Welcome to the first Five Minute Friday link-up of July! For those of you who are American, I hope you had a lovely holiday weekend! (And for the rest of you, I hope you had a lovely regular week!) 😉
If you’re new to the Five Minute Friday community, a special welcome to you.
Click here to learn more about the link-up and how it works.
This week’s FMF writing prompt is: IMPULSE
I wouldn’t call myself an impulsive person . . . and there are certainly impulsive decisions I’ve made in my life that I’ve regretted. But, I can also say some of the most fun and memorable things I’ve experienced were because of decisions made on an impulse.
One that comes to mind was a whirlwind trip my daughter and I took last September to New York City. We had an opportunity to see three of her greatest loves in one place at a once-in-a-lifetime event, and we jumped at it. It was so out of character for me, and one of the best decisions I’ve made.
This past week, on the 4th of July, we got to watch the fireworks from a private beach on Lake Michigan. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to put my swimsuit on to take a dip before the show, but on an impulse I decided to go for it. I put on my bathing suit (or “costume” as we call it in South Africa), and ran into the water before I could feel how cold it was. My sister joined me, and we walked into the water just past our waists. We chatted a bit and enjoyed the evening and scenery, then all of a sudden she yelled, “One two three GO!” and dunked her head under the water. I had a split second to realize what was going on. I really hadn’t planned to dunk my head that evening but I knew if I didn’t do it, she would be able to tell . . . so I didn’t even think and just plunged underwater.
We maybe both regretted it just a little bit when we realized how cold we were in the evening air afterwards, but we also laughed hard and will probably tell the story for a long time to come.
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In case you missed it . . .
NEW BLOG POST
When is the Right Time to Share Your Story?
Whenever I speak on the topic of sharing your story, I inevitably get asked the questions, “How do I know it’s the right time to tell my story? What if I’m still living it? What if other people are involved in the story and they’re still alive and part of my life?”
What do we do in those situations? What if our stories involve us being hurt by others? What if telling our story would risk damaging relationships?
What if we’re still in a dark, difficult season and the emotions involved with our story are just too raw? What then?
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Join the link-up with your own five-minute freewrite on the prompt, IMPULSE below, then visit your link-up neighbor to read their post and leave an encouraging comment:
When I hear that nice word, impulse,
I preface it with specific,
and though the thought makes some convulse,
I really think that it’s terrific
to have some kind of index
of reaction mass efficiency.
It’s better than a Rolodex
of hotties with names like Tiffany,
because a girl’s a girl’s a girl,
but jet engines take you far,
and they can give your hair a curl,
full throttle to the brightest star,
and there’s no dame on Earth can meet
a stratospheric catbird seat.
Four minutes, and Barb’s gonna kill me for this one.
As I’m beginning to tune in more to the voice of the Spirit, I’m sometimes afraid that it’s my own impulses that are pushing me forward. Discernment is so important, but so is learning from our mistakes !
My mistakes learn from me.