a local pie lady who makes the most amazing Raspberry cream pie.

At Christmas my favorite is Pecan, closely followed by Apple.

What about you? Do you celebrate Pi day with pie? Did you even know Pi had a day? Do you like pie? What is your favorite?

Set your timer and ready … set … write!

What’s for Supper?

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One of the hardest things I have to do each day is figure out what to make for supper. (I know … charmed life.)

The problem is that I get stuck in a rut and we keep having the same things over and over. Pasta, burgers, burritos, etc. I seem to have left all creativity behind … or it just takes too much work after a full day of work.

What about you? Do you struggle with menus? Or are you able to come up with exciting creations every day?

Take a few minutes to think about it, then set your timer and ready … set … write!

What will you do with your power?

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Between stimulus and response, there is a space. And in that space lies our power to choose. In our response lies our growth and freedom.

Some version of that quote has been ascribed to various people from Stephen R Covey to Viktor Frankl to several others who have said similar things over the years.

But no matter who said it … it got me thinking about my power as a human being. Power for good … power to create change … power to make the world a better place …

The more I thought, the more I had to agree with this quote. The ability to make good choices requires space (and practice).

Sometimes, I have to consciously expand that space. Other times, there is plenty of space naturally occurring before I can respond.

What do you think? Does your power lie in the space between stimulus and response? What will you do with that power?

Okay. Set your timer and ready … set … write!

Baking Season

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Date-pecan scone with words November is Baking Season.

November in the Pacific Northwest brings with it short days, cool (or cold) weather and snow – at least in the mountains. These things make me want to curl up with a good book, a hot drink and favorite baked item (fresh from the oven if possible).

That means it’s baking season. The aroma fills the house and soaks into your senses creating a feeling of home and comfort.

This week’s baking included the Date-pecan Scones in the picture. They are fluffy, tasty and filled with whole-grain goodness that let’s you accept a scone and still feel like you aren’t too far off your health goals. 🙂

What about you? Do you like to bake? What brings you the feeling of home and comfort?

Take a minute to consider it, then set your timer and ready … set … write!

How’s Your Balance?

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Bear standing on a cliff on one leg, juggling eggs.

Do you ever feel like this bear? Standing on a cliff, trying to juggle all of the tasks and commitments of your life?

If so, it may be time for a “time out” to re-center yourself, prioritize and create a plan for re-centering and moving away from the cliff. Do you need to pass off some of the things you are juggling? Great. Add that to your plan.

Next create a plan for moving forward in a sustainable way.

This will probably take several sessions of freewriting, and will probably take more than 5 minutes, but use today’s free-write to get started.

Bringing balance to your life is well worth the effort – and if you can get started before you are worn to the core it will take much less time and effort to achieve that balance.

So what do you say? Are you ready to start? Okay … ready … set … write!

Fall Traditions

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Applesauce in jars and applesauce cooking on the stove. What are your fall traditions? KariMolaWrites and you can too!

Fall is a time for change and preparation – the weather cools, the colors of nature turn from green to shades of yellow, orange and red and here in the Pacific Northwest it’s also a time for apples. One of our traditions since we have lived in apple country is to make applesauce every year. And since we live where the fruit grows, we are able to make applesauce from the sweetest varieties – most often Honeycrisp.

There is a little family run fruit stand just down the road from us, and every year we buy several boxes of their Honeycrisp 2nds to make applesauce. Apples that aren’t perfect – have some spots, are a strange shape, or anything else that would keep them from going to the grocery stores. They still taste great though, and mixed with a little lemon juice and cinnamon, then cooked down for a few hours, they make the best chunky applesauce in the world! Okay, maybe I’m a bit biased here, but that is what my tastebuds tell me. 🙂

But what about you? What are your fall traditions? Do you carve pumpkins? Go look at the fall colors? Something else entirely? I’d love to hear about them if you’d like to put them in the comments. But even if you don’t want to share, this is today’s writing prompt. So take a moment to think about your traditions, then…

Ready … set … write!