June 2014 – Page 2 – SeasonedSistah

Writing 101, Day Five: Be Brief

“You discover a letter on a path that affects you deeply. Today, write about this encounter. And your twist? Be as succinct as possible.”

I am a walker.

I follow the same path day in and day out.

I look straight ahead.

I do not look up, down, left or right

I stumbled while walking today.

I looked down and there was a large, tattered brown envelope.

I stopped.

I picked up the envelope.

I opened the envelope.

I was surprised — inside was a lottery ticket with a note attached.

I read the note.

“This winning lottery ticket valued at $300,000,000.00 given to you in appreciation for your family’s acts of kindness to so many people.” Anonymous.

I checked the address on the envelope.

I knew the family.

I asked

What should I do?

I wondered what someone else would do.

What would you do?

Writing 101, Day Four: The Serial Killer

“Write about a loss: something (or someone) that was part of your life, and isn’t there any more.”

I lost Rose, my:

best friend forever (BFF),
next-door neighbor,
sounding board,
book club sister
cancer sister

For the first five years, she was the next door neighbor that I never saw. Occasionally, I would see her husband working in the yard. But, like me, at the end of a work day, Rose found comfort within the walls of her home.

We finally met when a local women’s service club extended an invitation for me to join. After attending three or four meetings, I submitted a membership application.

Rose, the Financial Secretary, processed new applications and noted we were neighbors. Introductions followed, a friendship developed; and, I gratefully received the gift of a life-long friend.

Over the years, our friendship grew stronger and stronger.

Our husbands became friends.

Occasionally, we went on couple vacations.

Shortly, after we became friends Rose and I formed a book club along with three other women. We were five Seasoned Sistahs joined together because of our age, ethnicity, and love for reading books by African-American wordsmiths.

Rose was by my side in 2008, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

She was there when I was stricken with a life-threatening illness in 2010.

Shortly after I retired and moved to Florida, Rose was diagnosed with cancer. She was computer challenged and didn’t use Facebook, e-mail, text, or Skype; but, our friendship remained strong with long telephone conversations and snail mail.

A little later, Seasoned Sistahs Book Club dismantled.

Fifteen years after meeting, December 2013 cancer won the battle; and, I lost Rose.

Last week, Hubby and I returned to our home in Wisconsin. As we drove into our cul-de-sac, we saw Rose’s husband working in the yard. The two of us hugged and the tears flowed. Finally, I accepted and realized that Rose is no longer next door.

Rose and I were blessed to have a long-time friendship where we nourished, loved, supported, valued and appreciated each other.

As Oprah says, “This I know for sure”: As I grow older, my circle of girlfriends grows smaller.

Reconnecting with those girlfriends that I have disconnected from is one of my top priorities.

Writing 101, Day Three: Commit to a Writing Practice

“Write about the three most important songs in your life — what do they mean to you?”

The three most important songs in my life bring back early memories of a relationship that many projected wouldn’t last.

It began as puppy love between a boy (13 years old) and a girl (12 years old), which led to a marriage that has lasted for more than fifty-four years.

Song #1 – Rockin Robin by Bobbie Day (1958)

The summer of 1958, I was visiting my grandparents in Mississippi. I was looking forward to rekindling my puppy love friendship.

We were uptown at a restaurant (also called the teenage juke joint) where we hung out. Even though we had been in our puppy love friendship for two summers; I had never danced with him. The jukebox was jumping all evening and up came the hit song of the day, Rockin Robin. He came over and asked for a dance.

We flowed together on the dance floor as if we had danced together for years. I could expect his next move as he led me through the “bop” steps. It was amazing. The few lyrics, I remember are:

“He rocks in the tree top all day long hopping and a singing his song. All the little Jaybirds on Jaybird Street love to hear the robin go tweet-tweet-tweet.”

Song #2 – Mr. Postman by The Marvelettes (1961)

I was 20-years-old, married, with a toddler and young baby, temporarily living with my mother when this song came out. While waiting for Hubby to find housing for us at his new military assignment in Kansas; I checked the mail twice a day hoping to receive a letter from him. Back then, leading up to the Christmas Holidays, mail was delivered twice a day. Most days, I received a letter and there were days when two came. My girlfriends teased me by singing this song; and, I remember a few words:

“Oh yes, wait a minute Mr. Postman look and see if there’s a letter in your bag for me. I have been standing here waiting patiently to see if there’s a letter in your bag for me.”

Song #3 – My Guy by Mary Wells (1964)

Our military traveling was over and we were living in Chicago. Hubby’s nickname is Guy. The lyrics expressed how I felt about My Guy in 1964; and, I feel the same way in 2014″

Nothing you can say can tear me away from my guy. Cause I’m stuck like glue to my guy. I’m sticking to my guy. Like birds of a feather. We stick together. I’m telling’ you from the start. I can’t be torn apart from my guy.”

Puppy Love, Young Love, and Senior Love, wrapped up in one package, what more could I ask for.

At 71-years-old, the lyrics sound a little goofy. But, they were important during this period of my life; and, I am grateful for the past memories.

Writing time for this post was close to the fifteen minutes suggested, but interrupted by several lengthy phone calls.

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Writing 101, Day Two: A Room With a View

Whoopee!!! I just received notification that I can take advantage of an instant transport to wherever I want to go. I selected my favorite vacation spot, an island on the East Coast, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, and accessible only by air or ferry.

While this instant transport is faster, I requested a drop-off at the Ferry. For the ferry ride is the high point of my dream vacation.

Even though it is only a 15-20 minute ride, it’s the Atlantic Ocean.

And, so what if the ferry is old, dingy, and lacks the luxuries of a cruise ship, it’s the Atlantic Ocean and I am cruising.

What’s I like about the ferry ride is:

looking up at the bright sky filled with fluffy white clouds,
sitting on the deck with a soft gentle breeze lightly touching my skin,
viewing the vast blue ocean, and
communing quietly in the present moment.

So excited, I am going to my paradise, an island overflowing with:

Happy Vacationers
Friendly Residents
Mom and Pop Businesses
Brightly Painted Victorian Homes
Quaint Bed and Breakfast Dwellings
Cobblestone Streets
Fresh, Fresh Seafood
Beautiful Beaches

Yes, I am going to a serene and tranquil place reminiscent of the days before the large chain-like:

Hotels – Sheraton, Best Western, LaQuinta
Restaurants – McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Pizza Hut
Box Stores – Sam’s, Home Depot, Ikea
Drug Stores – Walgreen’s, CVS
Gas Stations – 7-Eleven, Wawa, BP
Department Stores – WalMart, Target, Macy’s
Supermarkets – Winn Dixie, Krogers, Whole Foods

Looking forward to slowing down, being still, and welcoming the peace, happiness and joy of an Island vacation.

This is my representation of A Room with a View – Martha’s Vineyard.

Writing 101, Day One: Unlock the Mind

Okay, timer is on. I am ready to start this first writing assignment. Feeling in panic-mode, I have to use Hubby’s Dell Laptop and the keyboard is configured entirely different from my MAC laptop. My MAC died. After spending two hours on the phone with two different Apple Support representatives, the MAC is still not operational. The only resolution they came up with was to schedule an appointment for me at the local Apple Store tomorrow.

But, I am determined not to let anything deter me from completing this first day assignment.

I can’t believe this day has gone so badly.

In addition to the dead MAC laptop, the Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis kicked in. Whenever, I over-exert, fail to pace my activities, and venture away from my normal sleeping habits, the body crashes. Pain level, as I write, is an 8 out of 10.

The increased pain levels are related to spending a fabulous long weekend in Wisconsin with family and friends. Our youngest grandson graduated from middle school and the family came together, as we always do, to celebrate the milestones in our lives.

This twenty minute writing, without stopping, to review what I have written is one of the most difficult things I have done. In my early years, I worked as a secretary. My job performance was measured by producing a neat, properly aligned document, absent spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors. Added to this, I had to type the perfect document on a manual typewriter and many times produce five clean carbon copies. Does anyone remember carbon paper? So, typing a line and going back to ensure there are no errors has remained with me over the years. I would not have survived as a secretary without immediately proofreading to ensure accuracy. Correcting with an eraser the original document and 4-5 carbons could ruin the entire day.

OK my 20 minutes are up. I spent too much time writing, correcting, and re-writing the first assignment. This is a problem. Why can’t I randomly write without worry of creating the perfect final document. At least, as perfect as I feel I am capable of producing.