Writing Group

My writing group is meeting tomorrow night. Since we've all participated in this month's Slice of Life Challenge we'll take the time to talk about favorite slices of the month. I'll bring my favorite slice of each group member as well as my personal favorite piece of the month. It will be interesting to see if there are any common favorites.

I always look forward to writing group. The monthly meet-up challenges me to keep writing-to keep working at the craft of being a writer. Sometimes I think my writing isn't quite real, or road tested at least, until someone else has read it. I'm not always happy with what I bring, but there's always a part of the whole that I like. It can be as small as one well-chosen word, or just a sentence. That's okay though, there's always the next meet-up.

No Cake Walk

One thing I've come to know about myself is that I don't like to read directions. If I buy something that needs to be put together I am more likely to start seeing how things fit on my own instead of taking the time to read the step-by-step directions. For whatever reason I don't have the patience for such things.

I have made exactly one cake in my life. That one cake was for the Cake Booth at the annual spring fair held at my high school. It wasn't a self-less act of kindness-it was a necessity of sorts. A cake for the cake booth meant extra credit in my Alg. 3/Trig. class. Sister Rita Dolerine was not only my math teacher; she was also in charge of the cake booth at the spring fair. What a simple equation: 1 cake=a better grade.

It was a sad cake, a lopsided ugly duckling that stood out like a sore thumb among so many other better-looking creations. Back then I couldn't have told you why it came out the way it did, but now I'm thinking it had something to do with my lack of patience with directions. Too bad I wasn't as self-aware in high school.

Tuesday Smiles

Two things made me smile today. They were pretty insignificant events but that's the way it goes sometimes.

I was waiting at a stoplight this afternoon, watching the cars go by, when I noticed an older man-probably somewhere in his 60s-making his way across the street. He moved with purpose, taking long strides with head held high as he looked forward. But then, in the middle of the crosswalk, he took a stutter-step and came to a stop. He bent down to pick something up off the ground, some kind of coin I assumed. He took a closer look at the side facing him, smiled a put it in his pocket before continuing on his way with a small smile on his face. It was then I knew what he had found...heads up...good luck.

I thought about that little moment during my short commute home-how something so small and insignificant can brighten the day. And then my little moment arrived. I stepped out of the car and found a rubber band on the sidewalk. It was just a rubber band-no big deal. I took a second look and noticed it had fallen to the ground in the shape of a heart. It was my turn to smile.

A Whole Lot of Nothing

Curses on the blinking cursor and the blank white space in front of it! And, have you noticed that there's always a vast area of nothing, as in no thoughts or words, in front of the damn thing? It's pretty tough to get ahead and see the progress of one's own thoughts and creativity when the cursor continues to blink, like it's tapping an impatient finger as if to say, that's all you've got...really? Only when the space behind the cursor fills does one begin to feel some amount of success, thinking hey, take it easy! If you'd take a look around you'd see I am getting somewhere. Geez!

Yeah, the cursor can be intimidating, but only if you look ahead of it for too long.

Chit Chat

As promised, there was a tiny layer of snow on the trees and grass when I awoke this morning. It's was nothing more than "conversational snow"--the kind of snow that doesn't cause any change in schedule, but just offers up a little something to talk about that day.

While out for a jog later in the day I noticed two birds, one a bright red cardinal, the other a small sparrow. They were perched side by side on a telephone wire. Their heads were turned toward one another, and so it looked as though they were exchanging a few words. In my mind I imagined the conversation two birds might have, surely on this day any small talk would have had to include that sporadic dusting of snow that greeted us all in the morning.

Taking Charge

When given the opportunity to get a little bit of control in an out of control situation it's best to grab the reins and do what you can. That's what a friend of mine did today when she let a lovely woman shave the thick, beautiful hair off her head.

A month ago she was a seemingly healthy woman. Two weeks ago she was diagnosed with cancer. The first chemo treatment came on Thursday. Those in the know said her hair would fall out within two weeks. She took the reins--first there was the head shaving, next was a wig purchase. Myself and two other friends came along for moral support. Surprisingly, there were fewer tears shed than I would have thought. The wig shop works with a lot of cancer patients so there was a steady stream of woman coming and going. There was also a great deal of support between strangers.

Shortly after my group's arrival another lady came in, visibly upset. Her hair had started coming out in clumps the day before--the only thing she could do was have a friend cut the rest off. She was unsure of the wig she had chosen. We became her support group, as did others in the shop.

I can't say it was an ideal way to spend a Saturday afternoon, but it was nice to be there for a friend in need.

By the way, her wig looks fabulous.

Maryland Day

Facebook...love it, hate it, or leave it? My relationship with this social network is not strong. As an introvert I'm not much interested in sharing my every thought with whoever is my virtual friend at the moment. So, not surprisingly, I rarely post messages or a current status. Today I was feeling nostalgic. It's Maryland Day, the day that celebrates the day a group of settlers landed their boat on the shores of the St. Marys River of what is now St. Marys City, Maryland. It was the first settlement in Maryland and also the place I spent four years of college.

Maryland Day weekend meant fun, frivolity and time outside with college friends. We would spend that day on the lawn of the old State House looking out on the glistening waters of the St. Marys River considering those who first arrived on the land we lived on at the time.

Okay, really, we just drank a lot of beer in the name of statehood. Yeah, it was another reason to gather and enjoy the company of friends. But it was historical, so it wasn't really like another night at the local pub.

Tonight I actually posted a status on Facebook, it said, "Happy Maryland Day to all my fellow Marylanders!"

Within ten minutes I had heard from three college friends. One is living in Belize, one in Washington State, and one in Annapolis. For all of us, living so far apart from the others, it was an instantaneous step back in time--one we all took together in the same moment. The responses made me smile. In that moment I felt like we were all sitting on that bluff above the St. Marys River together with an Old Milwaukee in our hand cheering on the setting sun.