Welcome to Small Reflections


"Nothing is ever achieved without enthusiasm."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Duck photo source: Lisa's Chaos
I hope you enjoy your visit. If you're looking for something specific, check out the links to posts by category in my sidebar and down a ways. They'll assist with tracking down different types of posts found on each of my three blogs. You might also enjoy checking out the other sites: Sacred Ruminations, Blog Rolls, Bling & Blurbs, and Happily Retired Gal.

I hope you'll look around & leave comments
then visit me at my new blog ...

Giraffe Journal

and/or website ... Labyrinth Journal
both self-hosted at WordPress
where I publish as myself
rather than under a
pseudonym.

I've not had much time for posting or blog visits, but if you're interested I hope you'll find time to check out my new blog, Giraffe Journal or my Labyrinth Journal website ... both self hosted at WordPress.

Thanks for your visit and have a delightful day ;--)
Hugs and blessings,

Sunday, August 3, 2008

The 'Needs Meme' ... UM # 17

Make Time for Small Reflections
If you're looking for Camera Critters see Saturday's post.
Photo Hunt is at Sacred Ruminations
Scroll down for my 'mutterings'

I was tagged by Mary, the teach at Work of the Poet for this one.
It seems fun and simple enough ... so here goes.
The rules: All you have to do is Google your first name with the word needs behind it and post the first 10 results. Don't forget to tag people (if you are the tagging sort)!

My results may differ from most folks because I don't capitalize 'storyteller' since I see the term as generic rather than specific. Google listed the following 10 things for the query 'storyteller needs' ... I found & used the graphic below a while back for a Photobucket Meme and the one at the top left at Google Images. Lavender Addendum: I initially published this without adding comments, but (alas) I couldn't leave it alone. Feel free to ignore the purple italics if in a rush ;--)

1. Children's Storyteller Needs a Catchy Name (maybe so ...)
2. storyteller needs to make the subtle distinction between what a story is about on a deeper, foundation level, from what's at stake for its characters ... (perhaps this helps explain why I stick to personal narrative rather than fiction?)
3. storyteller needs to remember that most communication occurs via nonverbal transmissions (stories are meant to be told, not read) ... rather challenging in a 'verbally oriented environment' like a blog & may be why I tend to use pictures and 'asides' such as this to add more information?
4. every storyteller needs (in order to have a successful & satisfying telling experience) to know the story ... and know that you know the story ... I count on (meaning trust) my fingers to know the story when I sit down to write it because I often have no clue what's about to show up ... seriously.
5. storyteller needs to be a master of spontaneous verbal composition ... Yup, I have the 'spontaneity' down pat ;--)
6. storyteller needs to be sensitive to his audience and may need to regain their attention before continuing. (I do my best with this, but again ... in a blog this becomes a bit more elusive & challenging)
7. storyteller needs to select a story which will meet the needs of the situation and then must tailor the story to fit the time ... (and this may be why I continue to blog mainly for myself, feeling surprised & blessed by whoever happens by and whatever comments you all opt to leave behind)
8. storyteller needs to bring the words to life! Each character needs to have a distinct voice ... (since I'm the only 'character' there seems to be only my voice ... but it does show up in different forms now that I stop to think about it)
9. storyteller needs to be a wordsmith, a master magician, a swift editor ... (perhaps I can 'own' these skills after years of practice both in and out of the classroom)
10. storyteller needs to draft a one page (500 words or less) personal narrative unfolding a defining moment in their life (methinks that limiting myself to 500 words is asking the impossible, so don't hold your breath on this one)

I don't usually 'tag' anyone (preferring to invite anyone who wishes to play) ... however, perhaps the following bloggers might be interested in participating? (no pressure intended, just encouragement). Note: the parenthetical lavender 'asides' aren't a requirement in the rules ... simply an obsessive addition of my own. I always enjoy spreading around a little link-love to introduce bloggers to one another. If you do play (or already have done so) I hope you'll leave a comment and/or add a link back here to I can read yours too.

~ ~ ~
I'm participating for the 17th time today.
How about you?

What comes to YOUR mind?

If you'd like to play here, copy and paste the clues in comments along with your responses ... or post on your blog and let me know so I can visit ;--)


Here are MY responses: I say ... and you think ... ?
  1. Crankiness :: reminds me of my 'ex' who consistently seemed 'on edge' ... as if waiting for 'the other shoe to fall' no matter how good things were going
  2. Backpack :: a handy thing to carry 'toys,' snacks, water, etc. and in which 'stow leash & shoes when Molly & I visit Dog Beach, making it a 'hands-free' experience for me
  3. Clone :: Copy
  4. High ground :: where my mom & dad used to sit when they drove me and my siblings to Long Beach as kids. They sat on benches in a grassy park area overlooking 'Cherry Beach' while we got wet & sandy. I remember how Dad would 'whistle' when it was time to leave for home.
  5. Dreams :: Field of ... (the Kevin Costner film)
  6. Lovingly :: Tenderly
  7. Mistake :: 'Opportunity' ... to learn something new
  8. Carson :: Here's Johnny!
  9. Errand :: things on my 'to do' list that require me to leave home ... preferably on weekdays (rather than weekends) because choose to avoid crowds whenever possible
  10. Dozen :: Cheaper by the ... (a book about a BIG FAMILY that I read & enjoyed as a child)

Your turn: I say ... and you think ... ?

  1. Crankiness ::
  2. Backpack ::
  3. Clone ::
  4. High ground ::
  5. Dreams ::
  6. Lovingly ::
  7. Mistake ::
  8. Carson ::
  9. Errand ::
  10. Dozen ::
Click for others 'muttering' today.
Small Reflections ... Smile Back
Thought for Today
"We don't see things as they are, we seem them as we are."
Anais Nin

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

We share the same #8.

Happy Sunday.

Akelamalu said...

That seems like a fun meme - I like the answers you got.

Hootin Anni said...

I enjoyed reading your 'needs' meme. Ya, limiting myself to 500 words would be considered impossible too often, and I love to 'tell a story'. So, for that one, me too! Or should I say me also! Whatever. Here I go...typing too many words. LOL

Loved your #1 on your Mutterings. I can see why you enjoyed my #1 then....we seem to have [had] two 'cranky' men. LOL [I swear mine isn't happy 'til he's grumpy!!]

Have a terrific Sunday dear storyteller.

Mary P Jones (MPJ) said...

Ah, I haven't been tagged by anyone for a meme in a long time, and I miss doing them occasionally. I'm in. :)

Deb @ Sugarfused said...

Cherry Beach sounds like a lovely place to be, high ground or not, and I bet it was :=)

Hope you are have a great Sunday!

Enjoyed reading through your "Needs" and your "Mutterings" today!

maryt/theteach said...

storyteller, didn't that "need" meme work well with your name "storyteller?" Glad you participated. Hope it was fun! :)

jlshall said...

Loved your Muttering #7 - such a positive attitude!

Jules said...

Loved you meme.... not that I want it, and I don't, but whenever I see a meme and think "Oh thank goodness I didn't get tagged"....... I get tagged. :)

Betty said...

Looks like a fun meme. Thanks for thinking of me, and I will try to do that one tomorrow.

Have a good week.

Unknown said...

Those storyteller needs don't really seem to fit you. :)

1. Crankiness :: Grinch
2. Backpack :: laptop
3. Clone :: goat
4. High ground :: hill
5. Dreams :: goals
6. Lovingly :: mother
7. Mistake :: error
8. Carson :: Johnny
9. Errand :: trip
10. Dozen :: 12

Yeah, I know I'm boring. :)

Eve said...

I have accepted your tag/challenge and done the google. At first I thought of using my actual first name, but that led me immediately to a mildly pornographic site. So-o-o I decided to stick with Eve. You can find it here

Karen said...

I responded to the challenge and my needs meme is now up...it was fun!

storyteller said...

Monica – I enjoyed meeting you today and look forward to learning how you ‘hid’ your answers when you posted yours today. That’s so ‘kewl’ ;--)

Akelamalu – I’m glad you enjoyed them and hope once you get settled and caught up that you might join the fun too.

Hootin’ Anni – Yes … and yes :--)
The more I learn about you, the more I see we have in common.

MPJ – I’m delighted you’re going to take up the Needs Meme ‘tag’ and will look forward to reading your results whenever you get around to sharing.

Deb @ Sugarfused – Methinks I sent an email response yesterday while going through email messages, but I’m happy you enjoyed the various pieces of my Sunday post here … and I did have a lovely weekend.

Mary, the teach – Yup … the meme worked fine with my ‘pseudonym’ and it was fun.

jlhhall – Thanks … methinks all those years in the classroom have left a legacy ;--)

Jules – I often feel precisely the same way! LOL

Betty – I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and I’ll look forward to reading your results too.

Lisa – I definitely don’t think you’re boring … in fact I often wish I was able to be decisively clear with a single word response rather than my wordy self. Looks like we both thought of Johnny for Carson. I didn’t think of the cloned ‘goat’ or the ‘Grinch’ … but they’re perfect! Thanks for playing along.

Eve and Karen – Thanks for leaving me the link. I enjoyed reading both of your Needs Meme’ results shared on your blogs earlier today. Raven played too … and so did Hootin’ Anni (after being tagged by Mary like I was).

To all – Thanks for stopping by Small Reflections and sharing your thoughts. Hope you all had a lovely weekend and are enjoying a marvelous Monday!
Hugs and blessings,

Unknown said...

Your answers are unique since you typed in "storyteller" versus your real name. I like #10. As far as being tagged...hmmm. What is a girl to do? You know. Since I tagged you to play! :? *scratching head*

No, seriously *huggies ~ lovies ~ blessings* Have a great day.

storyteller said...

Chuck – Yup … I realized (after the fact) that this was, indeed, the very same meme YOU tagged ME for (and I declined). Sigh! I know you forgive me for my ‘occasional forgetfulness’ … and methinks I apologized already in a comment on YOUR blog when I first recognized my error. I do appreciate you dropping by (even if it was to rub salt in the wound) LOL … and definitely appreciate the *huggies ~ lovies ~ and blessings* always ;--)
Hugs and blessings back atcha!

Tina Coruth said...

Storyteller,

What an interesting meme! However, in your case, I think you are an accomplished storyteller so that most of these "needs" don't apply! I look forward to trying it. I will let you know when I have it posted.

I love your "high ground" answer! How wonderful! Here are my mutterings:
Crankiness :: a baby at nap time
Backpack :: across Europe (how I wish!)
Clone :: scary science fiction coming true
High ground :: a good place in a flood
Dreams :: Sweet
Lovingly :: the way parents look at a newborn
Mistake :: I make too many
Carson :: Rachel author of A Silent Spring - I treasure my copy given to me by my aunt and dear friend Eileen. I miss her.
Errand :: trip to the store
Dozen :: baker's

Have a great day!
Hugs,
Tina

storyteller said...

Tina – I appreciate your kind words and am delighted you plan to do the ‘Needs Meme’ too. I’ll watch for it in my ‘reader’ or you can leave a link to this post (or in comments) when you’ve published it. Thanks for sharing your ‘mutterings’ here. Your responses to ‘high ground’ … dreams … lovingly … and Carson are wonderful and different from those I saw when I visited others who participated. I love the term 'baker's dozen' - it reminds me of my mom. As for mistakes, methinks you don’t make so many and perhaps you could cut yourself some slack there. Typing this response reminds me I intended to check out your revised Sky Watch post, so I’m headed there next. Thanks for stopping by and hope you’re having a delightful day.
Hugs and blessings,

Momisodes said...

Thank you so much for the tag! I loved reading what you found while searching "storyteller needs." Very interesting meme :)

What beautiful memory of your family in Long Beach. It's amazing the moments that stick with us through time :)

Tina Coruth said...

Hi again, Storyteller! I just dropped by to let you know that I posted the meme. It was a lot of fun. Thank you for tagging me! If you get a chance, here's the link:
http://tinasoddsandends.blogspot.com/

storyteller said...

test

storyteller said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
storyteller said...

THAT was interesting. Tina's comment showed up when I tried to send the 'test' comment ... so ... just as in Fun Monday #17 comments, it looks like the same thing happened to comments HERE that happened at Sacred Ruminations between yesterday and today. I tried to leave a response to Sandy's comment here yesterday, but Blogger was 'down' ... so I saved it to add today. However, when I returned, her comment was gone. Because of my experience with the Monday Motivator post comments at Sacred Ruminations, as a test, I typed 'test' and saved it as a comment ... and Sandy's comment showed up. I suppose when I try to publish THIS, that 'test' comment will appear instead ... so I'm going to copy this to paste in the NEXT comment and see what happens. It's all very strange ... and I can't help but wonder if other comments have disappeared on my blogs and the blogs of others. If so, will they all show up eventually? 'Tis a puzzlement.

Sandy – Yup … the things that pop into my mind in response to the variety of ‘prompts’ in weekly activities is interesting to me as well … and often take me by surprise. I'm delighted you're happy with the 'tag' and I'll look forward to your results (and asides) when you get around to sharing ... whenever ;--)

Tina - Thanks for dropping by to let me know you'd 'played' ... I did enjoy reading your results and reactions. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks to BOTH of you for your visit and comments.
Hugs and blessings,

storyteller said...

THAT was interesting. Tina's comment showed up when I tried to send the 'test' comment ... so ... just as in Fun Monday #17 comments, it looks like the same thing happened to comments HERE that happened at Sacred Ruminations between yesterday and today. I tried to leave a response to Sandy's comment here yesterday, but Blogger was 'down' ... so I saved it to add today. However, when I returned, her comment was gone. Because of my experience with the Monday Motivator post comments at Sacred Ruminations, as a test, I typed 'test' and saved it as a comment ... and Sandy's comment showed up. I suppose when I try to publish THIS, that 'test' comment will appear instead ... so I'm going to copy this to paste in the NEXT comment and see what happens. It's clear that 'missing comments' show up one at a time for whatever reason. It's all very strange ... and I can't help but wonder if other comments have disappeared on my blogs and the blogs of others. If so, will they all show up eventually? 'Tis a puzzlement.

Sandy – Yup … the things that pop into my mind in response to the variety of ‘prompts’ in weekly activities is interesting to me as well … and often take me by surprise. I'm delighted you're happy with the 'tag' and I'll look forward to your results (and asides) when you get around to sharing ... whenever ;--)

Tina - Thanks for dropping by to let me know you'd 'played' ... I did enjoy reading your results and reactions. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks to BOTH of you for your visit and comments.
Hugs and blessings,

storyteller said...

THAT was interesting. Tina's comment showed up when I tried to send the 'test' comment ... so ... just as in Fun Monday #17 comments, it looks like the same thing happened to comments HERE that happened at Sacred Ruminations between yesterday and today. I tried to leave a response to Sandy's comment here yesterday, but Blogger was 'down' ... so I saved it to add today. However, when I returned, her comment was gone. Because of my experience with the Monday Motivator post comments at Sacred Ruminations, as a test, I typed 'test' and saved it as a comment ... and Sandy's comment showed up. I suppose when I try to publish THIS, that 'test' comment will appear instead ... so I'm going to copy this to paste in the NEXT comment and see what happens. It's clear that 'missing comments' show up one at a time for whatever reason. It's all very strange ... and I can't help but wonder if other comments have disappeared on my blogs and the blogs of others. If so, will they all show up eventually? 'Tis a puzzlement.

Sandy – Yup … the things that pop into my mind in response to the variety of ‘prompts’ in weekly activities is interesting to me as well … and often take me by surprise. I'm delighted you're happy with the 'tag' and I'll look forward to your results (and asides) when you get around to sharing ... whenever ;--)

Tina - Thanks for dropping by to let me know you'd 'played' ... I did enjoy reading your results and reactions. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks to BOTH of you for your visit and comments.
Hugs and blessings,

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