Tag: dailyprompt

Daily writing prompt

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

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Nothing in this world is complimentary.

My father used to tell me this, and for years I thought he was just being cynical. Nothing in this world is complimentary, he’d say, watching me expect things to come easily. I’d roll my eyes, thinking he didn’t understand how the world worked. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized he wasn’t being negative. He was teaching me something important about value and intention.

Everything I’ve ever wanted has asked something of me. That skill I admired in others? It demanded hours of practice when I’d rather be doing anything else. The relationships that actually sustain me? They require my presence, my vulnerability, and my willingness to show up even when it’s uncomfortable. Even the things that seem free aren’t really. That clean mountain air I crave? I have to plan the trip, make the drive, and invest the time to get there.

My father was right, but not in the way I first understood. It’s that anything worth having asks us to invest something of ourselves, our time, our energy, our attention, or our money. The question isn’t whether something costs us. The question is, what am I willing to give for what I truly value?

Now when I want something precious, I ask myself what it’s asking of me. Usually, it’s asking for more than I first realized. Is it then worth having? It really depends on how badly you want it.

Daily writing prompt

What things give you energy?

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I think what really gives me energy is doing things that are creative or that soothe my soul. Anything that calms me down somehow fills me back up. When I go on a solo trip, for example, it’s like hitting a reset button on my routine. Just wandering through different neighborhoods in a new city or picking up a book that speaks exactly to what I’m going through in that moment makes me feel completely different than I would have otherwise.

The things that restore me most are going to beautiful places, walking in nature, getting my body moving with a good workout, sitting in complete silence, meditating, eating delicious meals, baking a cake, checking out new bookstores or small indie shops, or working on myself in some way. When I focus on things that genuinely make me happy, that’s when I feel most alive and energized. It’s like I’m feeding something essential in myself that everything else tends to drain. Also, spending time with dogs. That is nothing less than therapy, tbh.

Daily writing prompt

Write about your most epic baking or cooking fail.

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I remember the first time I tried baking a cake back in 9th grade. I wanted to surprise my mother, and I found this chocolate Pillsbury cake mix sitting in our pantry. You know, that famous boxed cake batter that everyone uses. I thought, why not give this a try? The instructions seemed pretty simple.

Here’s the thing though. I had no clue that you shouldn’t microwave a cake. Instead of using the actual baking setting for 45 minutes, I just microwaved this poor cake for the full 45 minutes. The result? Hard as a rock. You could have used it as a stone to split someone’s head. My mother was pretty upset that I wasted a perfectly good packet of cake mix, but honestly, looking back now, it’s such a funny memory. Because here’s the fun part: now I bake like a pro. I make cakes for my friends and family all the time, and it’s become one of my favorite things to do.

I love so much about baking. The whole process excites me. Measuring out all the ingredients just right, figuring out which flavors work together and which ones don’t, and trying new combinations. There’s something so satisfying about the entire thing from start to finish.

That’s my little story about how one epic baking fail turned into something I really loved doing later!