Random header image... Refresh for more!

Category — Microblog Mondays

#Microblog Monday 558: Thought Questions

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

*******

I learned recently about naikan, which is a self-reflection activity meant to reveal that you are “someone who has received endless, unearned kindness.” I think the unearned part is key.

You think of a person or entity (e.g., your workplace or a community) and ask yourself three questions:

  1. What have I received from them?
  2. What have I given to them?
  3. What troubles or difficulties have I caused them?

The Wikipedia page points out why you skip the potential fourth question, which is an inverse of the third question.

It’s a very specific way of feeling gratitude in a chaotic world. It’s harder than it looks on the screen, especially when you’re trying to quiet your mind. Try it.

*******

Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts connected to businesses or sponsored posts.


November 3, 2025   1 Comment

#Microblog Monday 557: Guesstimation

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

*******

Crowdguesser is easier to play on a laptop than on a mobile device. Each day, you see five pictures of crowds of people, and you have to guess how many people are in the photo. Answer quickly because you’re being timed.

I find that I usually overshoot the total. I’ll guess a few extra if the group is below 50, and I can be wildly off if over 100. But I’m almost always over the actual total vs. under.

How did you do?

*******

Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts connected to businesses or sponsored posts.


October 27, 2025   2 Comments

#Microblog Monday 556: Pre-Obits

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

*******

Oldster ran a pre-obit a few weeks ago, written by a husband for his wife. He wanted her to be able to see what would be said about her before she died. This part made me cry: “I think now of that mountain and I think of your smile, and the joy of our weird, dirty honeymoon comes back to me. I will always be happy walking with you wherever we go, however high the mountains get.”

I really love the idea of a pre-obit, much more than actual obits. Or the pre-funeral in The Fault in Our Stars rather than an actual funeral. When possible, people should know how you feel.

*******

Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts connected to businesses or sponsored posts.


October 20, 2025   2 Comments

#Microblog Monday 555: Following the Clues

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

*******

Clues by Sam is one of those games that you can pick up and play for a moment when you’re in between things. It’s a logic puzzle where you have a board of 20 people, and you have to figure out which ones are innocent and which ones are criminals based on the clues revealed in the game. So, for instance, the first clue could be, “There are no innocents between Larry and Hilda.” You look and see that Adam is between Larry and Hilda, so you can mark him as a criminal.

It gets progressively more difficult during the week, but it’s hard to get stuck because you can always get hints.

*******

Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts connected to businesses or sponsored posts.


October 13, 2025   2 Comments

#Microblog Monday 554: Tangible Media

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

*******

I heard a person use the term “tangible media,” and it was such a perfect term to describe my relationship to books (and movies and music). I like tangible versions of most things. I especially do not want to invest money in intangible versions.

So I like streaming the least because it’s just a gatekeeper to intangible media. If you pay, you can access what is behind the gate. You cannot control what is behind the gate. You can pay to go behind the gate, be in the middle of using media, and have your access end due to licensing or corporate decisions.

I like paid intangible media slightly better because I pay once and have access indefinitely. Or, at least, until licensing issues get in the way because you don’t truly own your digital media. If the platform or product goes away, the media goes away, too.

I like tangible media the best, even though I like reading library ebooks. This is why I purchased three paper books this month so far and zero ebooks. I like to hold paper books and know that they are mine unless I misplace them or give them away.

How do you feel about tangible and intangible media?

*******

Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts connected to businesses or sponsored posts.


October 6, 2025   3 Comments

(c) 2006 - 2026 Melissa S. Ford
The contents of this website are protected by applicable copyright laws. All rights are reserved by the author