January 21, 2026
I don’t often think about the significance of my name or its origins, as it hasn’t played a major role in my life. As a child, I learned to respond when someone called my name, as it might mean something important, like dinner or the immediate need to run. As I grew older, I discovered that there were other people who shared my name. My grandmother told me that I share my name with some important figures in the Bible, such as Mark the Evangelist, known as John Mark. I appreciated how he wrote about Jesus, effectively proclaiming the good news and chronicling the world’s rejection of Him. Another notable person I share my name with is Mark Twain. Like me, he was prone to holding many thoughts in his head and enjoyed putting them down on paper. Of course, he was much better at this than I have ever been. He also had a great sense of humor, which is an attribute I strive for in my life. I mostly ignore the Latin meaning of my name, which is “warlike,” because I don’t feel a strong connection to that—except for my time as a Marine, which adds a slight relevance, I suppose.
Daily Writing Prompt
What do you like to do in your leisure time?
January 25, 2026
I often think about what I would rather be doing in my leisure time while I am doing the things I must do. Therefore, when I actually get some free time, I usually end up stressing about what I should be doing.
It’s an endless cycle with me.
When I have free time, I don’t think of it as “leisure time.” In my generation, we were raised in an environment where the concept of “leisure” felt unreal, almost like a fantasy. So, when we unexpectedly found ourselves with some free time, we were so surprised that we often ended up wasting most of it—much like a game show contestant who is so excited about winning money that they miss the question and lose the game.
In the Marines, when our platoon completed a task, we tried to relax a bit and bask in our accomplishment – until the platoon sergeant approached and wanted to know why we were all standing around. When we told him we were finished with the task he gave us, his question was usually, “Great, so you couldn’t think of anything else you could be doing?”
Sure, I could give you a list of what I would do in my “leisure time,” and at the top of the list would be sitting in my favorite chair out back with a cup of coffee just watching the birds. But the reason I don’t often indulge is that I would most likely spend the time thinking of the things I haven’t finished. And, oh yeah, there is the infamous Honey Do List.
All said and done, there are times when I accidentally lose the honey-do list (don’t tell my wife) and wander out back for some real leisure time.
Mark Way Up 