The Tao of Blogging, Part 3
Almost half way there!
What a great week of submissions! Another shout out to Gemma Kennedy for her sleuthing around the rough parts of Medium. And thanks to those brave souls who took a chance and said “why not me?”
Share your wisdom with us in a great quote and have the chance to become part of a published collaborative book! Send in your submissions or nominate someone else in the comments below. If you’re shy, send me a private note, or email me here.
And now, without further ado here are a boat load of spreads. (Sorry, smart phone users, I know the images will be small, so I included live text.)
From Tremaine L. Loadholt, Break before you BREAK, please.
Life in the Fast Lane
Sometimes you need to slow down to avoid a potential accident. And sometimes you need to get away and let go of a world that seems to be spinning out of control. Just make sure to arrive at your desination in one piece.
From Ernio Hernandez, “I would do the unthinkable to protect the lives of my wife and child. Then I’d get back to the dishes, laundry and cooking.”
Unbearable
Sometimes we don’t show our feelings as we work in our caves, growl at our daughters’ young suitors, or hibernate during football season. But no matter how domesticated we might be, the fear of losing our loved ones can still turn us into wild beasts.
From Lisa Renee, This morning, the mirror told me that I’m off to hell in a handbasket, but the man in my bed says he’ll meet me there. so it’s okay.
Paradise
In the deepest, darkest recesses of human love, there is no aging, no worry, and no death. When you smile, I still see you on our wedding day. In your arms, I will always find redemption. There’s no need to search for heaven.
From Notorious DCI, I love having Tinder, OKCupid and Medium apps open at the same time…
…so that my appearance, my personality and my thoughts can all be rejected at the same time.
Validation
The perception of others is truly meaningless and completely outside your control. Love yourself first. When you find your true path, you just might be surprised to find that special someone who wants to join you on your journey.
From Dave Grigger, The difference between “living insanity” & “living in sanity” is a little space
Boundaries
No matter how large the city, or how big the family, the rules of basic courtesy and respect for others’ privacy make all the difference in the world. Don’t let others’ dysfunction turn your life into a zombie apocalypse.
From DayLeeFix, Dinner: The evening meal best served saturated in depression sauce with a side of anxiety from your favorite news anchor.
Education
Turn off the TV and read to your children. They are curious and want to know about other places, cultures, and kids like them who may not speak the same language but share the same feelings. Knowledge will defeat fear and hatred.
From Lizella Prescott, You know what my real secret is? It’s a magical orb that can stop time.
Having it All
Why didn’t anyone ever tell us that “all” includes both good AND bad? If you believe the perfect woman can juggle all of life’s responsibilities, while being permanently perky, fun, and sexy, someone’s been blowing gold stardust up your ass.
From Peter A Slaughter, Autocorrect wants me to change listicles to testicles. Even it thinks they are a load of balls.
Artificial Intelligence
Someday, perhaps in the not-so-distant future, we will perfect A.I. technology and it will learn emotions and creativity and make judgments. Data-driven content marketers do not want to be around when that glorious day comes.
From Alexainie, Sometimes I wonder if I’m going to be single forever, and I feel a little blue… Then I hear about the guy in Montana who tried to stab his wife with elk antlers because she wouldn’t drive him to the strip club and I think, “Naaa, I’m good.”
Lessons in Compassion
Think about all the pain you’ve suffered in your life. Think about all the pain you have caused others in your life. Then think about all the pain suffered by the people who have hurt you in your life. Now, think about the elk.
From Sonny Bohanan, Dammit, now I’m cursing in a story about God.
Omnipotence
Is your relationship with God strained, at best? Frightened by His ability to smite you in two shakes of a lamb’s tail? Well, don’t worry — He’s got bigger problems. Some idiot is covering the Pearly Gates with signage that says “Make Heaven Great Again.”
I hope you enjoy these pages. The plan is to come up with 52 stories, so readers can have a weekly laugh as well as something to think about.
I have no idea about whether we can make any money, since we’ll have so many contributors. Maybe the best thing would be to set it up so all the proceeds go to a charity like some literacy non-profit. We’ll eventually have to vote on this issue.
Shameless promotion #1: I call upon all contestants from The Grammar Games to step up and enter a different kind of arena. Send us a great quote you’ve written, or one you’re read.
Shameless promotion #2: All supporters who #Will Write For Donuts, now is the chance to create something that may actually lead to more compensation than you have ever received from Medium or other writing platforms. Or, we could donate 100% of the anticipated microscopic profits to a good cause, like a literacy program. It’s up for discussion.
Because, in the imagined words of Jon W:
“We all want the fucking donut.”
[UPDATE: We’ve gotten a few more submissions from people already contributing, so I want to encourage all our long time lurkers to not be shy. Be on the look out for more. And shamelessly promote this idea to other writers you love, to see if they have suggestions. Thanks!]
