Three cheers

/ Fran Haley
Candles

Three is a magic number. Alan Levine. CC BY

I love the sound of chimes.

I always have.

There’s something magic in those ethereal tones, something stirring, uplifting, echoing the fairy world, whispering of good things and better yet to come, hinting at happily-ever-afters. Perhaps this is why chimes sometimes play at the end of weddings, their light, airy sound signifying the beginning of a new, hope-filled chapter, the turning of a page.

Come to think of it, when I was little I had read-along books with audiotapes that chimed when it was time to turn the page.

The telephone on the kitchen wall of my childhood home was avocado green with a six-foot cord, and instead of ringing, it chimed. Visitors always said, “There’s the doorbell,” and we always responded, “No, that’s the phone.”

I never knew of anyone else’s phone that chimed like mine.

As a teenager my pulsed quickened at the sound, because I was sure the chiming meant someone was calling for me. It often was. I stretched that cord at least another two to three feet, enough for me to sit on the bed in my room and talk with the door closed. Yes, on the cord.

My smartphone is set to chimes now. When it rings, the melodic tones are like strings of tiny silver plates in the wind.

Perhaps no chime has given me as much pleasure as that of my WordPress app, however.

For me, that’s truly the sound of celebration.

I’ve heard this chime so often in the past month, denoting likes and comments on Lit Bits and Pieces during the Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge with Two Writing Teachers. The chime has come to represent the warmth of this community, the connection of minds, hearts, and kindred spirits, reiterating the power, the magic, of words. I am a first-time slicer and the words of others have borne me far in the completion of thirty-one posts in thirty-one days.

This is the thirty-first post. With it, I cross the finish line – my first cheer.

The WordPress chime also proclaimed two other milestones, two days ago:

Lit Bits 50

I hit the 50-post mark. My second cheer.

Lit Bits Anniversary

Lit Bits and Pieces turned one year old on March 29th, along with my first post. Cheer number three.

When I started Lit Bits and Pieces a year ago, I asked a friend to give me feedback. The friend said: “Hmmm. What’s your niche? Your target audience?”

I said, “I don’t really have a target audience in mind. I just want to write whatever I want to write.”

The friend looked skeptical.

I added, “It’s for human beings.”

To you, Dear Reader, I leave three parting thoughts on this Lit Bits and Pieces celebratory post. Chimes play for you, somewhere in the wind – I hope you hear them as you read:

  • Do, or do not. There is no try. -Yoda
  • Inspire. That means be a life-breather of ideas, tiny notions of stories. – Avi
  • Write.

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16 thoughts on “Three cheers”

  3. I’m glad to have “met” you during this challenge, Fran. Your post today is spot on as I connected to it in many ways. “It’s for human beings,” beautiful! Congratulations on completing the challenge. ~Amy 💜

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  4. Reading your posts this month has definitely been one of the highlights of this challenge! I, too, love the perspective of “it’s for human beings.” I look forward to continuing to read your writing and hope to “see” you on Tuesdays. Sending you some virtual celebration chimes for finishing this challenge!

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    • You actually brought a real chime with the app! Seeing “svalter” has become akin to seeing a priceless rune or code, as I know when I read your words that they will be incredibly insightful, uplifting, and from the heart. You’re an amazing encourager and nurturer. I should think life springs from all that you touch. I am deeply thankful to know you and, yes – see you on Tuesdays!

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  6. I love that “it’s for humans.” I struggled for a long time before I began my blog because I thought it needed to be “scholarly” or at least education related. That wasn’t what I wanted though. I knew I wanted to incorporate my love of quotes somehow. So I just did it!

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    • I didn’t want to focus just on education, either. I wanted to stretch myself as a writer, practice more, and leave the creative window open to any and all ideas. I am so glad you came to a similar realization. Kudos to you for your courage! Write whatever your heart tells you to – it will guide you.

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  7. Congratulations on your 50th post, your one year anniversary, and completing this challenge. I have truly been blessed by reading your words this month. I have had a busy week this week so I missed a few of these last ones. But I will return. Your words have brought me bits of knowledge, bits of inspiration, and bits of courage. And for that, I simply thank you.

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    • The pleasure is absolutely mine, Leigh Anne. You have been an immeasurable blessing to me, yourself. FYI – I tend to reread my posts after publishing and catch errors that I fix (being cursed with perfectionist tendencies). I don’t know if revisions show when original drafts go to readers. Still learning tech ropes. Anyway – I thank you for being an encourager extraordinaire, an inspiring writer, and a joy to know.

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