6 Word Prompts – July 14th & 15th

Jo from A Creative PTSD Gal has created a 6 word story prompt for July which I am participating in. To see her original post with the full list for July – click HERE.

I’ve spent the weekend in Tahoe with some amazing ladies for a fun and much needed girl’s weekend. Unfortunately, we had very limited wi-fi access so I’m posting my prompts for today and yesterday in this post.

July 14th Prompt – Shoes

I started out with a prompt about walking in someone else’s shoes based on some things that have been happening in my life lately. However, while looking for a picture to go with my prompt I came across this one and decided to change the wording a bit. Sometimes I tent to not take risks and I can be a bit too serious at times – in addition to walking in someone else’s shoes, it is probably a good reminder to play in someone else’s shoes too. Plus I love playing in the rain and mud – so this seemed to fit well.

July 15th Prompt – Temper

Not much to add to this one – I did love that I got to use the word 2x for this prompt.

Learning to get over myself.

I’ve decided to submit something to a writing contest. It is not much – 2,000 words or less. I’ve always wondered how my writing might hold up against others and I’ve always had a dream of my writing supporting myself and my family. However, as usual in my life I’ve played it safe and just dreamed of these things from a distance. Never taking any steps to actually get myself any closer to that dream.

I am now deciding to finally start stepping out of my comfort zone. I don’t want to be on my deathbed one day wondering whether or not I could have done something more with my love of writing.

Premonitions of a Perfectionist

I am a planner and a worrier. I am a perfectionist and a control freak. Part of this may be my natural born tendencies. Part of it is definitely because I was raised by a perfectionistic planner / worrier. (Spell check does not like perfectionistic – but for once I’m going to “chill” and let that go – I’ve made up a new word, I guess. See, I am already taking to heart my post from yesterday and being more imaginative!). I tease my mother at times and tell her she is OCD about being OCD. I say it as a joke, but there is some truth in it. And I did not fall very far from that tree myself. (Okay, okay – I’m like right at the base of that tree’s trunk!)

Refuse to Live the Lie

I was raised in a generation that told girls we could grow up to be anything we wanted to be.  Not only that, we could have it ALL!  We could be Super Woman – the perfect mom, with the perfect life and the perfect career.  We had the abilities (and the time and energy) to find a great guy, have a dream wedding and marriage and be a perfect wife.  Have children who excelled in all they did because we supported them as the perfect mom who volunteered in all their activities, was an active part of the PTO and threw them amazing themed birthday parties while always cooking homemade healthy meals.  We could do all this while also being a successful career woman, climbing the corporate ladder and busting out all those glass ceilings.

These are great positive things to share with a young girl who is heading out into the world.  I was told I could have it all and I bought into it 100%.  And I burned myself out because the reality is they lied to me.  The lied to all of us!  And now we are all paying the price for believing this lie.  Suffering in silence we kill ourselves trying to have it all and faking our perfect lives.  We are afraid to speak out because everyone else seems to have it all together and we are the only one failing.  There must be something wrong with us and if we just push a bit harder we can do it too.  So the cycle begins.