Daily writing prompt

How do significant life events or the passage of time influence your perspective on life?

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The big picture things. That’s what I call this. They have a huge effect on me, on my mind, on my perception, on my memory. In particular, anything that is big that happens in a good way can fuel my happiness for untold amounts of time. Likewise, the bad can stick with me for far longer than I’d prefer.

I’d like to say those bad events wash away pretty easily the next time a good event comes about, but that isn’t always the case. Knowing I was mistreated or betrayed by someone I trusted stuck with me a lot longer than I wanted, and threatened to move into the positive aspects of my life as well.

Fortunately, those areas are where we do have control. I do my best to hold those positive moments in far higher esteem than any negatives, and I am always advocating to help others do the same. If we let it, the negative can fuel our psyches in a way that will always lead us to harm and unhappiness – but by opening ourselves to the positive and the healing influence of time itself, we will be able to fight it.

Daily writing prompt

Describe your most ideal day from beginning to end.

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My ideal day would have to be one filled with peace and adventure. I love traveling with my amazing wife, and we have some excellent experiences on cruises, whether we are in port in a new land, or just on the sea. We also have great days on land in our mountains. Personally, I think as long as we get to enjoy the beauty of the world around us and God’s creation, get to enjoy some good food and have plenty of laughs there isn’t a limit on where that can be.

So a perfect day for me would be one spent adventuring to a new or favorite place with her, getting to enjoy nature and good food and good music. Waking up in the morning some some nice coffee or an energy drink to get me started and then leisurely making our way to our destination to get us started. A day full of fun and love, complete with a relaxing bit of time to lay in bed and unwind sounds wonderful. The filler is so fluid I can put in a new experience every time I imagine it. Throw in some time to read and write in there and you’ve got Heaven on earth for me. As long am I’m with her all is well.

Daily writing prompt

How do significant life events or the passage of time influence your perspective on life?

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For a long time I didn’t realize just how these things could influence the way I look at the world around me, but as I’ve matured it seems more and more I reflect on them. It’s definitely not a stretch of the imagination to say my happy memories and experiences have made me in large part who I am today. Between traveling and being with my wife, to writing and attending conferences, I can look back on those things and see how I want more of them. So far as life events, that can be both good and bad, of course. My wedding, our first (and every subsequent cruise), my first day teaching at my school, all of these things have a profound positive influence on me. I can see the benefits of keeping those memories close to my heart and I feel that it helps me to grow and improve as a human.

On the other hand, the loss of family members, bad days, and sad events are just as important. Coming off the loss of my biological father, I can definitely say the entire experience of a 30+ year bad relationship with him to literally not knowing who he was as a person as I looked into his coffin, has had a profound effect on me. Not in the least it shows me more than ever how important it is to maintain proper mental health, and to let those who matter to you know how you feel. Perhaps, by saying nothing, he said all he needed to, which is fine. For the rest of us, however, we can use events in our lives – both good and bad – to improve on ourselves and our abilities and generally take life lessons forward that will make us better and happier if we let them.

Well, to be honest, being a child of the 90’s I have a fairly large gathering of historical memories. The largest, of course, being 9/11/2001. I can remember the horrific feeling of helplessness I had being a young adolescent in a world that just changed in an instant. From gas and goods prices skyrocketing, to terrorism suddenly being part of everyday conversation, it was a very different world with no warning.

In addition to those things, of course, I’ve seen presidents impeached, sex scandals in the White House, the first black president, the development of smaller and smarter cell phones, the mass influx on internet users and so much more. Y2K proved to be nothing to worry about, and Halloween became less frightening than everyday life. I could go on and on….

Daily writing prompt

What major historical events do you remember?

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One person I feel is truly successful would be Stephen King. King, who has worked tirelessly at his craft, has been a role model of mine for most of my life. His writing and tenacity are things I love so much about the world of horror literature. Knowing the pain and trauma he experienced both through his recovery from drug and alcohol addiction and the car accident that could have taken his life in 1999 have not prevented him from rising to the top of his field is incredible. Being a horror author myself, I often find people saying things like “you could be the next Stephen King,” or calling me the “Appalachian Stephen King,” which are compliments I try very hard to live up to. Life is all about perspective, to me, as is success. I will always feel pushing through adversity is a huge measure of success, and that is what I try to do daily.

Daily writing prompt

When you think of the word “successful,” who’s the first person that comes to mind and why?

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This is an excellent prompt, and I have a pretty simple answer. I try to live by Rule Number One, and I don’t sugarcoat it. The rule is, simply: don’t be a dick. It’s a philosophy I’ve always held but I didn’t have the words for it until 2021 when my wife and I took our first cruise and made friends with the Fun Squad. One of them shared the simple words with us and it stuck. For me, as long as you are living your life without hurting yourself or anyone else,  you do you. Easy enough, right?

I think the first time I really felt like an adult was when I paid off my vehicle. I got it slightly used off the lot and had paid on it for about 7 years until I was finally able to make that final payment and get the title for myself. Talk about a wild ride. But there’s nothing like climbing into a vehicle that is yours and yours alone.

Daily writing prompt

When was the first time you really felt like a grown up (if ever)?

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I would likely have a hard time figuring out exactly what percentage to split in turn, but I would want to definitely contribute a great amount to St. Jude Children’s Hospital and another large amount to various charities and a huge portion to literary funds. There are far too many people who are still not able to read and write at a functional level in the world, and I feel that is one of the most beneficial and rewarding forms of communication and education in the universe.

Daily writing prompt

If you had a million dollars to give away, who would you give it to?

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