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Spring is such a time surprise. One day there’s nothing and the next day there’s a daffodil! One day it’s 70 degrees and the next day it’s snowing! Seemingly all of a sudden, it doesn’t get dark ‘till eight o’clock at night!

Today, we’re sharing stories of surprise. I can’t wait to read yours. Think back in your life and remember a moment of “wow!” — a moment of “Amazing!” — a moment of “now isn’t that interesting?” I had one just this morning. Maybe yours was last week or last year. Please tell us.

Tip of the Week - There are no rules to this little exercise. If you don’t have a story of surprise, you’re totally free to tell any random story that comes to mind. Surprise us!

Keep it 200 words or less. (Word Counter) Have fun. Don’t hold back. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

I hope to see you in the comments.

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Welcome to “What’s Your Story?”, the occasional space where I invite YOU to participate in the writing. Each episode, I offer a new writing prompt. In 200 words or less, YOU get to tell YOUR story. Today’s a little different though…. (see below)

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What are you grateful for?

I’m grateful for my friend Carol who regularly uses Calendly to sign up for “Quiet Time with Hal.” Carol is a wonderful person with whom to sit quietly. Also, she’s got some great ideas for how to live a good life. About 4 months ago, Carol gave me one of those great ideas.

At the time, every night, I was writing a vertical, numbered gratitude list of ten things. Carol gave me the idea to instead fill up a whole page with gratitude separating each one with a hand-written bullet point.

I loved her idea so I went straight to Amazon and ordered a simple spiral bound notebook and some Precise V5 pens. Ever since then, I’ve been filling up whole pages with gratitude — each separated by a bullet point. I don’t keep count of the gratitudes anymore, but I write a bunch every night. Sometimes it’s a single word, sometimes it’s a short phrase and sometimes it’s a whole sentence.

Please join me in filling up this whole comment section with gratitudes separated by bullet points! Write as many or as few as you’d like.

Happy Thanksgiving. I hope to see you in the comments!

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How to type a bullet point.

• On a Mac, option-8 types a bullet point
• On an iPhone, tap the 123 button → tap the #+= button → find the bullet point.
• For other devices, google “How to type a bullet point on a ______.”

How to write a gratitude list with bullet points.

• toothpaste • my mom • all my Substack followers • I have two beds • the warmth in my home this morning • the fact that I barely slept at all last night, but I got the idea for this Substack post • how awesome Emma is • the heater in my room • The fact that my ears are ringing super loud, but I barely notice it anymore • Kachava •

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Your Life Altering Experience

It was 1991. On Friday, I ran 6 miles and then went to a poetry reading at Brady’s. I woke up on Saturday and could barely run across the yard without needing to lie down. On that Spring day, I entered the world of chronic illness.

That’s the story that I’m gonna tell. How about you? What life experience changed everything? Big or small, when was your reality altered forever?

Was it a spiritual experience or a near death experience? Was it a job, a relationship or a degree? Did you get sober or did you get sick? Was it a day when everything finally came clear to you? Was it a day when everything fell apart? Maybe yours was just a minor shift. That’s ok! I can’t wait to hear.

Tip of the Week — Use your own voice. Sometimes to get started, I like to record myself telling the story into my voice memos app. Then I transcribe exactly what came out of my mouth.

Keep it 200 words or less. (Word Counter) Have fun. Don’t hold back. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

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I love summer in Ohio. I love goin’ around the house with practically no clothes on. I love sleeping with the windows open. I love hanging out in the sun with the wildflowers and I love sitting on the front porch watching the world drift by.

It’s almost the middle of July and it’s time to start telling stories about summer. I’d love to hear yours. Think back to all those summers in your life and pick out one memory. Then tell us all about it.

Tip of the Week — If you’ve never participated in “What’s Your Story” before, this might be a good one to jump in on. It’s an easy one. What’s the first memory that comes to mind when you think of past summers? In just a few sentences, bring us back there with you.

Keep it 200 words or less. (Word Counter) Have fun. Don’t hold back. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

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My summer story is about downhill skateboarding at my grandparents in Birmingham Alabama. You can watch some home movie footage on the TikTok below.

@banakulaSummer 1980 - Birmingham, Alabama

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Did you see the eclipse yesterday? I did. Wow!

Where were you? Who were you with? Did the clouds clear away at just the right moment? Was the experience different than you expected? Did you see the diamond Ring? Tell us all about it.

Tip of the Week: I love my practice of free writing. Every day, I write a few thousand words of whatever comes to my mind. I have no plans of sharing it with anyone and no plans of ever reading it myself. This writing is like a friend to me with whom I hold nothing back. Give it a try. Go get a pen and start writing down your thoughts and see what bubbles to the surface.

Keep it 200 words or less. (Word Counter) Be honest. Have fun. Don’t hold back. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

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Everyone’s got a challenge! Whether it’s big or small, I’d love to hear more about yours.

I’ve spent the last two years sharing with you the greatest challenge of my life. Along the way, the writing has been helpful to me and I hope it’s been helpful to you. I’ve found that it feels good to write about my challenge and share it with the world. This is your opportunity to do just that. Tell us. What’s your big (or small) challenge?

Tip of the Week: When you find yourself thinking, “no, I can’t say that!,” write it anyway. The writing that draws me in the most has a touch of vulnerability in it. Go for it. Be yourself. ❤️

Keep it 200 words or less. (Word Counter) Be honest. Have fun. Don’t hold back. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

Welcome to “What’s Your Story?”, the occasional Tuesday space where I invite YOU to participate in the writing. Every episode, I offer a new writing prompt. In 200 words or less, YOU get to tell YOUR story.

I got a card in the mail yesterday. As I read the letter that was on the inside, it occurred to me that I want to be the kind of person who sends cards with a personal letter inside. Within 10 minutes, I had ordered 100 blank cards from Amazon and asked my mom if she would bring me some watercoloring supplies the next day. Today (the next day), I have created two cards, written a personal letter on the inside and sealed, stamped and addressed them both.

All that to let you know that I’m in search of short quotes and sayings, words that I can write in cursive on the front of my handmade cards. What’s your favorite? If you’re inspired, you can talk a little bit about why you love it (200 words or less), but that’s optional. Please comment below with one or two of your favorite short quotes or sayings. I’ll go first.

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Welcome to “What’s Your Story?”, the occasional Tuesday space where I invite YOU to participate in the writing. Every episode, I offer a new writing prompt. In 200 words or less, YOU get to tell YOUR story.

On the Friday night between Christmas and New Year's, I hosted my annual Christmas potluck. The last time this group of old friends had gathered at my home was before the pandemic. I spent most of the party in bed, but I came down for the “blessing” and the “sharing.”

On the afternoon of the event, I sent out this text.

I invite you to share a rose and a thorn in your life from 2023. Interpret it as you will, but typically a rose is a good thing and a thorn is a challenge.

Tip of the Week: You don’t have to be a writer to participate and you don’t need to be a good speller. All you gotta do is push that COMMENT button and start typing from the heart. ❤️

Keep it 200 words or less. (Word Counter) Be honest. Have fun. Don’t hold back. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first. (BTW… I cheated. It took me 255 words to say what I needed to say. 😉 … Do what you need to do.)

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Welcome to “What’s Your Story?”, the occasional space where I invite YOU to participate in the story telling. Every episode, I offer a different prompt. What’s your story?

I want so badly to get to know you better. My favorite “get to know you” prompt is this… Tell us the story of a musical moment in your life. It could be any moment that somehow included music. I love this prompt cause I know that everyone has a musical moment. What’s yours?

Keep it under 200 words. (here's a word counter) Be honest. Be specific. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

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Welcome to “What’s Your Story?”, the occasional Tuesday space where I invite YOU to participate in the writing. Every episode, I offer a new writing prompt. In 200 words or less, YOU get to practice telling YOUR story.

In Episode 59 (Looking for the Good), I wrote about some of the good things in my life. Having shared that with you, I’d love to hear about something good in YOUR life. Even if you have to sift through piles of crud, I’m certain that you can come up with at least one good thing. Let’s fill this thread with a whole lot of GOODNESS.

Tip of the Week: If you’re too shy or too busy to write 200 words, write just a sentence or two. Go for it! Write the first thing that comes to mind.

Keep it 200 words or less! (Word Counter) Be honest. Have fun. Don’t hold back. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

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Hi! Welcome to “What’s Your Story?”, the occasional Tuesday space where I invite YOU to participate in the writing. Thanks to everyone who contributed to “Your Good Purchase.” There are about 6 good stories there for you to read now. Every new episode, I offer a writing prompt. In 200 words or less, YOU get to practice telling YOUR story.

Last Saturday, in Episode 36, I told you the short history of my hair. It was a fun story to write and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Now, it’s your turn!

Everyone’s got a hair story! What’s yours? Did you lose it in your 40’s? Did you let it grow out during the pandemic? How did you feel the first time you saw a gray hair? Did you used to have really long hair and then cut it all off? TELL US YOUR STORY! We can’t wait to hear.

Tip of the Week: This week, I’m going to try telling a super short story. I’ve heard it referred to as a micro-story. I’m gonna see if I can tell my story in just a few sentences. I’ll have to cut anything extraneous. Feel free to join me.

Keep it 200 words or less! (Word Counter) Be honest. Have fun. Don’t hold back. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

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Hi! Welcome to “What’s Your Story?”, the occasional Tuesday space where I invite YOU to participate in the writing. Thanks for everyone who contributed to “Your Name Story.” There are about 10 good stories there for you to read at your leisure. For each Tuesday, I offer a writing prompt. In 200 words or less, YOU get to practice telling YOUR story.

In Episode 32 of “Living in a Body,” I mentioned my recent purchase of a 3-wheel electric mobility scooter. I’m so happy with this purchase. I’ll tell you more in the comments, but having been mostly housebound for last year, what a treat it is to be cruising on the bike trails with the wind blowing through my hair. Who’s up for a bike ride? :)

So… what’s a good purchase that you’ve made? It could be anything… at any time in your life — a particular brand of dental floss, an antique rocking chair, a 1972 Oldsmobile or the house you’ve been living in for 60 years. Tell us the story! We can’t wait to hear.

Tip of the Week: The more I do it, the more I discover how difficult writing is. I’ve developed a regular writing practice and I regularly want to give up. It’s just so hard. My tip for you this week is to practice. Writing is a muscle and it needs to be worked. Writing 200 words on “your good purchase” will work that muscle and when you’re done, your brain will thank you for it.

Keep it 200 words or less! (Word Counter) Be honest. Have fun. Don’t hold back. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

Hi! Welcome to “What’s Your Story?”, the occasional Tuesday space where I invite YOU to participate in the writing. For each episode, I offer a writing prompt. In 200 words or less, YOU get to practice telling YOUR story.

Last Saturday in Episode 29 (Wheelchair Life), I told a story about the Walker name. It turns out that the etymology has Scottish roots of stomping on wool in vats of stale urine. I prefer the image above made entirely with fresh produce from my garden. It just goes to show you. There are SO many stories in a name. Tell us YOURS!

How did you name your child? Where did your middle name come from? What was the significance of your first pet’s name? Have you always felt like you had the wrong name? What was your nickname as a kid? Why did you choose to keep your own last name? Take it where you will, but please take it. We can’t wait to hear your story.

Tip of the Week: “Brain Drain” — Before you hone it down to 100 words, write 300 words without stopping. It always helps me to start by spilling my cluttered brain onto the page. Let it spill out now… edit later.

Keep it 200 words or less! (Word Counter) Be honest. Have fun. Don’t hold back. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

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Hi! Welcome to “What’s Your Story?”, the occasional Tuesday space here on “Living in a Body” where I invite YOU to participate in the writing.

In order to participate, you will need to create a profile on Substack. It takes less than two minutes.

1. Click the comment button below.

2. Create your profile.

3. Click “Sign in now” in the email that you will receive.

4. Once you’ve signed in with your profile, you’ll be able to leave comments anywhere you go on Substack.

Thank you for participating! I can’t wait read what you write. ❤️ Hal

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One of the highlights of my week is sending out my Substack every Saturday morning. I put a lot of work into each episode and I'm always happy to put it out into the world. I have to admit that on Saturday afternoons, I often experience a bit of a letdown. "My Substack is done and here I am... still lying in bed. What am I supposed to do now?"

On one particular Saturday afternoon, I was having one of these lulls when I read a post by Lyle McKeany. He mentioned that he had started an advice column and was accepting letters from his readers in a Google form. Within an hour, I was ready to launch my own advice column. It was gonna be called, "Hey Hal. Good Advice." Before three o’clock, I had created the logo and the google form and I was ready to announce “Hey Hal” on Instagram.

Fortunately, before I launched, I was willing to share this big idea with some friends. During those phone calls, I became painfully aware of a familiar pattern. When I get a little bit bored, I fill the void by creating a whole new project. As I came to my senses, I admitted that I don’t need a whole new project. I gracefully put “Hey Hal” on the shelf and decided to rekindle "What's Your Story” — and what better title for this week than “Your Good Advice.”

So... What's your story? What good advice can you share with us today? It can be on any subject. What good advice were you given as a young person? Don’t hold back. What good advice do you wish you would have gotten twenty years ago? Please tell us. What good advice do you give the world today? In 200 words or less. What's your good advice? Tell us your story!

Tip of the Week: Create a profile on Substack. It takes two minutes. Whenever you get inspired to leave a comment, you’ll be all signed in and ready to go.

Keep it 200 words or less! (Word Counter) Be honest. Have fun. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

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Hi! Welcome to “What’s Your Story?”, the occasional Tuesday space where I invite YOU to participate in the writing. Thank you to everyone who participated in Your Sibling Story. There are five great stories available there now for you to read. BTW, it’s never too late to add your own story! For each episode, I offer a writing prompt. In 200 words or less, YOU get to practice telling YOUR story.

In the last couple episodes of “Living in a Body,” I’ve told you about some of the helpers in my life. Since I became ill in 2021, I have been amazed at the number of people who have shown up for me to help. I’d love to hear your stories about a time that you helped somebody or about a time that somebody helped you. Let’s fill the comment section with helper stories. I encourage you to make it specific. Give us the details. But if you’re short on time, say it all in one sentence.

Tip of the Week: Write an imperfect story. Write it fast and be done with it. May I suggest that the goal is to tell the story, rather than to tell the story perfectly.

Keep it 200 words or less! (Word Counter) Be honest. Have fun. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

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Hi! Welcome to “What’s Your Story?”, the every other Tuesday space where I invite YOU to participate in the writing. Thank you to everyone who participated in Your Story About a Song. There are 11 great stories there available to read now and it’s never too late to add your own. For each episode, I offer a writing prompt. In 200 words or less, YOU get to practice telling YOUR story.

Last Tuesday in “A Body of Work,” I introduced you to my three sisters. I had fun writing a short paragraph describing each of them. It reminded me a lot of my dad’s Christmas letters. Every year, he would write a paragraph or two summarizing the life of each of his four children. No matter what was going on in our lives, my dad always found some way to speak glowingly about us.

I realize that not everyone has a sibling, but everyone has a story. Tell us your story. Introduce us to one of your siblings. Tell us about that time you got in big trouble together. Or tell us about the sibling rivalry that finally got resolved last summer. Make it specific. Give us all the details. If you’re an only child, tell us that story.

Tip of the Week: Consider writing your story in a word document or a notes app. It’s very simple to copy and paste what you’ve written into the comments section below.

Keep it 200 words or less. (Word Counter) Be honest. Have fun. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

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Every other Tuesday in “A Body of Work,” I tell a story about a song that I wrote. I think it’s awesome how songs have the power to create stories in people’s lives. Imagine all the unique stories that exist in the world because of a great song like “Over the Rainbow” or “Let it Be.” In 200 words or less (word counter), tell us your story about a song — any song, any story.

Maybe your grandmother sang her favorite song to help you sleep or maybe your whole family sang that one hymn as your dad was breathing his last breaths. Maybe you danced on the street when you heard a particular song blaring from a car stereo or maybe you cry every time you hear that one song on TikTok. Tell us.

Tip of the Week: Don’t pressure yourself to write 200 words. If you’d prefer, tell the whole story in one sentence — even if it’s a run-on sentence. Seriously, your participation is what counts here. Your story wants to be told.

Keep it 200 words or less. Be honest. Have fun. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

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Hi! Welcome to “What’s Your Story,” the every other Tuesday space where I invite YOU to participate in the writing. Thank you to everyone who participated in Your Serendipity Story. Nine great stories are available to read there now and it’s never too late to add your own. For each episode, I offer a writing prompt. In 200 words or less, YOU get to practice telling YOUR story.

On Saturday, I told my terrifying Hawaii story of almost dying in the ocean the day before my 47th birthday. (see Bonus Life) I was tempted to make today’s prompt either “Your Near Death Experience” or “Your Terrifying Moment,” but I decided instead to switch gears and use the word thrilling. It’s a fun word to say outloud. Give it a try… “Wow! That was thrilling.” In 200 words or less (word counter), tell us your thrilling experience story.

What experience made your every nerve ending come alive? What moment took you to that place where fear and joy collide? What activity keeps calling you back for one more taste of the awesome thrill? Tell us your story.

*** If you’d prefer to write about your terrifying moment or near death experience, we’d love to read it.

Tip of the Week: When you’re writing, experiment with using a word or two that you don’t usually use in your everyday speech. I love this Thesaurus to find words that say the same thing but sound different coming out of my mouth.

Keep it 200 words or less. Be honest. Have fun. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

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Hi! Welcome to “What’s Your Story,” the every other Tuesday space where I invite YOU to participate in the writing. Thank you to everyone who participated in Your Hometown Story! Thirteen great stories are available to read there now. For each episode, I offer a writing prompt. In 200 words or less, YOU get to practice telling YOUR story.

Last Tuesday in “A Body of Work,” I shared an amazing story of serendipity. (See “Father Abraham”) In brief, on Feb. 12, I stumbled across an old recording of my song celebrating Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. I googled “Lincoln’s birthday” to find that Lincoln was born on… you guessed it… Feb 12. 😳 In 200 words or less (word counter), tell us your serendipity story.

Have you ever experienced a string of events that happen by chance in an uncanny way? Has the timing or the unfolding of reality ever caused you to shake your head in disbelief. Tell us your story. NOTE TO MOM: Please tell us the story of meeting dad. It’s serendipity at it’s finest.

Tip of the Week: You don’t have to be a “writer” or a good speller to participate in this activity. Just speak your truth… typos and all. ❤️

Keep it 200 words or less. Be honest. Have fun. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

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Read an interesting article comparing serendipity with synchronicity.

Last Tuesday, in “a Body of Work,” I shared an old song that celebrates my hometown. In 200 words or less (here's a word counter), tell us a story from your hometown. Don’t have a hometown? Tell us that story!

Maybe it’s the time you were almost prom king or that neighborhood block party that survived the microburst or that time you ventured to the “other side of the tracks” or how about that memory from the dive bar that your friends dad owned. Tell us the story.

Tip of the Week: Come up with a catchy first line. In TikTok, you have to grab the viewers attention in the first two seconds or they swipe to the next video. Try to keep that in mind here as well.

Keep it under 200 words. Be honest. Have fun. Leave your contribution in the comments. I’ll go first.

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