When I was a child, I remember walking in my neighborhood with my grandmother. She was patience with me as I stopped numerous times to exclaim over various trees, flowers, nuts, their beauty, size or shape. I pointed out the blue of the sky and we guessed at what the cloud shapes looked like to each of us. She walked me past several factories and we delighted in the smell of the bakery one in particular. Further along, we came to the building where the trolley ended and when the doors were open wide and no activity going on, we were able to peek and the big railings inside where the trolleys were actually turned and sent back in the opposite direction. That was fun to see and wonder at.
As an adult, I can remember walking in the same neighborhood on my way to the subway station. I would hurry along, always a little behind schedule and not really paying much attention to my surroundings. I'm sure the pretty flowers, lively green trees and beautiful blue sky painted with white puffy clouds were still there but I never took the time to examine them and enjoy. It seemed there was too much to do, too much in a rush to get somewhere else.
Now as a senior citizen, I walk my neighborhood this time with my eyes downcast, watching for cracks in the sidewalk or small twigs that could trip me and make me fall (God forbade to break a bone). I do stop often along the way though to enjoy the beauty of nature. I exclaim again over the tiny leaves, which we called "Polly noses" lying on the ground and remember how we used to open them and put them on our noses as children. I stop to watch the squirrels running quickly away with acorns to hide. I stop to watch a formation of birds flying south or busily gathering good for their nests. Once again, I find I find time to study all on the earth that we often take for granted.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Diving in! (a writing prompt)
What the heck can I write in five minutes about diving in?
What the heck can I write in two minutes about diving in?
I can't even come up with a thought for one minute at this time!
I have so much to do and so much that needs doing! The movers will be here in three days and I haven't even starting packing. I've gone about this move all wrong.
When John came home and told me we would be moving to another army base (the third one in five years), I thought whoopee, great, I'm excited (not). Where now?
Then I started to think, well now would be a good time to declutter, get rid of all the unnecesary items we all tend to collect, sort through important papers (at least they had seemed important at the time), straighten up our lives in general.
Wow, guess I got so involved in that and here it is three days and I have not gotten on item packed. Bummer!
What do I do now?
What the heck can I write in two minutes about diving in?
I can't even come up with a thought for one minute at this time!
I have so much to do and so much that needs doing! The movers will be here in three days and I haven't even starting packing. I've gone about this move all wrong.
When John came home and told me we would be moving to another army base (the third one in five years), I thought whoopee, great, I'm excited (not). Where now?
Then I started to think, well now would be a good time to declutter, get rid of all the unnecesary items we all tend to collect, sort through important papers (at least they had seemed important at the time), straighten up our lives in general.
Wow, guess I got so involved in that and here it is three days and I have not gotten on item packed. Bummer!
What do I do now?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Being trapped under a mattress with dead body on top-a prompt to write
The day started in the usual fashion. I had my coffee and breakfast while looking out the window of my small motel apartment. When finished, I gathered together my cleaning supplies and started knocking on doors to see which were unoccupied and ready for cleaning.
Once a week, today being the day, I would not only change the linens but do a through cleaning in three of the rooms. The first two rooms went smoothly, usual garbage to be picked up that people leave behind and the cleaning done. In addition in rooms one and two, I took the time to flip over the mattresses on the beds. When I got to room three, all was going well until I went to flip the mattress on the first bed.
As I flipped it, I was suddenly knocked over by the mattress and trapped under it. Strange, I do this all the time without a problem and wondered why I had lost control of the mattress this time. I've dropped them at times but just had to work at evening up the edges to the box spring in the past. Never had this occurred before where I was knocked over and ended under the mattress. Well, no big deal, I thought, just pull the darn thing off yourself and start again. But wait, I couldn't push it off! Something was weighing it down. Since I had landed on my stomach, it was difficult to get leverage to push but still I've been slinging these things around for years, so it shouldn't be this hard! Well, it wasn't budging and neither was I. My hands crept up and out from the mattress and when I felt around, I could feel something very cold.
I laid there for what seemed like hours until my boss came looking for me, curious as to why I was not finished and back to the office.
It wasn't until she came in and screamed that I realized it was more than just a mattress gone crazy trapping me.
On top of the mattress was a very dead body!
Now it would be time for me to really become upset, realizing that I had been laying under a dead body for quite some time and time for the police to figure out how this person got there, who he was and of course, why someone had killed him to begin with.
Once a week, today being the day, I would not only change the linens but do a through cleaning in three of the rooms. The first two rooms went smoothly, usual garbage to be picked up that people leave behind and the cleaning done. In addition in rooms one and two, I took the time to flip over the mattresses on the beds. When I got to room three, all was going well until I went to flip the mattress on the first bed.
As I flipped it, I was suddenly knocked over by the mattress and trapped under it. Strange, I do this all the time without a problem and wondered why I had lost control of the mattress this time. I've dropped them at times but just had to work at evening up the edges to the box spring in the past. Never had this occurred before where I was knocked over and ended under the mattress. Well, no big deal, I thought, just pull the darn thing off yourself and start again. But wait, I couldn't push it off! Something was weighing it down. Since I had landed on my stomach, it was difficult to get leverage to push but still I've been slinging these things around for years, so it shouldn't be this hard! Well, it wasn't budging and neither was I. My hands crept up and out from the mattress and when I felt around, I could feel something very cold.
I laid there for what seemed like hours until my boss came looking for me, curious as to why I was not finished and back to the office.
It wasn't until she came in and screamed that I realized it was more than just a mattress gone crazy trapping me.
On top of the mattress was a very dead body!
Now it would be time for me to really become upset, realizing that I had been laying under a dead body for quite some time and time for the police to figure out how this person got there, who he was and of course, why someone had killed him to begin with.
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