tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post3016323355405825866..comments2024-03-28T02:36:36.432-04:00Comments on Writers Who Kill: Carrying CostsJim Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-31053144095128907092014-05-18T19:05:55.361-04:002014-05-18T19:05:55.361-04:00I'm a conversational partner with a woman from...I'm a conversational partner with a woman from China who is learning English. Sometimes she asks why things are done the way they are in the U.S. I have to stop and think because I'm so used to the way we do things (vote, celebrate birthdays, exercise etc.) that I don't always question why or the process. Kara Cerisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16484336785514235707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-26002230046326030482014-05-18T14:21:55.599-04:002014-05-18T14:21:55.599-04:00Jim, I think it's easy to make a decision that...Jim, I think it's easy to make a decision that's the right decision and then not revisit as it slowly becomes the wrong decision over the time, simply because we don't notice the incremental changes. Thanks for the reminder.Linda Rodriguezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11913741596693442469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-32286623810295279752014-05-18T10:36:23.810-04:002014-05-18T10:36:23.810-04:00Gloria -- since we would have given the condiments...Gloria -- since we would have given the condiments away, the food would not have been wasted. (We did that with a half-dozen chicken breasts we had left over.)<br /><br />Warren -- psychology or Buddhism, the practice of Thoughtfulness or Mindfulness is a wonderful concept that my partially ADD brain often finds difficult to apply.<br /><br />~ JimJim Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-58511933453771589572014-05-18T10:34:26.930-04:002014-05-18T10:34:26.930-04:00Good food for thought, Jim. Today I am cleaning ou...Good food for thought, Jim. Today I am cleaning out closets - probably a good time to clean out the mental closet as well.Shari Randallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16425493627354028820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-6739655687078815982014-05-18T10:08:15.495-04:002014-05-18T10:08:15.495-04:00Habits are hard to break. One reason is, they work...Habits are hard to break. One reason is, they work most of the time under most situations. One idea from psychology that I like is Thoughtfulness, staying in the present and not allowing concerns about twelve other ideas distract you from the task at hand.Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-88683718319953072212014-05-18T09:10:00.237-04:002014-05-18T09:10:00.237-04:00I think because I was born as the Great Recession ...I think because I was born as the Great Recession was winding down, but my parents had lived through it, I hate to throw things away that still might have some us if not for me for someone else. Starving children of China was always mentioned if we didn't want to eat our lima beans. Of course, I know that throwing out the beans won't save hungry children, deep in my subconscious I hate to throw things away, but now it's the environment. Landfills don't need any more plastic. Thank goodness for recycling. Now I don't feel guilt about throwing things away.<br /><br />As for the same routine, in many ways it makes things easier. I don't have to think about what I'm going to fix for breakfast because it's the same every morning. <br /><br />However, as one who has always tried new things; painting, piano, guitar lessons, clogging,spinning, backpacking and too many other things to mention here, I don't think I can be considered to be one who always sticks to a comfortable routine.Gloria Aldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13581719606924364447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-47831625174235475832014-05-18T08:47:21.547-04:002014-05-18T08:47:21.547-04:00EB -- You probably said it more clearly than I did...EB -- You probably said it more clearly than I did.<br /><br />KM -- I heard the same story except the implement involved was a rusty saw, with, of course, the same result.<br /><br />~ JimJim Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-16311839002100414672014-05-18T08:30:38.939-04:002014-05-18T08:30:38.939-04:00Your story reminds me of the old one of the woodcu...Your story reminds me of the old one of the woodcutter who is frantically chopping wood for the winter, but it's taking him a long time because his ax has become dull. When asked why he doesn't stop and sharpen it, he replies that he doesn't have time.<br /><br />I think a lot of us have an area or two where we operate like that, and thinking it through would help considerably.<br /><br />Meanwhile, get some of those small individual packages of ketchup & mustard, and get soem juice packs. And if you can't easily find a grocery store, pay the outrageous convenience store prices for a small carton of OJ and yogurt.<br /><br />I got a Kindle precisely because I liked the alternative to carting around a suitcase of books when I traveled. Although I prefer print books, this works very well under the circumstances.KM Rockwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03973749764907859829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-75629828656304882192014-05-18T08:10:54.437-04:002014-05-18T08:10:54.437-04:00You've hit on a good topic, Jim. I think every...You've hit on a good topic, Jim. I think everyone has a problem with doing things by rote without thinking what it is they are actually doing. It's a rut. Even when we do good things for ourselves by rote, we eventually get less and less from them and have to change our approach or learn new techniques. <br /><br />For example, Sue Grafton changed her approach in, perhaps "S," by writing some chapters not only in third POV, but also by taking the reader back in time to give the history of the victim without telling. She'd always written every book in first person. This new approach was exciting. <br /><br />What you are suggesting is the examined life--too much--you're studying your navel--too little--you're unconscious. Good advice for us all.E. B. Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16746747050278597888noreply@blogger.com