How long is "never"?

The word "never" is an adverb that means "at no time, on no occasion, or in no circumstance."  But how many times have you said, "Never again!" or "I will never..." and it didn't even last until the very next day?  Okay, maybe the quote above from Horace (that "a word once uttered can never be recalled") is an exception, but our resolve (especially when uttered in frustration) doesn't always mean forever.  For example, think about when you've said, "I will never speak to him (or her) again."  Did that really happen?  Or were you soon on speaking terms again?

Look what my new cat did

Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice ~ by Michelle Obama, 2019, journal, 208 pages, 10/10

What's your journey of becoming?  This journal features an intimate and inspiring introduction by the former First Lady and thought-provoking questions and prompts to help you discover — and rediscover — your story.  “It’s not about being perfect.  It’s not about where you get yourself in the end.  There’s power in allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story, in using your authentic voice.  And there’s grace in being willing to know and hear others.  This, for me, is how we become,” Michelle Obama says.

Michelle Obama shared her own extraordinary journey in her memoir to help create space for others to tell their stories and to give people the courage to discover the power of their own voice.  With this journal, she now provides you with the encouragement to find value in your own journey of becoming.  It includes thought-provoking prompts designed to help you reflect on your personal and family history; your goals, challenges, and dreams; what moves you and brings you hope; and what future you imagine for yourself and your community.  She writes in the introduction:  "I hope you’ll use this journal to write down your experiences, thoughts, and feelings, in all their imperfections, and without judgment. ... We don’t have to remember everything.  But every-thing we remember has value."  As you journal, take heart in the experiences that brought you to where you are today, and also feel empowered to take those next steps, wherever they might lead.

What my new cat did

What my cat did astounded me.  I finished reading Barack Obama's book, that I wrote about HERE, and went to bed.  The next morning, I discovered she had shoved some books off my desk in the other room.  This was one of them.  Did she really "notice" I'd been reading about Barack Obama, and while I slept had gone into the other room and noticed the book by his wife?  Weird.  And no, I'm not making this up.  I guess she really IS going to follow in the footsteps of my other cats blogging about books, if she's that smart.  Otherwise, what an uncanny coincidence.

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Week in Review

• On Sunday, I posted one for Monday Musing, HERE, accidentally posting it too early.
• Sn on Monday, I mused again, HERE, this time about imagined experiences.
• My Wednesday Words quoted Barack Obama, HERE.
• Wednesday was also International Dog Day, so I posted again (with a dog), HERE.
• A book (and a couple of kittens) were featured on Thursday, HERE.
• Another cat was featured in my Caturday post, HERE, but this one moved in with me.

Deb at Readerbuzz hosts Sunday Salon, a place for us to link up and share what we have been reading and doing during the week.

Jake moved in with me 8/27/26

Jake moved in with me two days ago, and I have questions.

Who has had her so far?  (Sheila and Judy, that I know of.)  When was she born?  What kind of cat is she?  Why is her tail so stubby?  Does she have a chip?  (Yes.)  Who's her vet?  (I got that info from Judy.)  Sheila named her "Jake," even though she's a girl.  Judy has had Jake since Sheila died, but the office says she cannot have two pets.  Since I used to have a cat, Judy asked me if I would take Jake.  I agreed and talked to the office.  The form that I must complete has 25 sheets of paper, and the pet fee has gone up to $300.  Whew!

Now, my next question is whether Jake will want to blog on Caturdays, the way Clawdia and Kiki did.

A book recommended by Nancy, of Bookfoolery

A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy ~ by Tia Levings, 2026, memoir, 304 pages

Recruited into the fundamentalist Quiverfull movement as a young wife, Tia Levings learned that being a good Christian meant following a list of additional life principles –– a series of secret, special rules to obey.  Being a godly and submissive wife in Christian Patriarchy included strict discipline, isolation, and an alternative lifestyle that appeared wholesome to outsiders.  Women were to be silent, “keepers of the home.”

Tia knew that to their neighbors her family was strange, but she also couldn't risk exposing their secret lifestyle to police, doctors, teachers, or anyone outside of their church.  Christians were called in scripture to be "in the world, not of it."  So, she hid in plain sight as years of abuse and pain followed.  When Tia realized she was the only one who could protect her children from becoming the next generation of patriarchal men and submissive women, she began to resist and question how they lived.  But in the patriarchy, a woman with opinions is in danger, and eventually, Tia faced an urgent and extreme choice:  stay and face dire consequences, or flee with her children.

A Well-Trained Wife is an unforgettable and timely memoir about a woman's race to save herself and her family and details the ways that extreme views can manifest in a marriage.  Nancy wrote about this book on her blog, HERE.

Sir Percy of Marmalade is Bookfool's new kitten.

Oh, wait, now there are two:  Percy and Pippin.

International Dog Day

International Dog Day focuses on its mission of canine rescue, animal welfare, and adoption advocacy.  The photo below shows me "running" in the tenth floor hallway with Hazel, the companion of one of my friends.

Wednesday's word is change

A Dream Fulfilled: The Story of Barack Obama ~ by Tanya Savory, 2010, biography, 165 pages, 10/10

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.  We are the ones we've been waiting for.  We are the change that we seek." — Barack Obama

Barack Obama grew up in a time when change was just beginning to come to black people in the United States.  He experienced an often difficult childhood, confusion over his own identity, and frustration when trying to help the victims of poverty and hopelessness.  But he never stopped believing that, in America, change for the better could happen.

A Dream Fulfilled: The Story of Barack Obama is about an inspirational man whose life shows us the value of hope, education and hard work.  Obama's journey — from his unusual youth to his travels to Kenya in search of his father to Harvard Law School and, finally, to the White House — proves that dreams can indeed be fulfilled.

The power of imagined experiences

Having been a life-long reader (I'm 86 years old now), I was fascinated by a recent article from Reader's Digest entitled "Here's the Scientific Reason We're Drawn to Certain Books — And What Each Genre Does to Your Brain" (found HERE).  So what exactly does each genre do to your brain?  (I read all four of their categories.)  Here what the article claims:

Mystery and Thriller

• Stimulates regions involved in tracking clues and predicting outcomes.
• Forces the brain to build theories, test them, and impose order on uncertainty.

Fantasy and Sci-Fi

• Activates the sensory and motor cortices to simulate unreal worlds and actions.
• Provides heavy escapism, triggering dopamine and serotonin to soothe anxious thoughts.

Literary Fiction

• Exercises the brain's default mode network, boosting theory-of-mind and social cognition.
• Enhances your ability to understand complex human perspectives and internal reflections.

Nonfiction and History

• Strengthens analytical thinking, logical pattern recognition, and memory retention.
• Slows long-term cognitive decline by building rigid semantic and factual networks.