Itās going to be tough to claim victory in this one.
Iām days behind, trying in vain to catch up for the A to Z challenge. I wanted to write about vulnerability today, harkening back to some meditation fog observation Iād made about stepping in from the vestibule of life and really opening yourself up.
Me preaching the virtues of vulnerability would be like me spelling out the benefits of Valerian Root for menopausal symptoms.
I havenāt ventured out of the vortex of my comfort zone like that in ages. Iād be a villain to write that post. I wrote about valentineās day once, the day after valentineās day. This wasnāt long after Madison decided not to play for the Converse College Valkyries.
Itās not like I have a vendetta against writing about topics outside my comfort zone.
Iām prime for a vicissitude in my life, something that will change my vintage thinking into something bold, Viking bold. I made the great decision (or mistake?) of asking my Facebook community to suggest V words I could use, and of course, two chose vagina.

How about hoops?
To distract myself from that, I thought of sports, of course.
Virginia won the national championship in basketball. Cool story. But then, I noticed the next word on the list, vulva. I know what a vulva is, but do I want to write about it on this blog? As I walked to my car to go to work, past Volvos and Buicks, I laughed a little.
Iād even assured my Facebook friends I could fit volleyball and vulva into the same post!
That would take a valiant effort. What value would it have? You can skirt around the blogosphere, picking off the easy targets like a velociraptor after eggs and rodents, but what have you accomplished? What does that say of your writing virtues?
Ironic, that the thought of it all made me feel vulnerable after all.
I walked into the office in a violet polo shirt and corduroys and hoped I had the spirit to deliver such a post with vehemence. Iām a writer! Challenges such as this shouldnāt vex me. And yet, I walked through the valley of death, unable to reach a verdict with myself.
Before my face turned a shade of vermillion over the very thought, I remembered ā¦

I am a writer!
I can do this. A voice came to me, of me and yet not of me, no unlike a ventriloquist held the reigns and controlled the words. I couldnāt get to the laptop quick enough, feeling dizzy by the thought of it, as if Iād had some sort of vestibular episode.
The restrictions that held me back ripped away like Velcro.
The vacancy that filled my writerās brain filled with healthy thoughts. Itās as if Iād skipped my vaccinations and could arrive awoke where my fingers met the keyboard. At last, I had a vision. At last, I could make good on the vows to deliver in this space.
Itās not vanity. Iām confident in my writing, but I donāt eat enough vegetables. I still wear Star Wars Vans and I go after my kidsā uneaten pizza crust like a vulture. But like a plain vase that sets off a roomās decor, sometimes my writing just fits.
Whether youāre in Silicon Valley, Villa Heights or upper Vermont, you can associate with this feeling, Iām confident.
Sometimes the words are subtle as they arise; others, like a volcano. It can surface as subtle as Pluto or brilliant as Venus. Either way, itās a valuable lesson. Rather than play a victim of circumstance here, Iāve decided to own it. In a very virtuous way.
This proves you can accomplish the impossible without resorting to violence. You need not become a vigilante. I managed without much foresight, or copious caffeine, or even a Facebook friend named Violeta, but also backed by a Veronica and a Vanessa.
Which kind of makes me feel ⦠vainglorious.
A to Z Challenge:
A is for Almost (and also At Last)
B is for Baggett (as in Laura, the actress, and #GirlsRock interview)
C is for Cursive, Cats, and Chinese Restaurants (Go Ask Daddy about them)
F is for Fieri, Falling in Love, and Focus (Weekend Reads IV)
G is for #GoAskDaddy: An interview with realtor Kristen Foxx
I is for I Shot the Sheriff, Item Lifting and other Illegal Activity (Go Ask Daddy)
J is for Journalist, a #GirlsRock Interview with Esther Robards-Forbes
K is for Kickass Kindness (to go with #gratitudeandshit)
Ā L is for Low Self-Esteem, Life Sucks, and Electric Lit (Weekend Reads V)
M is for Manifest your dreams? No thanks. (Hereās why.)
N is for a new path (and why you donāt need one)
O is for old people, other police dogs and one business day (Go Ask Daddy!)
P is for Patience (and how to procure it)
Q is for quality (and other #gratitudeandshit items)
S is for Superpowers (a guest post from Cindy of Simple Steps)
T is for Three Hundred Writing Prompts (Guilt)
U is for using up all your subs (Go Ask Daddy)
#
Ā
This. Is. Amazing. Mic Drop.
It takes a real writing vet to do this, I guess, Beth.
very, very vood. (good)
Thanks! I got a whole vat of V words in, didn’t I?
You verbalized this well.
Thank you … good obserVation…
Great job on the V’s!
Thank you, Susan!
Makes me shudder to think what you will do with the letter X.
I would never leave the letter X up to this tribe, Mimi!
OMG you totally nailed it. Victory, indeed! š š š
Thanks, Kristi! Lots of good collab, and I appreciate you being part of it.
“Iām confident in my writing, but I donāt eat enough vegetables” – Baahahahaaaa!
Where are the Varolina Vurricanes? My fellow Swiss Nino Niederreiter plays for them. Still 0:0 vs NY Islanders with only 3 minutes to play.
https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.com/2019/04/under-arrest-v-is-for-voir-dire.html
That’s a true quote! I didn’t get the Vurricanes in, but I should have made an effort for my aVs! Tough opener with San Jose, but they can bounce back.
BOOMshakalaka! Impressive. Now I’m off to ponder how the whole A to Z thing really just escaped my notice this year. š¤
Thank you! I even tried to do them in the right order. Let’s put this on your calendar for 2020, Lisa.
Me gustó mucho!!!
Me gusta lo que escribes….
Muchas gracias!
Careful, eating too many of those fried chicken wings can lead an accumulation of the most dangerous type of fat…
wait for it…
wait for it…
visceral fat
Yes! So worth the wait, Deb.
Here is a new V word for you… Verisimilitude (/ĖvÉrÉsÉĖmilÉĖt(y)oĶod/). It is “the appearance of being true or real” according to Webster. In film or theater it means keeping the world you have created, in perspective. ie.. If you are in the mid 1800’s, then no one should have a smart phone in their hand. It is one of my favorite words because it applies to life in many ways.
I like that word. I remember a commercial when I was a teenager that had a kid breakdancing to heavy metal. That always bothered me. A violation (another v word!) of verismilitude for sure.
Ha ha ha ha!!! Yeah… never understood that craze.
Iām so very impressed by all the V words you dropped in this post, but most especially vulva and vagina because Iām five years old and those words will never fail to make me giggle. Also did you know thereās a town in CAN called Regina thatās pronounced like vagina? We had a family friend stay with us once and I legit made her say it ten times in a row š¤£
Hope youāre having a great week, buddy! I have some catching up to do!
I figured the Vs would make you giggle, Charlotte! You say regeena, I say regyna …