A Sunshiny Day

 

I have to say that I’ve been having an excellent time participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge this month.  I’ve found some really entertaining blogs filled with fascinating stories, conversed with some really interesting people, and gotten some really good ideas for the future.  I’ve also been lucky enough to see some new traffic here to my own blog, and I’m grateful for that.  And, today, I’m really grateful to be able to say that one of my visitors has nominated me for a bit of recognition, and I’m thrilled to be a new recipient of The Sunshine Award!

Many thanks to Emily at My Inspired Life with Fibromyalgia, both for visiting me here to begin with, and for enjoying it enough to share this special award with me.  And it seems particularly special as this is an award designed for “bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere”; I’m honored to be thought of in such a way.

Of course, the award comes with some rules, which I am more than happy to follow, especially since they’re pretty easy: 

• Post the award along with a link back to the person who gave the nomination
• Answer some questions
• Nominate 10 fellow bloggers for the award and link to their site
• Comment on your nominees’ blogs to let them know you’re sharing the love with them

See?  Easy-peasy.  Well, picking the deserving blogs to nominate might be difficult, but I’m going to give it a shot.  First, though, the questions . . .

1.     Who is your favorite philosopher?

Well, except for a semester in freshman year, I’ve never really studied philosophy in any great depth, so I can’t say as I truly have a favorite philosopher.  But, during that single freshman class, we did cover one of the very best short stories I’ve ever read.  It’s called “The Star”, written by Arthur C. Clarke.  Not technically a philosopher, but I’d consider him a visionary, and I think that’s close enough.  If you’ve never read it (or would like to enjoy it again), you can see it here.

2.    What is your favorite number?

17.  It’s my birthday number, as well as the first half of the registry number of the USS Enterprise, so what more do you need?

3.    What is your favorite Animal?

I’m not sure I can totally answer that, because I absolutely adore animals in general.  Maybe I’d say bears, because I’ve always been fascinated by those big, fuzzy creatures.

4.    What are your Facebook and Twitter urls?

Facebook:  facebook.com/cheri.defonteny

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/cherilynde

5.     What is your favorite time of the day?

I think it’s probably late at night, when everyone else is asleep, and I’m free to watch whatever I want on TV, or read, or exercise, or pretty much whatever I feel like doing.

6.    What was your favorite vacation?

I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of really good vacations, so this is a difficult question.  I think I’d probably have to vote for spring of 1991.  In the previous few months, I’d received the best news of my life (pregnant with my son) and the worst (mom’s terminal cancer diagnosis).  I’ve got a close family, and my husband and I had taken several vacations with my mom and sister.  That spring, we packed our bags for what we feared would be the last time and headed west.  Most of the time was spent in the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen, Sea Ranch, California.  We were blessed that we actually got another year (and another vacation) together, but I think this might still be my favorite.

7.     What is your favorite physical activity?

There’s nothing better than a nice long walk, especially if you’ve got some great scenery along the way.

8.    What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink?

My instinct is to say Sonic Coke (Coke is great on its own, of course, but the Sonic ice makes all the difference).  But, for the past year or so, I’ve really been working on a better approach to health and fitness, so I’ve cut way back on the soda—like one every couple of months or so, if that.  The only thing I drink regularly these days is water and iced tea, and I prefer the water.

9.    What is your favorite flower?

Daisies.  Simple, colorful, joyful.

10.  What is your passion?

I’m passionate about treating people the way I want to be treated.  There’s a lot of pain and suffering that goes along with everyday life, and I don’t want to be part of it for anybody.  Oh, and I’m pretty fond of writing, too.

And, now, the 10 bloggers I’m nominating next for the Sunshine Award (which ended up being even harder than I anticipated), in no particular order:

1. Amy, Tao Te Ching Daily
2. Hannah, People Watch
3. Riki, Refreshingly Riki
4. Steph, Steph Nickel’s Eclectic Interests
5. Melissa, The Bright Side
6. Debi, The Romantic Vineyard
7. Glenda, CopperLeaf Treasures
8. Candy, clhPhotography
9. Jeannie, For What It’s Worth
10. Renee, A View to a Thrill

Most of these blogs I’ve found through the UBC, and all of them I don’t get to visit as often as I’d like.  But, when I do, I always find them positive and creative, so I think they’re all deserving of the Sunshine Award.

And thanks again to Emily, for spreading the sunshine this way.