Saturday, March 10, 2012

Slice of Life Number Eleven - My OLW - Looking for the Ordinary

  The SOLSC Challenge is at the Two Writing Teachers blog hosted by Ruth and Stacey - Come read!



   Last Thursday, Ruth Ayres wrote this post on her blog, Ruth Ayres Writes-Discover Play Build, about the power of the ordinary, writing about mundane topics that shine in one’s life as important.  It’s a wonderful post about those little things that often go unnoticed.



My One Little Word this year is comfort.  I have written about it a couple of times, how I chose it and poems that comfort me in my life.  Today I have tried to find those tiny things that give comfort in the most unassuming ways.  They are there and we take them into our lives gladly, but mostly without noticing.  As a writer, I am now giving power to them, as Ruth writes, power to the ordinary.

These things add to my comfort:


  • a new bar of soap
  • the newspaper on the driveway
  • a dishwasher I don’t have to unload
  • a message on Facebook from a former student
  • the smell of shampoo
  • more than one coupon in the newspaper I can use
  • a chickadee’s call
  • pictures on my frig
  • a new quote I like
  • my flannel sheets
  • a pink lady apple
  • a visit from a neighbor
  • a basketball game when my team wins
  • a full gas tank
  • finding a bird's feather on a walk
  • a glass of iced tea

I’ll keep watching for more!  What little things make your life more livable?

31 comments:

  1. Hmmm - Comfort is not a word I have ever pondered in this way. Something for me to think about. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. A cup of tea + a warm blanket +a soft sofa + a book is my traditional equation of comfort. Inspired by you I could add a phone call from my sister, a picture from Mimm, someone waving their hand to greet me, a peck on my cheek from my hubby, an empty sink, the smell of muffins my girls baked. Life is good.
    Thank you for your list.
    Terje

    ReplyDelete
  3. The little things that make my life enjoyable: cuddles from my grandson, hot coffee, rainbows, autumn and the changing leaves.

    ReplyDelete
  4. my dog under the table, my husband whistling, coffee already brewing, the stars, fresh sheets, warm water, receiving a picture of my grandson on my phone, my cat asleep, warm blankets on a cold night...
    Thanks for giving me my comfort thoughts this morning.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I also think a cool glass of ice tea on a hot summer day is comfort for me! My mom's homemade cooking and a cup of green tea in the winter.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Comfort... my cozy soft jammies, a warm cup of tea, and a snuggly blanket on the couch.

    I'd forgotten about the "one little word"... but earlier in this year I chose "create". Huh, maybe it did sink into my subconscious after all!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a great word... Unknowingly, I've now "sliced" (is this becoming a verb!?) twice about comfort. Once about my Uggs (slippers given to me by my daughters) and yesterday, about my best writing spots. Good one.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I loved reading your list and marvelling at your choices of things that you find 'comfort' in. A few things on your list might appear on mine too: a fresh bar of soap, the smell of shampoo, a full gas tank . . .. A couple of things I would add to my list: fresh sheets on the bed, the smell of coffee brewing, a garden full of blossoming flowers.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You had me at "a new bar of soap." I love a new bar of soap. So funny how the little things that can make you happy, it's noticing them. One thing for me is lunch with girlfriends or a girls' night out! I'll definitely be on the look out for these in my own life!

    ReplyDelete
  10. It's interesting to think about what brings comfort to everyone. You continue to nudge us to examine our life and discover joys. When I reflected on comfort the vision of my son and his family came to the forefront. My comfort is when I can be with them as part of their life for a few days. I love seeing the fine man my son has become. That gives me comfort. Thanks, Linda.

    ReplyDelete
  11. A warm blanket, a hug, a cup of tea, sun on my face, a breeze in my hair, the woods, seeing joy on the face of others. These are all comforting to me. Thanks for sharing your list.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yay! Linda - you just gave me an idea for my slice for tomorrow. One thing I can live without is a trip to a local coffee shop each week. It is comforting to me. Thanks! Off to brainstorm.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you for the inspiration. My eyes are now open to the world in a different way today - looking for the word comfort - all because of you.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great list, Linda! I had one of those messages on Facebook also. So nice to connect (my OLW) with former students and find out they are turning into fabulous young adults!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love your list Linda! - my husband snoring, my mom's geraniums, an early morning hug, morning tea and toast (butter and IKEA marmalade :-)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love how your list immediatly brings to mind the objects you mention and how they bring comfort to me, especially the iced tea. I see my grandparents farm and dinner (not lunch) at noon, and then after a long day hauling hay sipping it on the front porch.
    Thank you for bringing to mind some of the best days of my life with your simple list of comfort.
    Tammy

    ReplyDelete
  17. I like comfort as an OLW. I noticed that you have Ali Edwards' class button on your sidebar. I am also taking the class and look forward to the prompts each month, but I have not really had a chance to participate in the gallery or discussion boards. It is always fun to notice the button on other slicers' blogs though to get a sense of who else is doing that journey this year.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great list Linda!
    I woke up this morning thinking about my word and how I am not loving it so much. The last few years I have really connected with my word so perhaps I have not chosen as well. Something to think about.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Not sure I could come up with just one word. I'l have to ponder this today. I enjoyed reading your list tremendously.

    ReplyDelete
  20. A warm shower, all of my children at my house enjoying being a family, girl-time with my friends, comments on my slice of life.. . . These are a few things that bring me comfort and joy. Thanks for inviting us to think on comfort.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I absolutely love this! In my post for today, I wrote about starting over with my kids in workshop after testing. I am going to use this idea of one word as a way to get them thinking about what they need from their lives as readers and writers. Thank you so much.
    Diane

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love all of those little comforting things too. I would add time to sit on my deck and watch the deer feeding in my yard. My little word for the year is change. So much in my life is changing, and I'm trying hard to find serenity in accepting the things I can change, the things I cannot, and knowing that I don't always have to try to control the outcome.

    ReplyDelete
  23. You and Ruth have inspired me to create a list of comforting things. Some of your list will be on my list like a full tank of gas. : ) Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Great list! You made me think of so many things I rarely slow down enough to pay attention to in my daily life. Thanks for making me look a little closer at the world.

    Cathy

    ReplyDelete
  25. Love your list...some of mine are ABSOLUTELY THE SAME!
    The full tank of gas
    The smell of shampoo

    My apple of comfort is a Honeycrisp, bought at a small town general store and I would have to add HUGS to the list too. :)

    Thanks for the nod to my post. As always, it is much appreciated.
    Ruth

    ReplyDelete
  26. My slice today was also a list. I love lists. It is comforting to me when my husband walks in the door each evening. I've enjoyed your slices.

    First Grade Delight
    imgoingfirst@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  27. Love! I am comforted by....
    your words
    the sound of music
    sitting across from my hubby in the garden tub
    my cozy sofa
    long, blanket-like sweaters
    dark chocolate
    red wine
    puppy hugs from my 55 lb. dog
    snuggle buggles from my Sarah
    short quick hugs from my Michael
    jammie pants into the afternoon
    the stack of papers---graded.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I like hard boiled eggs, and when my sons bird runs over to me and sits on my foot.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Okay so top of my list - the comfort you give others by replying to them. You are some kind of super woman Linda!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I love the list. So many wonderful ideas ready to be written.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hi Linda, somehow I was reminded of this activity that I had when I attended a course on Sudarshan Kriya (science and art of breathing) where, together with a partner, we are to repeatedly answer just a singular question: Who Are You? And your task is to come up with as many responses as you can for around three minutes or so. While others provided predictable responses such as: mother, a wife, friend - the many roles we take on in our lives, I found myself saying the most inane responses: I am an unfinished painting, freshly brewed coffee, my daughter's unwashed blanket, my husband's tastiest recipe... and so on. Somehow, this post of yours with all those random listing of things that bring you comfort bring this particular experience to mind. Who knows, perhaps someday, I'd get to publish that in picture book format. :)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting!