Thursday, March 12, 2009

So much more - a writing prompt

Is this all there is? Seems like there should be so much more!

I thought my school's fiftieth reunion would be wonderful. I expected more people, more greetings from former friends etc. I thought I'd be hearing from former classmates by phone, letter or e-mail wanting to know all the details and signing up fast and furious to attend.

A week went by and then two. Not one phone call, no letters dropping through my mail slot and certainly no deluge of e-mails arriving. What was wrong? Why was no one responding?

I never thought to check with my son to be sure he had actually mailed off the invitations.

The day before the reunion, he came to me with a sheepish grin on his face and told me he had just found the invitations in the trunk of his car.

The reunion of one should have been so much more.

Pessimist or optimist

Perhaps at times, my family would say I'm a pessimist but I think of myself as an optimist.

I tend to believe that each day will be sunny and pleasant. I expect good things to happen and trust people completly and take them at their word.

Many times, I have seen that people may say one thing and do another but I can always find a reason to excuse their behavior and expect that the next time,they will be real and true to what they have said or promised.

My toes - a writing prompt

I have extraordinary, weird toes. My second toe on each foot is longer than my big toe.

Growing up, I thought that this was unusual and weird. Later, in life I realized many people have this phenomena. The toes on my right foot turn very much to the right caused by a bunion on the side of my big toe. A friend told me years ago, if I didn't have this operated on, one day the bunion would be as big as a nose. Wouldn't that be horrible and ugly? So far, it hasn't happened although the toes and foot are far from pretty.
My left foot has a toe, I believe the middle one with a slightly blackened nail. I can only guess that I either stubbed it or dropped something on it but I have no recollection of doing so.

Two people who pretend to get along, but secretly despise one another

Nothing harder to look at then two people who pretend to get along, but secretly despise one another.We see this daily as we go about our lives.

There is a couple down the street who fight almost nightly. We know, because when the weather is good and our windows are open, we hear the bitterness of their voices as they hurl insults back and forth at each other. Yet, on a Sunday, if we happen to meet them entering or exiting church, we see his arm circled around her waist and smiles on their faces both as they look at one another or other parishioners.

How nice it would be if the smiles were real and tenderness of his arm around her was an act of love.

Recently we switched doctors, due to conflicts going on with staff. Although, they were pleasant toward us, the patients and properly pleasant toward each other while in our presence, this was not the case when they thought no one was around or within hearing distance. The nurse would snip at the receptionist and vs versus. The implication that each felt as if they were doing more than their share of the workload hung in the air, often unspoken but again at times expressed quite nastily to the other person.

Most of the time, the doctor was pleasant and professional within our hearing. There were occasions though when she would be short with either the nurse or receptionist.Perhaps in this case, she was feeling overwhelmed and overworked but sometimes, we got the feeling that there was conflict there as well.