Pay It Forward

          This is an idea that Becky Povich is passing along. Someone before her passed the baton to Becky, and someone before them put out the offer and so on...  I think Kevin Spacey originated it.  (His "gift" was a home-recorded CD of Benecio Del Torro and himself doing duets during the time when they were filming The Usual Suspects.  I wish I was one of those lucky five!)
 
          Becky proposed posting about the gifts we all have, and hopefully, participants will join in.  We are writers. But that is not our only talent. This is our chance to pass on to others--directly---our gifts.

           So, if you are interested, post a comment here to let me know.  The first five who say, "I do," (I do want to participate) will receive a handmade gift from me.  (I'm getting one from Becky. How about that!)  And if you agree to play along and pay it forward, you'll post the proposal on your blog and make a gift for five people, who will post it on their blog and send handmade gifts to five other people, and so will it spread and expand, like the ripples in a lake.

photo by Alane * Maria Julia Biscuit

          It is up to you what you consider a "homemade gift."  It could be a photo you've taken. It might be a framed poem written by you.  You could unwrap store-bought rice krispie treats and press M and Ms into them.  You could take your eyebrow hairs that have been plucked out, and you could weave them in a bracelet.  The sky is the limit!

            Let the fun begin...  

photo by bluelightson

            After all, we should have some joy in our lives as we catch our reflection in the mirror and weep at the sight of our "pudding-bag-tied-in-the-middle bodies." (Pauline's great phrase---see below) 

            And before I end this, I'd like to thank my newest four followers. Thanks, Not the Rockefellers and lightverse.  If you have a blog, please let me know and I will include a link.

             Nana Jo has a blog.  She has a lovely post about the reality of romance called "Late Roses."  Romance ain't just for the young and foolish...

              Pauline has not one, but two blogs. Her jaw-dropping line above came from her more humorous blog.  It seems she has not actively posted on it for a while, but read through the posts that are there. She treats aging with humorous stories (even though it makes our bellies jiggle and our laughlines get more pronounced as we read them).  Pauline, could you merge the two blogs?  You have an amazing gift for deft levity!

             Her other blog is more serious and introspective. If you'd like to go snow-shoeing (from the comfort of your familyroom chair) check out her January 17 post entitled "Come for a Walk With Me."  Pauline dug deep into her belief system as she dug up snow in her January 21 post called "You Never Know."

         I will end with a quote that Pauline included in her most recent post: 


"In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary."--Aaron Rose