Agatha Christie

Daily writing prompt
What are your top ten favorite movies?
View all responses

My latest “tv binge” is when I discovered the movies made from the famous author who is Agatha Christie. This woman was a writer of great imagination and understanding of relationships which many of her books turned into film. Plus, understanding of solving murder.

Most of her books were based on two mature adults who both had a gift of solving horrendous crimes primarily murder, these characters are Piorot and Miss Marple. Each character had their own personality and their own thought process that are revealed after the crime is committed.

Truthfully, after binge watching American classic crime dramas such as, “Diagnosis Murder,” “Matlock,” and “Murder, She Wrote” which featured leading actress the late Angela Lansbury who was in one of Agatha Christie’s films based on a book. After watching the series, Angela Lansbury gave me the curiosity to seek out Agatha Christie books made into television series.

Unlike the Miss Marple brand of having different lead actresses at different times, Piorot was primarily played by the actor David Suchet.

Unfortunately, there’s no list but of a journey of discovering one of greatest writers in history on film. Now, on Britbox and other networks, one can find the creations of Agatha Christie rather easily.

Thank you,

Leslie Elizabeth David.

Maturity

A person who is mad at me right now because I challenged her behavior respectfully on the way she acted during her son’s second wedding/marriage ceremony yesterday. She’s 55 years old. Divorced about 7 years ago.

She was bad mouthing her ex’s family on their behavior and talking about it behind their backs at the event. So, I told her not to take things so personally and to take the high road. She told me that it’s different because she had 4 kids with him which I responded that is the reason why. Truthfully, my friend doesn’t like being challenged by me which I rarely do.

Being divorced myself, I had to learn quickly to never speak bad about my ex because his coworkers were members of the credit union where I worked. I chose to take the high road to avoid problems. They stopped when I spoke kindly about him which forced me to remember the good things about him. Problem solved.

Family gatherings are stressful enough so take the “high road” which is difficult to walk but the reward of a beautiful feeling is the reward. It applies to any division in a family particularly divorce.

Thank you,

Leslie Elizabeth David.

Where You Belong

Daily writing prompt
What do you love about where you live?
View all responses

Was on vacation when this prompt came up about loving where one lives when I happen to be scouting a new specific area of the country where I am hoping to move to if/whenever it’s possible. The timing of the subject was perfect. Read below to find out why.

Moved to Texas from Michigan hoping to find employment and adventure which I am blessed and thankful for both to have happened. Lost my employment of 21 years back in year of 2011, my unemployment was to run out in the year of 2013 with unsuccessful attempts to find work. Grateful to have found decent work and great adventures at the time after my move to Texas. In time, I have missed the beautiful blue water, the green of the trees, the feel of sand between my toes and architectural design of older homes and buildings of Michigan. Born and raised plus lived most of my life there.
I chose to fly to Connecticut for closure of a personal situation that occurred five years ago but found places that feed my soul similar to those found in Michigan. With my sister living a few hours away in upstate New York, the idea of moving came alive. Time will tell on the situation and until then, I am grateful to be here.

In closing, the place where one lives is an important as who one chooses to work with and who you have as friends with. If not, be able to visit frequently.

Yours Truly,

Leslie Elizabeth David.

Food for the Soul

Daily writing prompt
What do you enjoy most about writing?
View all responses

Writing to me is, “food for the soul” as an avenue to share what’s in my heart and mind. With that stated, I will hope that my sharing will give hope and comfort to others as well. Plus, opportunity to improve my craft.

Being an active 63 year old divorced woman with no children, I hope that others can relate to my experience in life even though we don’t share all the same demographics and experience.

Myself, I work full time with a micro online business and here plus own a home with two fur babies. My peers are busy like me but in different circumstances such as a spouse, adult children and especially the joy of grandchildren plus working and even community service. We have different lives but we grew up in the 60s and 70s which was a dynamic time for women’s rights thus opened doors in all aspects of our lives.

Thank you for your time today. Have a great weekend!

Yours Truly,

Leslie Elizabeth David.

Blessed

Daily writing prompt
What positive emotion do you feel most often?
View all responses

The emotion of being feeling blessed is predominant in my life that I have learned through many difficult trials and tribulations.

At my physical age of 63 years old while I look and feel much younger than my peers. With that, I am grateful for being active, healthy and mentally sharp. Yoga and stretching with movement that brings blood flow to the brain is critical to prevent memory loss.

The feeling of blessedness is more crucial when things are going sideways than when life is going well. The obvious thought is that things can always be worse which is realistically true. For example this week, I being a, “ditz,” didn’t understand why my card was being charged after I booked my trip months in advance realizing that it was only deposits to hold my reservations. After I started getting emotional about it, I realized that my financial decisions from previous days actually prevented the situation from becoming a nightmare. Thus, feeling blessed.

Truthfully, when we were born, there were no promises of an “easy” life so it’s up to us how we are going to face challenges emotionally and then intellectually. To me, learning to be thankful for when things go wrong allows me to look at things critically quicker to resolve the problem. Grateful.

Thank you,

Leslie Elizabeth David.

Goal Planner

Daily writing prompt
How do you plan your goals?
View all responses

Honestly, I believe that there’s different types of goals that requires different type of planning from daily tasks to long term projects.

Daily tasks are done by routine memory of waking up, making tea or coffee, making breakfast then getting ready for work. At work, there’s daily requirements that must be completed before any long term projects are considered. In a sense, short term goals daily to function in life.

Planning goals for those who are getting married, starting a new job, earning a college degree or skilled trades certification, and buying a home require different steps for each one which short term goals must be met first. For me, the first step on a long term goal was to determine the basics of what, when, where, who and why. Later on fill in the details of the above because planning a wedding is much different than going to college/technical school to earn appropriate degrees/certificates.

Myself, my daily tasks are done by memory each day unless something happens then I have to rearrange my life to get back to normal. Long term, even in the digital age, I write down my long term goals as a beginning point before coming up with a strategy to accomplish them because things change a lot in the beginning stages. Lots of notes back then which organization is critical.

As I plan my day while on vacation in a different part of the country, I plan to “window shop” possible places to live and to check on my cats as well plus locate a beach that I visited on a prior trip that doesn’t show up on maps.

In closing, I trust my intuition on both my short term and long term goals which lessens stress and anxiety. Plus, writing them down on both with timelines can make goals feel doable even with complications.

Happy Planning!

Leslie Elizabeth David.

Travel Plan

Daily writing prompt
Create an emergency preparedness plan.
View all responses

Being that I’m sitting here at an airport waiting to board a plane then a layover then another plane, I only have to follow the directions of on the ground personnel and later pilots and flight attendants.

For home, since it’s only me and my princess felines, I have only dry food for them in case of power outages or worse. For threats of tornadoes, I sit in my hallway which is the only place without windows since we have no basement. Ice is more of a problem than snow where I live so I have a shovel to break the ice. Having previously lived in a northern State, I am weather aware.

Like the pilot who didn’t fly because it didn’t feel right, trust it. Your instincts don’t lie. Could save your life and others.

Stay Safe.

Leslie Elizabeth David.

Generational Vocabulary

Daily writing prompt
What is a word you feel that too many people use?
View all responses

Overused words are sometimes determined by what generation of when people are born and where they live. My vocabulary is different than my parents, my grandparents and if I had children then my grandchildren.

The current word that is overused in my generation is, “retirement” and “pension.” Plus, the term “our music” referencing bands like The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac. The MTV now isn’t what it was in the 1980s.

For example, vintage television shows such as, “The Brady Bunch,” spoke differently than the family show, “Roseanne,” so to determine what one word is used too much, learn the person’s age. “Groovy” was a term used by the former and not the latter television show.

Growing up, I lived near the Great Lakes so my overused terminology like, “lake effect,” isn’t used in places like Kansas where they might reference terms about their weather and location.

In closing, I failed at finding one word that is overly used across generations and across the country.

Yours Truly,

Leslie Elizabeth David.

Keeping My Peace

Daily writing prompt
What brings you peace?
View all responses

This prompt is asking us of what brings us peace comes at an unusual time. So, if someone must find something that “brings”it then it’s presumed that it “leaves” one constantly.

My stresses are coming from having to board my feline divas for a few days while I am flying on an airline that has been in the news lately. Plus, leaving an empty house.


The peace is that my fur babies are staying in a good place where my previous cat stayed there and did well. Plus, the police did arrest a pilot recently from the airlines. Then, add in daily stress from work which one aspect has been dealt with.

Peace is a resolution of problems from making the best decisions with the best information. To me, it also helps to get enough sleep and eat a healthy diet and prayer. An added bonus, one of my neighbors who works for the local police department and has cameras at their house.

My hope for you is that you find your peace and find a way to keep it despite the circumstances of life.

Yours Truly,

Leslie Elizabeth David.

Being Called

Daily writing prompt
What profession do you admire most and why?
View all responses

The most admirable positions are the one that most people who do them heard the, “calling,” to pursue their career.

Those who have heard the “calling” to professions like educators, nurses, physicians, preachers/pastors, airline pilots, policemen, firefighters, and those who serve our country. These are the positions and the people who I admire most. Each one of these positions are challenging in their own ways that we all have read about in the news and heard about it from people who we know.

To say that I admire one over the other would be difficult. My Dad was an osteopathic physician and one of my brothers went into education both were called to go into these positions.

Growing up in the Detroit suburbs, we had neighbors who had 13 kids. Yes, 13 kids with 20 years range from the oldest to the youngest child. The family had their doctor who was listed on their insurance and they also had my Dad who was there for all of them after working 50-60 hours all week to help them out. The father of all these kids would come over practically in tears thanking my Dad for being there. This is my example of a “calling” of work.

The professions that I admire most are those who have people who have heard the calling to fulfill the duties of the job.

Thank you,

Leslie Elizabeth David.