Author: Mary

Things and such.

Sidequests Week 26

On By MaryIn SidequestsLeave a comment

Officially halfway through my sidequest decks!

The sidequests for this week were to spend 5 minutes in silent reflection, to read by candlelight, and to go to a place that means a lot to me.

Is it cheating if the place that means a lot to me is my own house? It’s nice to have your own space. On my day off, I spent the entire day at home, and while I did get some cleaning and laundry done, I spent most of it napping, lounging, and reading.

Five minutes of silent contemplation is also easy. Not quite the same as meditating, so I counted my journal writing time toward this sidequest. It does require some contemplation, after all, to reflect on recent events and to plan for future ones, which is most of what goes into my journaling.

The reading by candlelight was too much of a strain on my eyes and I quit after 1 paragraph. So there was a bit of cheating there because I did not do it very long. I am very grateful for electricity, but I was already thankful for that owing to the fact that it’s summer and over 100 quite regularly here, and I get to stay quite comfortable despite that.

So, kind of easy and cheaty this week as well, and I have been slacking on writing and poetry (and everything else!) Oh well! I am halfway done at least.

Sidequest Week 25

On By MaryIn SidequestsLeave a comment

This week’s sidequests included setting my clothes out for the next day, lighting a candle or creating a relaxing aroma in my spae, and to go to a dog park (with or without dog).

I have a handful of candles that I enjoy lighting up in the evenings for a few hours, so that one wasn’t hard to accomplish halfway through the week.

Setting my clothes out is a bit hard, because the cats will lay down on them, but I did plan an outfit for a day out. On Saturday, I went to OKC for the Water Lantern Festival they have every year – it was rescheduled from April because of weather. We’re starting to get into the really hot time of year for our area, but there was a nice breeze and plenty of shade in the park where they hold the festival. I chose to wear a green dress I had bought earlier in the year just for the occasion. At first the breeze swept most of the lanterns to one side of the pond, but after awhile they shifted and spread out more.

I had heard that our area has a dog park before, but I’d never had a reason to go since I don’t have a dog. I looked it up on Google and drove out to it.

It’s located at the beginning of some kind of larger park area that has a gravel road running through it. There was plenty of parking, and lots of shade with the trees in the fenced in area. There was a sign listing the rules, the sorts of general things that make sense for a dog park. Of course, it’s so hot lately that no one was visiting, although the area did have kiddie pools set up that I assume were full of water for any dogs that are brought there. I imagine it probably gets busier in the evenings or morning, or at different times of the year when it’s not full sun and 100 degrees.

Prophetic

On By MaryIn Prompts, WritingLeave a comment

The cards for this week are “reckless enthusiasm” and “homeless person.”

The homeless person that does show up isn’t the actual prompt one, because in my mind the main character is totally homeless after this (and is recklessly enthusiastic about his chances, though I guess I could have emphasized that more somehow). I had the idea almost immediately upon drawing the cards, but actually writing it was a bit boring. I like for things to get really dark and disturbing and this doesn’t quite scratch that, I guess.

Nonetheless…

          Gary woke from the dream with a feeling of absolute certainty. He was going to win the lottery one week from today. The dream was a prophecy, the word of God. He knew it for fact. He also knew that he had much to do in that week’s time. A sort of pre-imposed penance to prove his worthiness.

          He started by announcing to his family and friend’s that he was planning to move soon. He offered them first pick of his belongings. “Can I have your Playstation?” Carl from work joked.

          Gary nodded solemnly. “Anything, first come, first serve.” Carl had given him a strange look and declared bullshit. Gary brought the Playstation and all of its controllers and wires the next day. Carl accepted it, but shook his head in disbelief.

          His ex-wife studied him with concern as he dropped off photo albums and old memorabilia that he thought she would like. “You’re not going to off yourself, are you?” she asked when he enthusiastically offered anything she wanted. He shook his head and reassured her that wasn’t the case.

          Gary spent the weekend clearing out the rest of his belongings, every closet, every drawer, all the drawers themselves. He took everything he could to charity and second-hand shops, and the rest to the dump. He turned the keys to his apartment in. He made sizable cash transfers to his church from his bank accounts, leaving only the minimum amount.

          The day had come. He sat outside the gas station, staring placidly at the homeless man loitering outside. On his way in, he handed the man the title to his car and the keys. “It’s yours,” he told the weeping man, who thanked him profusely. And then he went in and bought his ticket.

          Gary sat in the park overnight. It was a warm night, and he felt calm and content knowing that the next day he would be wealthy beyond his wildest dreams.

          He found a paper to look up the lottery numbers the next morning, a wide smile on his face as he held his ticket up to compare.

          Not a single God damned match.

Sidequest Week 24

On By MaryIn SidequestsLeave a comment

This week’s sidequests included making my bed, writing a 5 star review for a local small business, and learning and playing a new board game.

I didn’t get very wordy with the review, mostly just left an emoji heart, but I did leave 5 stays. I let it on Google for a local business alled Dragon Leaf Tea Bar – they serve boba tea and mochi donuts, and I love to treat myself to their stuff on occasion.

The board game card I have left in play for a few weeks because I was meeting with friends in OKC for the OKC Zoo’s 21 and over Sip and Stroll night. The plan was to do the zoo thing and then hang out at the hotel and play a new board game. However, Friday night was incredibly hot, and by the time we left the zoo we were all too zapped to play. Instead I semi-cheated by teaching someone else how to play Munchkin while refamiliarizing myself with the rules.

Making the bed was pretty easy. Typically I don’t make my bed – I don’t mind if it’s a mess, and it stays unmade until I wash the blankets. But before leaving to OKC overnight, I decided to make the bed to protect the sheets from the cats, in case they puked or something.

Again, very simple sidequests for this week, and an exhaustingly heat strokey weekend.