The year of 1976, May. Young, naive, impressionable, eighteen years of age, ears glistening with dew. She prepares, cinching the fabric belt of a washed-out, blue shirtdress with vertical white buttons. Her hair dark, it glistens purple in the sun as she hesitates toward the door that leads to a career. The resume is thin… field work, picking strawberries, factory work, packing cheese, one year with an attorney. The one sits behind a desk. He feelsRead more
Posts tagged: #Personal Story
It Doesn’t Work That Way
Mom and I had a wonderful visit on Saturday. Given mom is minus a hearing aid at the moment, we were able to converse fairly well. I had to spell a couple of words for her, but that will occur even with two hearing aids. Our conversation drifted from parents to siblings, to her own mother’s cooking, to how the food at the home sucks, to her children, to “why doesn’t your brother get married?” These are many of theRead more
Of Comparison, Escapism and Avoidance
“How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself, to make it just and holy.” ~Marcus Aurelius~ On a recent Sunday, my church’s pastor hit a personal nerve with his sermon. It had to do with the three largest words in the title of this post and how comparison and escapism-turned-to-avoidance can be very dangerous for our Christian faith. I would say theseRead more
Jekyll And Hyde – Living With The Human Condition
Originally posted on Master of Something I'm Yet To Discover:
Have you ever wished you could excise the worst sides of yourself from your personality as easily as you might have a wart removed? Ever wished there was the neural equivalent of a plastic surgeon? “Doctor, I’d like a quick nip and tuck on my Talks Too Much.” “Doctor, can you give me a reduction on my overdeveloped Propensity To Be Resentful / Competitive / Rude?” We each have a…
My Love is Not my Love
“This week, consider the unreliable narrator — a classic storytelling device — in your own work, no matter your genre.” She is there. I see her. She was in my dreams and now we stand face to face. And I think, “My love is not my love. She will serve me well.” I win her over with a smile, with many compliments. Her co-dependency willingly accepts. And I think, “My love is not my love. She will serve my physicalRead more
You’re So Stupid!
You’re so stupid! That’s what I say to myself on occasion. Monday morning was one of those occasions. I was two miles down the road when I realized I had left paperwork and mail sitting on the desk, back at the office. I had a large cup of coffee, purse, banana and protein bar in the vehicle, but not the paperwork I would need for the job at hand at another office. The vehicle turned around while I verbally slammed myself. “Mary, youRead more
The Crowning
As I begin this post, I am drinking steamy, milky, sugar-sweetened coffee through a straw. In a travel cup. At home. I spent two hours at the dentist this morning and the numbness has not worn off. The mirror reflects a slight uneveness in the closing of lips, while the physical mouth feels it is blown up like a beach ball. An unfeeling beach ball. Two months ago, a piece of tooth detached itself and added a crunch to theRead more
Life Wide Open
Feel the rain on your skin No one else can feel it for you Only you can let it in No one else, no one else Can speak the words on your lips Drench yourself in words unspoken Live your life with arms wide open Today is where your book begins The rest is still unwritten ~Natasha Bedingfield~ I thought the words of a song would be a good place to start. I’ve been feeling grumpy lately about the coldRead more
What Time is it?
Weekly Writing Challenge: Report on one event/gathering/happening from your week in Gonzo journalism style. It’s an overcast, gray January day, with patches of icy rain stuck to the pavement of the parking lot. A steady and focused walk is required so that I don’t break a neck bone before getting to the metallic blue Hyundai that awaits in the garage. This is Saturday, the day I most often pay a visit to 94 year old mom, who lives 24 milesRead more
The 2013 Chronicles of Melangia
This will not be a 10,000 word event, chronicling every time I went through a closet door and fought a battle, although that might be a tad bit more interesting than reality. You’re already disappointed, I’m sure, but I hope to give you the Reader’s Digest version of the year that was 2013 in the life of a crazy cat lady who wishes she still had the resemblance of the flat and sexy stomach in the picture of my Viking PrincessRead more
Chapters of Christmas Past
Weekly Writing Challenge: First, we want you to go back through time, to the December 23rd of years past — one year, five years, ten, twenty; it’s up to you. Where were you on those days? Who were you with? What was happening in your life? I cannot say that I have memories specifically of December 23rd. I have a hard time remembering December 24th of years past. I am choosing to focus instead on the holiday season for thisRead more
Mary J Melange 