Whim-Wham – Wordplay Wednesday™ 07/19/17

Make it a Whimsical Wednesday! 

While some days are magical without forethought, others may need a little nudge.

Granted, few, if any of us lead a fully fanciful life (if we did, what would we look forward to?), but every day should hold at least one moment of magic. Even if it’s only a musing memory as you cradle a treasured trinket in your hand …

WHIM-WHAM (hwimʹhwam’) n. – 1) a fanciful ornament; bauble; trinket; 2) an odd notion, fancy, whim (the whim-whams [informal] – an uneasy, nervous feeling; the jitters). [WW #121]

It doesn’t need to be Wednesday to be a whim-wham day, but it does kinda feel fun rolling off the tongue, doesn’t it? “Whim-Wham Wednesday”!

OK, I confess. My day didn’t start with flights of fancy tickling my mind, so I needed something to boost morale and provoke an attitude adjustment. 

Searching my mind for a positive track to run it on, I idly picked up a San Diego Surf Van mini-snow globe on my desk. Turning it over to stir the rare SoCal snow, I watched vintage reels of summers past, float by on the drifting snowflakes. With a silly smile, I’d found my whim-wham.

But like most things in life, even a winsome word like whim-wham has a dark side … at times, it can go from feel-good fancies and whims, to jittery and jumpy restlessness.

If it does, remember, it’s what you do the moment after that counts. Make it upbeat and lighthearted whenever possible, and you’ll find your whole day flows better. I’m enjoying my Whim-Wham Wednesday, how about you? (Whatever day it is …)

Word Challenge: WHIM-WHAM. Even the most thick-crusted all-business person has a heart that can be stirred by a whim-wham. Help them find their moment of magic as you fit whim-wham into your week of uplifting writings. (And I dare you to say whim-wham ten times super-fast! LOL)

Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle) 

'Til next time ... enjoy a wonderful "wordful" week …

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

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Wordplay Wednesday™ December 07, 2016 – Saltbox

Home for the Holidays … 

 

For the majority of us “home” is a warm and welcoming word … filled with feelings of love, gratitude, and pleasure. (And could also have us practicing our most magnanimous manners to ignore any family or friends’ angst from the rest of the year.)

It doesn’t much matter if it’s a sprawling ranch, a gilded city penthouse, a boat in the harbor, an urban condo, a crowded apartment building, a modest single-story abode, or a …

SALTBOX (sôltʹbäksʹ) n. – 1) a box for salt, with a sloping lid; 2) a house, as in colonial New England, shaped somewhat like this, having two stories in front and one at the rear, and a gable roof with a much longer slope at the rear. [WW #89]

“Home” might not be so largely detailed as a saltbox—it could be nothing more than a room in a stranger’s house. But if that ten-by-ten space holds you, your possessions, and your memories, it’s home.

Appreciating your saltbox, whatever its connotation, occurs more often this time of year; but for an alarmingly growing population, “home” is a painful and elusive term.

Seniors. The Voice of San Diego recently reported, “National studies predict further increases in senior homelessness. The National Alliance to End Homelessness, a D.C.-based policy group, has estimated the senior homeless population could rise 33 percent nationally between 2010 and 2020 – and more than double by 2050.”

In San Diego, just reported as the 16th best run city in the country, the issue has already exploded. Says the Voice, “The number of adults over 55 living on streets countywide more than doubled from 2015 to 2016 – and the problem is only expected to get worse.”

I challenge our local government to show just how well it’s run—take steps NOW to significantly decrease this trend before the next big economic downturn. (Ya-all know, there is always another around the corner—it’s just a matter of when.)

Of course, homelessness is a horrendous issue for all ages; but following the Great Recession, Seniors are especially vulnerable. Too many lost jobs and more than our share, kicked out of the workforce. Coupled with age-related medical issues, exacerbated by living on the streets, creates a double-whammy.

 

What can you do to help a homeless Senior where you live?  

Scroll below for a list of organizations helping Seniors in San Diego. Look for branches in your area, and local organizations that work with your city, county, and state agencies. Connect with your elected officials. Develop a way for your business or community to help homeless Seniors.

It isn’t all about dollars—and don’t just talk about it. Volunteer, donate goods, help organize, or simply spread the word to those who can make a difference. The more who take up the mantle for Seniors in need, the fewer will be homeless for the Holidays.

Remember, adrift Seniors were once you—with family, friends, and a home. Life happens.

Everyone deserves a Home for the Holidays. It doesn’t have to be a saltbox or a castle. A room will do.

Word Challenge: SALTBOX. Don’t let someone’s saltbox be a cardboard box on the street. Help. And tell the world how, as you fit saltbox into your week of homey Holiday writings.

'Til next time ... cheers to a wonderful "wordful" week …

                       

@PenchantForPen

@Irishwriter

Facebook

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City of San Diego Homeless Services

Elderly Help of San Diego

National Alliance to End Homelessness

Senior Community Centers of San Diego

Senior Homeless Independent Living Homes

Serving Seniors

Wordplay Wednesday™ June 22, 2016 – Moil

Graduation ~ A Different Kind of Mother’s Day 

I sat next to my daughter-in-law recently on hard metal stadium seats, and happily broiled my nose in the cloud-filtered sun of San Diego’s heatwave, for my granddaughter’s high school graduation ceremony.

During the sweltering wait, I mused on the role of mother, while she appeared to float between seating tiers (it could have been heat exhaustion delirium), taking care of a dozen needs at once. When is a mother’s job done? Never …

MOIL (moil) vi. – 1) drudgery, hard work; 2) confusion, turmoil (moiler, n.). [WW #65]

Pretty much sums up motherhood. And a new Penchant for Penning word that (is made up) sums up “mommy toil/moil” – moiling!

Through confusion and turmoil, mothers just always seem to know what to do – or fake it well until it works out anyway. J For every major holiday and moments of celebrations, we oversee the festivities, moiling through the details to ensure that even if events don’t quite go as planned, a good time is had by all. Sound familiar?