Let’s Talk About Camp

Kai's husband enjoying their isolation in Cornucopia, OR

Growing up, my family didn’t go camping. I never really developed a taste for it. And yet, when this discussion thread posts, I’ll be starting my tent camping summer vacation. We are visiting the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce National Parks as well as any ‘largest ball of twine’ or other sites we might stumble upon on the way. I’m willing to put up with some sleepless nights in order to explore our astounding country.

I remember in sixth grade I went to summer camp with a friend. We slept on cots, in platform tents. Really, not the worst situation possible. However, being in the Midwest and next to a lake, we had to sleep under mosquito netting. Just as I dropped off to sleep one night, I heard a buzzing close to my ear. I slapped my hand over my ear and trapped the fly inside. Smart move! I still flinch at a buzzing sound. A couple nights later I was awoken by someone tickling my foot. Or rather, something. I awoke to find the silhouette of a raccoon, standing on his back feet, trying to capture my toes with his paws and mouth. Luckily the heavy canvas of the tent between him and my tootsies made that darn near impossible.

The summer after my sophomore year of high school I went to camp with a different friend and I fell madly in crush with a boy. Nothing happened, but we remained friends for quite a while afterward. He and his sister and his best friend even worked with me for a short time. So not all my earliest camping experiences were horrible.

What about you? Do you enjoy camping? Do you sleep in a tent? Refuse anything less than an RV? Sleep under the stars? Were you a camp counselor? Go to band camp? Let’s talk about the pros and cons of camping.

Let's Talk About the Unbelievable

I lived in Southern California. Flew to Maui for vacation. Traveled by schooner to the island of Molokai. (Through the worst trade winds in years and I get seasick on a rolling chair. Ugh. Anyway…) Rode in a Jeep up to the top of the mountain to visit a macadamia nut farm. During the presentation on how they grow and harvest the nuts I heard a couple people talking with heavy Mid-western accents. I asked, “Are you from Wisconsin?” They replied, “Yes. Brown Deer.”

I grew up in Brown Deer. The population of Brown Deer when I moved away in 1980 was 12,582 – it pretty much still is. It completely floored me that I was standing on top of a mountain on the island of Molokai talking to people from Brown Deer. What are the odds of that?

My husband traveled from our home in Oregon to Baltimore for work. A friend of ours, who lives in Southern California was in Washington DC on a business trip, but had to attend an event in Baltimore that night. They both checked in on Facebook and saw they were in the same town and made arrangements to stop and visit over a quick cup of coffee.

Those kinds of coincidences are unbelievable to me. Everything that had to line up so they were even discovered is pretty unbelievable.

What sort of events, coincidences, or happenstance have you been involved in or witnessed that left you gaping in wonder? Don't forget that each comment on our posts this month enters you into the drawing for a gift card. Click on the May Giveaway link above for details, but really, it's simple...leave a comment! 

Let's Talk Growth!

Spring brings to mind buds on the trees, daffodils, bunnies, chicks. Birth or rebirth. New growth.

Photo Credit

But, for the sake of our discussion board this month, I thought I'd play devil's advocate. Imagine your family lives hand to mouth. Barely squeaking by on finances in a normal month, but the budget is devastated if a tire blows on the car or burning the candle at both ends gives you pneumonia. Deciding a change is in order, you work hard to keep your job, keep the household going, keep the kids focused on school and off the streets, pay sufficient, quality attention to your spouse, all while you study your way through school in order to get a better job and change your family's situation. Finally the years of hard work pay off. You land a good paying job and you're even being recognized by management.

But whenever you come home and share a story from work, your spouse curls a lip, barely pays attention. Even accuses you of liking a new co-worker more. Without the proper nutrition, your new growth withers and dies.

Kai's garden

Growth is generally thought of in a positive sense, but there can be a darker side. Do you have any cautionary tales, inadvertent consequences, questions or advice to share?

Or maybe you'd prefer to share inspiration. You like to discuss only the vines that flourish and bear fruit. That's fine. We'll take that too. Have you set a personal goal that will help you grow professionally, spiritually, or personally? Perhaps you've already reached one and want to list the steps you took to stay on task. Maybe you are a literal person and would like to share your top 5 tips to awakening your spring landscape.

It's April. Spring is in the air (in many places, anyway.) Spark the conversation. Let's grow together.

Time to Talk Luck

Luck. Fate. Karma. Many people believe in at least one, if not all of these things. This month our stories are exploring all the options. The good and the bad side of these tricky little blighters. But what about you? Have you had a run in with bad luck? Have the Fates smiled down on you? Have you ever seen Karma seek her revenge on someone? Do you think your actions dictate what kind of luck you'll recieve? If Karma will visit? We'd love for you to tell us if you believe - and why.

Time to Talk Love

photo credit

Because LIGHTNING QUICK READS is a themed, blog we like to encourage discussion about the monthly theme. To encourage some give and take, we raise a few questions of our own that we'd love to hear your input on, but we want you to feel comfortable to ask a question of your own. So, let's talk about love!

IS TEEN LOVE 'REAL'?

This is a discussion I had with my daughter a few times when she was younger. I never, ever wanted to dismiss her feelings or belittle them, but I felt it was important to explain that I believed the love a teenager experiences isn't the same love they will experience as an adult. I do think teenagers can fall in love. BUT I don't believe the love we fall into as a teenagers is the same kind of love needed to endure without some growth and maturity. There are so many life events that teach us to value our love, loss, struggle, helplessness - just to name a few.

What do you think about teen love? Go ahead and throw tomatoes if you feel I deserve it, but tell us how you feel about teenage love. Real or pretend?

Time to Talk Goals

Since the stories all revolve around a single theme, it naturally makes you see that subject from all different viewpoints. We are raising a couple different talking topics and invite you to share your thoughts. If a thought struck you while reading a story that wasn’t raised in one of the discussion posts, please bring it up in comments. Let’s talk about the good, the bad and the ugly side of GOALS:

WHEN GOALS DISAPPOINT

Eric Price raised an interesting thought in a comment on Joan Curtis’s story. He wondered if anyone would approach this month’s topic from the view that the main character reached their goals only to find out it wasn’t what they wanted. Personally, I think of the scores of people I know who have a college degree or some sort of technical or trade certification in one field, yet are working in a different field completely. Has this happened to anyone? Was it due to a waning interest once you delved deep into the subject or was it simply because you couldn’t find work that utilized your education and training? Has anyone else achieved a goal only to realize it wasn’t a good thing to strive for or perhaps were surprised by the lackluster results upon achieving it?