Tag Archives: Fiction

Random Kindnesses

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Early this morning, I opened the back door and walked on the deck. Near the steps, I saw a motionless bee which I gently nudged with a stick and found him able to move ever so slightly. I brought him a small amount of water in a jar lid and watched as he thirstily inhaled a few drops. As soon as he had enough, he stumbled down the rest of the steps to a shady area on the ground.

I’m not sure if I helped him or simply prolonged the inevitable, but at least I did something to aid a living creature and that always feels good.

Later that morning, I went to the grocery store where I picked up some yummy cherries and cucumbers and avocados.

The woman in front of me had a lot of items and it looked like she was making a special dinner, maybe anniversary, or at least that was the little story I told myself as I patiently waited my turn.

I noticed that she didn’t have her own shopping bags and I watched the clerk take out a couple “store” bags and fill them with her food. After the food was paid for, the employee asked her for thirty cents to pay for the bags, which was really odd because usually they’ll ask before, so they can add it to the total. Right??? So my spidey senses were on alert as I observed the conversation.

The lady became flustered as she looked in her handbag because she didn’t have any cash or change. I could see that she was super embarrassed and I could totally relate. It didn’t seem as if she was unsheltered or didn’t have money; she was well dressed with great jewelry (I always notice stuff like that).

I said, “Let me check. I think I have thirty cents.” I usually don’t have ANY cash or coins either, but I did locate enough to pay for her store bags.

The poor woman was beside herself with gratitude, wanted to pay me back, couldn’t believe I would do that for a complete stranger, asked me my name, WAY overly intensely thankful and appreciative for a mere handful of coins.

I told her it was my pleasure to help and it wasn’t as if I offered to buy her food (haha) and she could pay it forward to someone else in the future and keep the good deed moving along.

Because her gratitude seemed oddly disproportionate, I thought it was possible that she had a bad day and my minor act of kindness gave her a bit of hope — who knows.

She did seem close to breaking down, poor dear. And all for THIRTY CENTS! I wonder if this was some sort of low rent scam so the employee could pocket the money, but that was most likely not the case. Anyway, it was a strange encounter and I was glad to help because it did seem that was the only way I was going to get out of the store, haha. (BTW, I had my own bags.)

Sometimes I’ll see someone do a kind but simply mundane gesture and I’ll just get filled with this unexplainable joy that someone did something nice for someone else with no strings attached; no ulterior motives, no agenda.

After that experience, I went to Sprouts because I was out of probiotics (I love probiotics). The woman in front of me in line (same scenario!) turned to me. She held out a couple pieces of candy wrapped in shiny gold foil and asked me if I wanted them. She said they were free and pointed to where she got them, somewhere else in the store.

I told her how much I LOVE free things (I really do) but asked why she didn’t want them. She explained that she had tasted another one and they were milk chocolate and she only likes dark chocolate. I said I like all variety of chocolate (except white) and gladly accepted her little gifts.

Two acts of kindness were immediately repaid by another; what a great (and sweet) day!

Featured image credit to oechsli.com

Lightning, Thunder, and Polar Bear Dreams

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I don’t think these are really connected, but they happened on the same night.

The proof we rarely experience thunderstorms is the fact that there was a flurry of social media posts asking the question, “What was that noise?” “Did anybody else hear it?” “It sounded like a boom, am I the only one who heard it?” “Could it be thunder?”

And yes, it was, because I also heard a strange rumbling in the sky and texted my neighbors to ask if they heard it too. They said they were bewildered for a moment and then agreed that it was, indeed, thunder preceded by lightning, and then it started to rain — not a lot, but any skywater is appreciated.

That event certainly generated a lot of excitement in our little beachy town, that’s for sure.

I went to sleep, happy in the knowledge that my veggies and flowers were having a lovely little drink.

I woke up this morning and remembered a WEIRD dream. I always have vivid, detailed dreams, but this one is strange, even for me.

There was a female polar bear wandering around the front of my house, sniffing at plants and the driveway (weirdly specific), making her way toward the side gate. Following right behind her was a nursing cub that didn’t belong to her and she was sort of ignoring it. How did I know it wasn’t her baby? I have no idea, however, I told the mama bear to nurse the little one because it was hungry, and she did. (I’m bossy like that.)

That’s it. That’s the dream.

How random! How bizarre! I live in Southern California, not in Alaska nor anywhere else in the Arctic. A little research revealed that it’s not all that extraordinary to dream about a nursing polar bear. I guess I’m not as unique as I sometimes think I am!

Additionally, I hadn’t been reading or watching anything about polar bears, so this really and truly came out of nowhere but from the deep recesses of my subconscious.

Polar bears are revered in Inuit culture, representing intelligence, resilience, and the ability to survive in the Arctic. They can also be seen as a symbol of one’s inner strength and resourcefulness.

Dreaming about a polar bear nursing its cub can symbolize nurturing, protection, and the ability to overcome challenges, according to dream interpretation resources. In this context, the polar bear represents strength and resilience, while the cub signifies new beginnings and the importance of protecting vulnerable aspects of yourself or your life. 

  • Nurturing and Protection: The mother bear’s act of nursing her cub in a dream often symbolizes your own nurturing and protective instincts. It can also reflect a desire to shield vulnerable aspects of yourself or your life from harm. 
  • Strength and Resilience: Polar bears are powerful animals known for their ability to survive in harsh conditions. In a dream, they can represent your inner strength and the ability to overcome challenges and setbacks. 
  • New Beginnings: The cub represents new life, growth, and the cycle of change. This dream could signal that you are entering a new phase in your life or that you need to embrace change and renewal. 
  • Overprotectiveness: Dreaming about a polar bear nursing its cub can also highlight overprotective tendencies.  

Etidorhpa | Aprhodite

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Have you heard of this novel?

Etidorhpa: The End of Earth (1895) by John Uri Lloyd

Complete subtitle: “The strange history of a mysterious being and the account of a remarkable journey as communicated in manuscript to Llewellyn Drury who promised to print the same, but finally evaded the responsibility which was assumed.”

This is so strange. I can’t remember how or when I scrolled past this title but it reminded me of when I was little, my dad started talking about this book. He read the title to me and, since we both loved wordplay, helped me read it backwards to reveal the mirrored magic.

I can’t remember anything else about our conversation other than that, and I don’t have the book and don’t know what happened to it, so it’s simply an amorphous slip of a memory.

 it was written over a hundred years ago yet it contains absolutely profound theories about electromagnetism and gravity.

Since my dad was an attorney and lived among facts, reality, and documentation, it’s interesting to learn that he was drawn to the esoteric, but he was REALLY smart and loved to read, so maybe he was more complex than I realized.

According to Wiki, Etidorhpa belongs to a subgenre of fiction that shares elements of science fiction, fantasy, utopian fiction, and scientific (or pseudoscientific) speculation. Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth is the most famous book of this type, though many others can be cited. It imagined another world in the center of a hollow earth. Since Lloyd was a pharmacologist, his novel has provoked speculation that drug use may have contributed to its fantastic and visionary nature.

The book is available here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37775/37775-h/37775-h.htm

I started to read the first chapter. For me, it’s not an easy read, not like my romantic chicklit, so it hasn’t really grabbed my interest, other than as a vague but sweet moment in time with my dad.

If you have read it, or intend to, let me know what you think, and WHY Aphrodite is important…