Sometimes a blog reader leaves a comment and I think, “I couldn’t have said it better myself!” Once a month, I’ll review comments on my posts. I’ll select one reader’s reply that I find to be funny, touching, or thought-provoking and then feature it on this page. I’ll link to the post that inspired the words and link to the commenter’s blog if he or she has one. If the comment is that good, imagine how great an entire blog post would be!
november 2016
Here is a lovely image written by m lewis redford in response to the original of my blog name on my About page.
… by the time your son hits his thirties it won’t be a ‘cynking’ feeling anymore, you’ll be playing in it like wet sand on a beach, squelching on the spot, seeing how far down you will go, seeing if you can get it over your feet … there is solidity beneath
October 2016
Mali of No Kidding in NZ had me thinking about life on the other side of the globe when she left this comment on my “dying grass moon” post:
Hmmm. I guess here on the other side of the planet (or ocean, at least) it would be the growing grass moon?
september 2016
Thank you to Bill for sharing the tribute video to Fritz in response to “in any economic or political system“:
I wanted to provide a link to a small tribute video of Fritz.
august 2016
Lola BG snapped me out of my self-pity with this reminder that having a birthday, even my 41st, is better than not having one. Here’s what she had to say in response to “Fitness Friday: the power of 41“:
June 2016
Nate and Ruby teamed up to help me see beauty in a typo:
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If I didn’t know how thoughtful you are with word choices, I would think “pine combs” was a homophone typo. I like how it adds wind into your haiku.
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Er . . .
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Thanks for assuming the best, Nate. I like how you’ve put such a positive spin on my mistake.
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That’s what I thought, too! It adds to the imagery, so as mistakes go, I give that one an A+!
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I’ve been debating about whether to change it now that voting has ended. I was staring at them again last night and realized the needles ARE like the teeth of a comb.
pine needles combing the air is exactly the image I thought you were evoking…
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May 2016
Growing Toward the Sun had this to say in response to “Fitness Friday: no skipping breakfast“:
I must eat breakfast and have always wondered about those who are able to skip it. They might as well have been tightroping across Niagara Falls, it seemed such an impossible task for me. I keep things around that I can grab quickly though. I don’t like full on cooking in the wee hours.
Your big ambitions for weekends made me chuckle. Me too, me too.
April 2016
Jessica Walsh offered this advice in response to “Fitness Friday: discomfort food“:
JESSICA ANN WALSH
APRIL 12, 2016 AT 12:01 PM
I have eaten my emotions my entire life and write about it often. I’m taking a more cognitive therapy approach to kicking the habit, but damn, it’s hard. My strategies: keep busy first of all. Remember, you can’t just take the food away – you need to replace it with something else. So when you’re worried or anxious, you need something to replace the chips. Go for a walk, write, watch a show? Something else to numb the anxiety. The food is dopamine; no more, no less. Look for dopamine substitutes. But when I know I NEED the food for self-care, I pick up healthier junk food alternatives that I can munch on. Popcorn, frozen fruit pureed into ice cream, etc. Sometimes you just need to mindlessly munch so plan ahead and find a better alternative. That’s my strategy. Good luck!
March 2016
Traci York penned this imaginative response to “empty nest:”
Best of luck with the re-roofing. Here’s to hoping the bird’s neighbors got together and had a nest raising, so her home is tucked up someplace new and safe now.
Jennifer of Graceful Press Poetry left this comment on “spring frost“:
That touch of spring sun must feel just as good to the flowers as it does to us! Love the first line especially–it’s like an evil spell that the dawn has to break.
february 2016
Anna Fitfunner got in the haiku spirit when she left this comment on my post “Fitness Friday: when I look in the mirror:”
great blog post today
makes me think of inner self
not wrinkles around eyes
January 2016
I started a new weekly feature, Fitness Friday, and my readers have been full of support and great suggestions. Here are the words of advice offered by Peter S on my post “planning it out:”
What my wife and I are trying to do is to set reasonable goals. Instead of setting a weight loss goal of ‘lose 30 pounds’, we have short-term goals like ‘no sugar in my coffee for a week’, or ‘work out at the gym 10 times’. The ’10 times’ doesn’t have to be consecutive days too.
There are rewards for achieving goals to make it fun. She’s a genius at setting up these rewards. ‘Loose 5 pounds’ means we get to try a new cookie recipe.
In everything I’ve read about goal-setting, it sounds like you and your wife are following the key elements: make it measurable, give it a time frame and build in incentives.
…and if we drag ourselves to the gym ten times we can each buy a new book!
December 2015
When I announced that I would be participating in the 2016 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge, Goldfish of Fish of Gold had a question about one of the tasks:
What on earth is a food memoir? I’m now thinking of the autobiography of a tomato and I’m not sure I’d want to read that.
November 2015
The Cutter left this comment on my poem “ever after“:
I’ve been waiting for a time to declare “they lived happily ever after” for a while now. But sometimes I’ve just got to stop and realize that this is as happily ever after as it will ever get
September 2015
Janet, AKA Aunt Beulah, left this comment on my poem “grief brigade“:
Since reading this poem, I haven’t been able to get the idea of passing a grief-heavy bucket out of my mind because it rings so true. That’s what we do when we try to comfort others and in turn receive the comfort of others. Wonderful poem.
August 2015
mr sock monkey inspired a photo shoot and a shout-out by leaving this comment on my post “Sunday Slideshow: first day of first grade“:
monkey never go school but long many year ago Man say all first day in elementary school = exciting with new shoe & pencil box. back in early life of Man only farm kid ride bus. every body else walk or ride bike. now monkey wish philip good luck this year in grade # 1.
July 2015
Sparrow Rose Jones of Unstrange Mind prompted me to take a closer look at online community that I joined when she left this comment on my post “Proud to be among The Mighty“:
I’m glad you’ve found an online place that resonates with you. I’ve seen a few articles at The Mighty I liked but I have seen more that were yucky or offensive to me so I tend to avoid the site.
June 2015
Nate of The Relative Cartographer left this poetic remark on my microstory “distant“:
Your china images are all balancing perfectly, delicate and stretching upward. Then you take a hammer to them.
May 2015
Eli of Coach Daddy gently reminded me that our child don’t always want or need us to interfere in their play. He left this comment on my post “Musica universalis (revised)”
First, i love (and know) the subject matter – that moment when you want to jump in and join a kid as they play, but, no offense, it’s a private thing. I’ve learned to appreciate from afar and not give any indication how much bliss is going on in my head.
Second, I love the revision. It starts off with a bang. Not that the original is bad. It’s like an upgrade from a real good cheddar cheese to Provolone, which is just superlative.
April 2015
Natalie of The Cat Lady Sings had this response to my reflection on my eating habits, “shame with a side of fries“:
Um, yeah, I have similar eating habits. I eat fast, though, because I am obsessive and don’t know how to moderate myself.
And is there anything in the world more glorious than shoving four McDonald’s fries in your mouth at one time? No, there is not.
March 2015
Kerri of Diagnosed and still okay wrote this response to my story about my alcoholic sister-in-law, “one for the road“:
I think this is beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. Yes, you love your friend, but not her behavior.
February 2015
360 Lioness who blogs at Pussycatgriot Press wrote this in response to “a walk in the dark“:
I fear I will be misunderstood as stupid, calloused, ignorant of the facts, or just plain ol’ out of touch so I’m going to post what I truly feel about your post.
I love, admire, and respect parents that have spend their days avoiding catastrophes, tolerating the ones they can’t, finding solutions to problems that no one else can relate to and still find the room and energy to love, nurture, and understand. I look to these parents for guidance. You are part of the group of parents that can actually attest to the job!
January 2015
Laura of Building Bridges had this to say about “Making #timetoread“:
When it’s something that matters to us, we will find a way. If not, we will find excuses. Reading is important enough to you that you find a way to fit it in. Great post. I’m reading (blogs first, then a novel) this morning too.
December 2014
Asha of Parenting in the Wilderness and FlAsha Tales encouraged me and others to value stillness with this comment on “a hands on experience“:
Never underestimate the powers of being still and in the moment. It’s highly underrated, and so very hard to achieve for those of us who are constantly buzzing with activity or nervous energy. I love how you led us to that stillness and your enjoyment of it.
November 2014
Sabina of Victim to Charm had me rethinking my attitude about Philip’s latest school picture with this comment:
Definitely got a bit of concern and a bit of curiosity in his eyes. I like the hands too–school pictures are designed to be formulaic and without a lot of character, but Philip defies that.
October 2014
Do you ever feel like your creativity is stifled? A comment on my microstory “table manners” got me thinking all about that. Here’s what Christine of Trudging Through Fog wrote:
Hee! I actually had to try that out and make some elephants at my desk. They didn’t trumpet, though. That would be too silly for the office. 🙂 Great little vignette, Cyn!
September 2014
My dear friend Kathleen, who blogs about her RV adventures at acasualglance, had thoughtful words of encouragement when I wrote about being rejected after a recent job interview:
We always lose a little – self worth, pride, confidence. But all of those things are like the lizard’s tail. They grow back with the love and encouragement of family and friends! (Better than the lizard, really, ’cause he has to do it all by himself!)
August 2014
I freaked out the night before Philip began kindergarten. And of course I wrote about it. Fellow mom Kristin Wald of That Unique* Weblog let me know I wasn’t alone in my worries, but I still needed to make the leap:
It feels a bit like a bungee jump, right? Wait…wait…wait…and then you decide if you’re going to LEAP or fall into it. Either way the fall is at the same speed and with the same result. Fingers crossed for a gentle beginning!
July 2014
I follow several bloggers who also parent autistic children. I appreciate having their posts as a resource. Last month, one such blogger, Cyn of Everything Under the Sun, shared some useful advice in the comment section of “there is no Nobel Prize for motherhood.”
Well written Cyn:) when my boy has a project he doesn’t trust anyone to be his assistant 😉 I learned at MORE THAN WORDS to just sit near and observe but then take similar stuff that he’s playing with and do my own thing. Take a peek and see if he’s watching and just keep doing my thing. It took a few days but then every time I did my thing he’d interrupt me and attempt to change what I was doing which is okay. He brought me into his play but on his terms. Maybe next time he will trust me to copy what I’m doing or like what I’m doing and try:) it’s taken a while but now we partner more..
Art by Sunflowercyn’s son, Johnny, at Everything Under The Sun
June 2014
Sometimes it takes a reader to help me gain insight into a situation. Pam of Pamo’s World helped me gain appreciation for my husband’s first step in his journey to quit smoking by leaving this comment at “smoke gets in your eyes“:
Peter has acknowledged that he is scared. It’s a huge HUGE beginning. I wish him well.
May 2014
When I shared “Sunday Slideshow: Left to his own devices – with markers” over at the yeah write Moonshine Grid, I received many new comments in the month of May. Here was my favorite, left by reader Kathy Berney:
His work is wonderful. I’ve taught kids art and one of my favorite lessons is letters and numbers as art forms. I would bid on his “numbers table” if I saw it for sale online. Great composition, which is hard to teach. If there are any of his wall drawings you or he particularly like, you can purchase simple, appropriately sized ready-made frames and attach them to the wall to enhance the “mural” imagery. Then just paint over the remaining imagery for which a photo is an adequate archive. I love how your son circled the wall outlet. Very Dada. A little frame would look awesome around that.
I love your essay, and though I don’t know your son, I know some of by best, most original art students have had autism. Your piece is funny, wry, and feels like a celebration of your son’s uncontainable creativity.
April 2014
There was an overwhelming (to me) response to my Freshly Pressed story “Who is that woman with my son?” Still, this particular comment from Pezcita stood out. I love the idea of thinking like a kid.
I am “that woman” at the little library where I work, and I must confess that I once stood idly by while a pre-schooler glued five wiggly eyes on a paper lamb and then proceeded to color each of its legs a with a different marker. Why? Because when I first started doing story hour, those who had done it before me advised me to “think like a kid”, and let others do the same. Good advice, though sometimes its difficult to remember how. Isn’t it fascinating how we’re all born with the ability to think outside the box?
March 2014
Folks, you heard it here first. Don’t go stealing Anna from Muddy River Muse‘s idea. I’m sure her invention is patent pending. She shared it after viewing my “Sunday Slideshow: Imagination Library Birthday Party” photos and seeing that Philip was only eating the frosting off of a cupcake.
I’m chuckling at “he only ate the frosting.” My kids ALWAYs only ever ate the frosting. I had the idea when my kids were small that I should invent and market an artificial cupcake made from food-safe plastic so that I didn’t have to keep throwing away all those licked but uneaten cupcakes. Maybe that will be my retirement project 🙂
February 2014
Everyone’s favorite blogging dinosaur, Rarasaur, had this to say in response to my “Love Not Fear” flash blog contribution “Easy to love“:
“Philip is easy to love” – what a beautiful, heartwarming thought. Plus, it shows that Philip was born with a trait that we all could aspire to. Loved this post about your honest progression and learning curve!
January 2014
The always good for a laugh Joe from Living in Kellie’s World is all seriousness in his comment on my post pulled from the archives, “‘Twas the night before“:
Remember this story the next time you find yourself worrying and losing sleep over something you really can’t control
December 2013
I appreciated the respectful response of all my readers to my post “Please don’t make me boycott you, Home Depot.” Out of all of the comments, I was especially touched by Mollytopia’s offer to take action for me:
That’s such a predicament – I feel for you. But how wonderful that you have such a neat resource in your neighborhood for your son and your family. That one thing you do together is a beautiful thing – I hope you don’t have to give it up. I’ll boycott Home Depot for you. Only Lowes for me from now on : )
November 2013
I had quite a few comments to go through since I participated in NaBloPoMo. However, I found it was easy to narrow down my choice since I really liked the way that Anna from Muddy River Muse responded to my post “You need to stop talking about this“:
I agree that there are some experiences that can’t be captured in words, and I sometimes think we do violence to those experiences when we try. I teach a course in Adult Learning and Development in which one of the topics is “transformational learning.” I am very careful about how and when I invite my students to volunteer to share their own experiences of transformation, because they can be so deeply personal.
October 2013
This month I didn’t post as much as I usually do. Three of my fourteen posts were inspired by the Twisted MixTape Tuesday link-up. Clark Scottroger stopped by my post about spiritual songs and responded to my inclusion of “Lacrimosa” from Mozart’s Requiem:
loves dat ‘Lacrimosa’! Seriously, who can listen to that and not feeling the damn universe sneaking up behind you in your balcony seat?
September 2013
I was worried about whether my post “Will You Still Feed Me When I’m Sixty-Four” was too sweet. Bill Dameron, who blogs at The Authentic Life, put my fears to rest with this beautiful response:
Food is a metaphor for love, of course and after reading this, I am full.
August 2013
In my post Five things Friday: free good to a good home, I asked readers what free items they had recently acquired. Givethemavoice77 answered as follows:
My son’s bike broke at the beginning of the Spring season. Even though he was heart broken, money just wasn’t in the budget for a new bike. Last night my DH was driving through a high end subdivision, when he spotted a shinny, yellow bike on top of a trash can. He stopped and looked at the bike, but was certain that some kid had just put the like new,shiny, yellow bike there by mistake. He decided to knock on the door anyway. Long story short, the chain had broken on this high dollar mountain bike, and the owner was tired of looking at it. Hubby brought it home and had the chain fixed in 5 minutes. Last night my son was bubbling over with pride as he zoomed around on his new ride. I am happy we didn’t have to buy a new bike, because the money we saved can be used for other family things. Plus, money don’t grow on trees.
July 2013
Little Miss Jenny Leigh shared a bit of her personal history in response to “What a drag!“:
I grew up spending summer weekends at the dragstrip with my dad. He races a Super Stock ’69 Mustang. Just reading this made me smell the racing fuel and miss those days.
I raced in the street class once at a Fun Ford event and went three rounds. You have to try it if you get an opportunity!! It is sooo much fun, best rush ever. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Ahhh, the memories!
June 2013
Kirsten Oliphant who currently blogs over at I Still Hate Pickles wrote this in response to “Three’s a Crowd“:
And THAT’S when you need the flashlight app on your phone. Also? I flunked out of the recorder and had to be a dancing princess in a play because I was so bad that I couldn’t be in the 4th grade recorder chorus. And I gave myself a fabric burn on the back of my neck with the princess scarf prop. I was never meant to be a princess.
that cynking feeling 
Hey, I will tell you the same thing I tell “the boys” when their birthday rolls around: enjoy this age…it’s the only time you will be it. I, personally, think you are awesome. That’s not just words. I truly think you are, and there is nothing (not even those pesky setbacks that you focus on) that can change the fact that you do accomplish a lot every single day. It doesn’t necessarily FEEL like you do, but -believe me- you DO.
We have a seemingly thankless task ahead of us: seeing our kids to productive adulthood in spite of pretty heavily stacked odds. We can beat ourselves up, and use a very harsh scale to measure ourselves. I do it. Boy, do I do it! Sometimes, egads, I relish being that mean to myself. Sometimes, when MY age bogs me down (and I’m older than you are,) I just remember how old J is, and how far he has come. I remind myself of the part I’ve played in that. It does help…I am, sort of, a tremendous bad-ass.
As for your question: 9 would be what I flatly refuse to try. Thirty-four is one I would jump into head-first.
Now…go have fun! Look at that woman in the mirror and find your eight year-old self…ask her what she thinks about you. I’m pretty dang sure she’s impressed in ways she (and you) never imagined. You’re only 41 once. And it’s great. It doesn’t look like it from 41, but from 51 it will seem like an amazing age to have been.