So, I had never heard of the Sunshine Blogger Award up until now, thanks to Darryl B, who has nominated me and others for this award.
I’ve followed his writing for a while now, going back to when his work was up for recognition on Spillwords. Reading pieces like Dusty makes it clear that he is a very good writer. He has quite a few pieces that I really like as well. He doesn’t just tell stories—he carries them all the way through.
That’s not something you see all the time. I have read a lot from many others, and his stood out more than some that I’ve read. A good writer will always flow like that until it’s finished.
He’s also able to move between that kind of depth and lighter, reflective moments without losing the story. It all feels natural, and that’s what makes it connect. Dusty stood out to me, and it’s why I supported it for Publication of the Year on Spillwords.
The way he approached this format fits that style well. It gives space to reflect without overcomplicating it, and that’s where his writing does its best work.
You can check out Darryl B’s blog, My little corner of the world, here 👉 https://neptunesky.com — and subscribe — you won’t be disappointed.
Darryl, I appreciate the nomination—thank you.
Guidelines
1) Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog
2) Thank the person who nominated you
3) Provide a link to your nominator’s blog
4) Answer your nominator’s questions
5) Nominate up to eleven bloggers
6) Ask your nominees eleven questions
7) Notify your nominees by commenting on their blogs
Darryl’s questions for me:
1. What is home for you and why?
Home isn’t really just a place for me. It’s more about where I feel comfortable and not out of place—somewhere I can actually relax and not feel like I have to be anything other than myself, especially when you have so many roles to play. Just having that time to myself is important to me.
2. What is your greatest joy?
I’m giving you two on this one. One of my greatest joys is creating something from nothing and actually seeing it come together. There’s something about starting with an idea and watching it turn into something real that never gets old. I can never stop creating, whether it’s music, poetry, or writing articles—that has been my calling pretty much my whole life. My other greatest joy is being around family—my wife, kids, and grandkids especially.
3. Describe a moment when you had to make a tough decision.
Choosing long-term direction over short-term comfort. Those kinds of decisions are the toughest for me because, for people like me, either one can have long-term effects and consequences.
4. What ignites your creativity?
Pressure and complexity. My brain just doesn’t know when to shut up. It sometimes keeps me from sleeping, and that’s annoying, but at the same time I’m grateful for it. I’m different, and I accept that. Most of what I do has always had pressure alongside it, which adds the complexity because it always has to be better than when I first thought of it. That in itself is a tough question because there is a lot that can ignite my creativity, but for something direct, it’s difficult to say.
5. You have a day with unlimited funds and a teleportation device. What would you do?
That’s a tough question. If teleportation means I can move through time as well, I’d use it to see things I’ll never get to experience otherwise—both past and future. I’d want to understand how things really happened and where things are actually going, and just take everything in—places, people, how things work. A day isn’t very long, so it makes it even tougher, but while I’m doing that, I’d definitely share that money with people who absolutely need it to change the outcome of something they didn’t ask for. That kind of freedom would change everything.
6. What bugs you?
I’ll keep this one simple—inefficiency and repeated mistakes.
7. Describe a memorable chance encounter.
I’ve had a few chance encounters that stuck with me over time. At the moment they felt random, but looking back, they usually happened right when I needed them to. Sometimes it was just running into the right person at the right time or hearing something I needed to hear that shifted things for me. There are other encounters that I have had, and I’m sure God had a lot to do with those.
8. What is your greatest fear?
Wasted potential. I am a person with a lot of talent, and sometimes I’m discombobulated by how I’m ignored as if I’m nothing. Since the internet, things just aren’t the way they should be—I feel like it’s taken away a lot of my bigger chances. But as I move forward, I still hope that’s not the case. There’s a lot here, and I feel like the world is missing it—the bigger picture.
9. Of all of your posts, do you have a favorite?
No—it’s the body of work over time. Could some be better than others? Maybe, maybe not. I’m a very complicated person when I create posts—or really anything. So no, I don’t have a favorite.
10. Describe an idyllic childhood experience.
Being outside with no structure, figuring things out by myself. My father left when I was about ten years old. I grew up with a stepfather who was mean and inconsiderate. The only peace I found was when I used to go to my grandparents’ house out in the country during the summer for a few weeks. As far as being in an idyllic place, it just never happened as a child.
11. It’s the end of the world and you get a final meal. You’d pick:
It’s the end of the world—what’s the point of a final meal? At that point, it wouldn’t be about food for me. It would be about who I’m with and making that last moment matter.
My nominee picks for the Sunshine Blogger Award, in alphabetical order.
- 80smetalman’s Blog
- Integrating the Spirals
- Just Rojie
- My Vision My Thoughts
- Notes & Silence
- Edward Ortiz
- Wings of the Wind
My questions for them:
- If you could live anywhere for one year, no limits, where would you go and why?
- What’s something small in life that actually means a lot to you?
- What got you started writing in the first place?
- Do you write more from experience or imagination?
- What kind of environment do you do your best thinking in?
- What’s one thing people often misunderstand about you?
- If you could relive one moment in your life, would you—and which one?
- What motivates you to keep creating, even on the harder days?
- If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be?
- What’s something you’ve written that surprised even you?
- What does a perfect, peaceful day look like to you?
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Congratulations on the recognition this accolade celebrates John.
Thank you very much, Henry. I appreciate that. I hope you have a great week ahead. 😎
John, can’t tell you how much I enjoyed reading your responses and getting a better understanding of the mind behind TRJ. Thanks much for the kind words about my blog.
All your stuff is good, the kind of thing that’s really unique in WP. Sometimes it’s at the limits of my understanding, but the way you net it out… this is what you need to know and why it’s important… is incredibly valuable. More than once, I’ve thought “uh oh” and checked, and sure enough, there was an IT exposure that I was able to mitigate with some timely action.
I especially like your Sunday musings column… lots of great content there, always apropos and relatable. It really provides a nice balance to the tech-heavy content that you post the rest of the week.
Thanks again for accepting the nomination and your very interesting answers. You’re a valued WP colleague! 😎🙏
Darryl, I really appreciate you taking the time to say all of that—thank you.
That part about catching an exposure and being able to act on it, that’s exactly why I put that kind of content out there. If it helped even a little, then it’s doing what it’s supposed to do.
I’m glad you like the Sunday musings too. That’s a different side of things, but it matters just as much. Sometimes you need that balance—we all do—something that slows things down a bit and actually connects and brings people together.
And I appreciate what you said about the way I break things down. Some of the topics can get pretty deep, but if it doesn’t come back to something useful, then there’s no point in putting it out there.
I’ve also enjoyed reading your work as well, Darryl, along with a lot of others on here. It’s good for me because with everything I’ve got going on, it helps to tap into something different for a bit.
Thanks again for the nomination and for the kind words—I’m glad I took part. I hope you have a great night. 😎
Thank you very much for the nomination, John. These are fun, and I did one a year ago. I’m really honored that you’re enjoying my content. I also truly appreciate your blog because you share a lot of great information that we don’t usually come across.
Edward, you’re very welcome—I’m glad you see it that way. They are fun, and it’s a good way to connect.
I appreciate you saying that about my blog as well—that means a lot. And the same goes for yours. You bring in a lot of great reads on your blog as well, especially the book reviews, and it definitely makes it worth reading.
Thank you again for taking part—I’m looking forward to your answers, Edward. I hope you have a great week ahead. 😎
You’re very welcome. I probably won’t write a post, but here are my answers.
1. If you could live anywhere for one year, no limits, where would you go and why? Spain. Puerto Rican culture is so deeply ingrained in that country that it would be nice to experience it for a full year.
2. What’s something small in life that actually means a lot to you? My morning cup of coffee.
3. What got you started writing in the first place?
My military career. Officers do a lot of writing.
4. Do you write more from experience or imagination?
Definitely from experience.
5. What kind of environment do you do your best thinking in? A quiet one, with plenty of time to think or write.
6. What’s one thing people often misunderstand about you? My introversion.
7. If you could relive one moment in your life, would you—and which one? The birth of my son.
8. What motivates you to keep creating, even on the harder days? My purpose in life. That’s my driving force.
9. If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be? Playing the guitar.
10. What’s something you’ve written that surprised even you? My first poem to my son.
11. What does a perfect, peaceful day look like to you?
A full day of reading and drinking coffee.
Edward, I appreciate you taking the time to go through these.
A few of your answers stood out. Spain for a year makes sense the way you explained it. Writing from experience and needing a quiet environment—those go hand in hand.
The birth of your son—that’s a moment that definitely stays with you. And having purpose as your driving force says everything without needing much explanation.
And I agree—a day of reading with a good cup of coffee is hard to beat.
Thank you again for taking part, Edward. I hope you have a great day and a great rest of the week ahead. 😎
You’re very welcome, John. I hope you have a great week. Thank you again for the nomination.
Thank you for the nomination, it’s an honour.
Michael, you’re very welcome—it’s well deserved. I’m glad to include you, and I’m looking forward to your answers. I hope you have a great day. 😎
Thank you friend for the opportunity!
Rojie, you’re very welcome. I’m glad to include you—I’m looking forward to your answers. Hope you have a great day. 😎
Thank you so much for the nomination, John. I feel a bit like Sally Field at this moment when accepting an award in Hollywood years ago, “You like me, you really like me”! Ha!
I will reply and answer your questions tomorrow. I don’t know if I will repost though since I did this once already, years ago and it sort of feels “chain letter” like. 🫣🤪
Sheila, you’re very welcome—and yes, you have a great blog with a lot of good content. Never doubt that. I completely understand what you mean. No pressure at all on reposting—just do what’s best for you. It does have that chain-letter feel, but in a good way—it helps keep everyone’s blog links in circulation. I appreciate you being part of it and look forward to your answers. 😎
If we could live anywhere for one year, no limits, we would go to Japan. My husband has been once before and loved it because it’s so clean and the people so welcoming.
A hug from our 14-year old granddaughter means a lot to me because she has Autism Spectrum Disorder and doesn’t like to be touched.
I started writing in elementary school, plays at first with my best friend, years later, journaling to heal trauma.
I write from experience. And research.
I think best at home when it’s quiet.
People often misunderstand my aloofness as ego, but I am actually very humble.
I would relive my last moment with my mom and dad.
What motivates you to keep creating, even on the harder days? Reading wonderful comments from my readers. Writers need to be read and musicians need to be heard.
If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be? Piano playing.
What’s something you’ve written that surprised even you? Most of my blog articles and books.
What does a perfect, peaceful day look like to you? This one has been pretty good!
Sheila, I really appreciate you taking the time to answer all of these. You gave thoughtful answers across the board, and it shows.
The part about your granddaughter stood out—that’s something special. And I understand what you said about writing from experience. That always comes through stronger than anything else. I think writing from experience brings a deeper level of truth to certain subjects.
Japan for a year sounds like a solid choice too—I can definitely see the appeal there. I know a few people who have been there and said it was a great experience.
Thank you again for taking part in this. I’m glad you did it in your own way, and I hope you have a blessed day. 😎
Congratulations on the nomination, John. I hope you get recognized for the hard work you have done on your blog. If you have nominated me, I’m not going to bother with trying to get an award as most of the things I put up on my blog these days are the work of others. Thank you very much for the thought though.
I hope you are having a great Saturday! 😊
Chris, thank you very much. I completely understand and respect that. I still wanted to recognize you because you do a great job with your blog—the way you share and present things still matters. And honestly, I see this more as something fun within the blogging community than a true award. I appreciate you taking the time to comment, and I hope you had a great Saturday as well. 😎
You’re welcome, John, and thank you for understanding and for your recognition. Also, thank you for your kind words and I hope you have a great evening! 😊