Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
No, I’m serial! It’s a near-scientific fact that Years that begin on a Friday are way, way cooler than, say a Year that starts on a Monday or a Wednesday. Ask anyone!
This is the first TToT of 2016. Which, as years to be alive in goes, is pretty damn cool. It is so far in the future. Growing up in the 1960s reading science fiction, I’m struck by the fact that most of the writers of that era, (1940s to 1960s, the so-called ‘Golden Age of Science Fiction’), when they needed to have a date for some future event, or maybe the setting for a time travel story, rarely left the 20th Century. Other than Yeager and Evans,* there seemed to be no need to imagine the 21st Century much beyond 2010. Anyway, I lost my train of thought… oh yeah, the future and how cool it is to be this far into it. That and the drive to self-improve oneself is on the minds of most of the people that I interact with, here in the ‘sphere. And there’s this, the TToT, I’m sure there must be a roger in the group who has the exact date of when Lizzi started this thing and that way, we could figure how long we’ve been at it… yearistically-speaking, of course.
To the Grat List!
1) this here bloghop here, the TToT. A lot of things can be said about the benefits of a regime of cultivating gratitude for the things of everyday life. All very true and, for the most part, already said better than I might. For me, the primary benefit is (to be found) in the continuity of the community that’s formed around this the TToT. The theme (of gratitude) is not particularly unique, in fact, to borrow an expression from an author that I enjoyed reading in the above referenced period of time, the field of gratitude blogs is so crowded that ‘you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting one (gratitude blog)’.
2) Friday Night vidchat… always fun, even if the topic is dream-murder and flying (or, as some of us prefer, bounce-flying) you never know who might drop in… last night it was zoe and Denise, Lizzi and Kerri and it was a good chat
3) the Graviteers over at the Gravity Challenge: Christine, Val, Kristi, Lisa, Joy, Sarah and Lizzi (yes, she does get around!)
4) zoe’s Six Sentence Story every Thursday, 1/2 writing exercise, 1/2 fun and 1/2 skills enhancement… you really need to join us
5) ‘Blogdominion‘ in Chapter 12 (due to hit the newsstands this Sunday) in which, we visit with Tom and Cheri Fearing, Tom is getting what he things he needs to be a good husband and Cheri is worried that the news of a addition to the family might cause discord in the the-Family-that-wants-to-be and we’ll catch up with Maribeth Hartley as we learn the information that Sister Margaret Ryan has un-covered in the late Father Noonan’s Journal and Stephen Eddington is in Chicago visiting his mother and is called for a meeting with the new VP of IT Services who makes Stephen an offer that it might be unwise to refuse… meeting Anya Clarieaux certainly ratchets up the stakes for our young engineer…. join us this weekend for all this and more!
6) Phyllis for having the quality of self that sees that things like tree houses are easy to see in a context of being 5 to 13 years old, but to see how something like a tree house can manifest to an adult and have the will to see it brought into reality… v cool
7) Una dog. perfect. lifeform.
8) the SGV (the Seven Guard Virgins) the people like us (well maybe like some of us… no! not saying anything about anyone in particular, Dyanne!) who remind us that the beauty of this virtual world is that, while, by definition, we can be anyone to anyone, we must face a certain judgment on the purity of our motives and intention… and, I for one, know that the next-to-the newest GV totally is into me, I know I saw her smile at something I wrote last week. just sayin.
9) the Book of Secret Rules (aka the Secret Book of Rules) the BoSR/SBoR allows that the simplest standard of successful participation be recognized, i.e. it is not the number of items, the clarity of the description, it is not the turning lemons in to apple turnovers, it is not even the level of skill of the participant. It (this standard that is manifested by the existence of the SB0R/BoSR) recognizes that it is the participation, with good intent, that is the measure of success for a TT0T list.
10) 1.3 the first of the Secret Rules and the one that most symbolizes the difference between the TToT and most other exercises in gratitude. SR 1.3 states that the act of completing a TToT list is, in fact, a valid item for said List.
Your hosts
Join the Ten Things of Thankful Facebook Group
About clarkscottroger
I’m FRIST, baby.
That’s right. I haven’t read the post, cuz like I’m writing one of my own and since I’m linking to this site, well, here I am.
And another thing! I’m NOT writing a TToT at the moment. I’m just finishing a 6 Sentence Story Thursday post. That’s cor-rect. On Saturday. cuz ya know, I can. It’s allowed!
I’ll be back shortly. And why yes, I may even write a TToT post this weekend cuz like ya know, I have until tomorrow.
:D
that is your god given right. I will go and read that thing
Cool tree house, Clark! I want to go in for a cup of tea! A happy 2016!!
hi Michelle! it is! Phyllis has much to be proud of with her realization of a cool concept… tea in the afternoon! nice concept will relay to Phyllis
I vote that the treehouse be the clubhouse for the TToT! (And we need to hear more from Phyllis. Anyone who comes up with treehouse ideas as an adult must have lots of other wonderful ideas!)
I totally agree!
I agree about the Phyllis comment from Kristi… she must have some ideas that the rest of us are missing out on… I still have something I have to mail to her btw… I had said back in Sept. I would make something for her backpack “survival kit.” Its almost done… I guess it will have to be a Chinese New Year gift instead of the intended xmas… oh well… on another note it was a nice chat last night… I forgot it was going to happen though and was completely caught off my game… I was thinking about your comment about not receiving any neg. comments ever… and was wondering if its like me… I often feel as though people are just being nice and I would prefer the constructive criticism… I can do without the wiggy death threats though.
what the hell do you mean by that!?!?!
lol
The death threat? I closed down shop on rewritten for a reason.
I am totally behind you on #6. That whole treehouse idea and reality are fantastic!
yeah… good ideas are… well, good. good ideas made real, well those are even better
6/7/13
thank you, roger
Thanks for the comments.
The tree house definitely makes an excellent TToT clubhouse. It has almost magical qualities; like Clark participating Christmas decorations and lights on said tree house. Way cool.
I am thankful for TToT as well. :)
totally in agreement
See, now it makes sense that Clark would love a treehouse (and whimsical decorating of same) but Phyllis, I’m inclined to agree that in the constructing and having of one, you’re aware of something the rest of us have missed. I hope it will transpire!
Rob, loving the reinstatement of the Friday Night International Face-to-Face. Long may it continue, regardless of whether or not dear Ivy has got her shit sufficiently together to remember it’s happening (same time, same place, each week). I do adore it, and I’d forgotten we talked about dream-murder.
LOVE the subjects we cover. I forgot to get our 7GV anything for Christmas, so I hope the second-from-newest is sufficiently appeased by her proximity to you :)
Happy week, and COOL about the Friday thing. I think you’re going to be proven right.
Laura x
I stalk all the TToT posts and vow to participate (but it ends up being written in my head. I don’t think anyone is getting those.)
I’ve always thought that adults need tree houses. To keep us young and to escape to. Now, if I only had a tree over 8 foot tall…..
agree (about the adult use of tree houses and the design challenges in tree houses built in tree less than 8 feet tall…
the best (well, one of the best things about the TToT) is the…. flexibility in format that you’ll see as you go through the various posts. We have the good fortune to have some very gifted and organized writers participate, their Grat Lists are truly enjoyable expressions of the experience of gratitude. and then you have the Wakefield Doctrine (and to be fair a number of the others who may find themselves thinking, ‘I got a pile of gratefuls who the hell says that numbers have to go from lowest to highest or, for that matter highest to lowest…” I’m think a certain poodle and his human, zoe…. and, for that matter, our Founderess can lay some “What?!?! but there’s a rationale underlying her list but I fear for my sanity if I uncover it” lol)
So I’m late to the party. And so I missed the VidChat on Friday (darn it), I’m wishing you a Happy New Year and will be reading Chapter 12 on Monday Morning.
Oh, yeah. And Monday Morning Gravity challenge?? Who knows? But we’re doing our best to rid the house of sugary sweets. That is short term negative impact, long term positive impact. There might be a blog post in that sentence. :)
Glad you mentioned it… yeah, we’ll all be there Monday with cameras and our suit of Adam on…. but hey,, think of it as our own version of the polar bear plunge thing that people at the shore do on New Year’s Day… ‘cept not as much laughing… lol
It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Clark :) Great list you have here! Hope to see you around more often now!
Phyllis is beyond awesome, and I have a post for this week that has something in it that will make you forget that GV.
One of us will be happy to hear you say that and the other is happy to hear you say that.
Participation with good intent.
:-)
Love that. You are right. That’s most important.
yeah… I agree