Freestyle Friday: Gunther

Sometimes my heart feels a little lost and my sense of direction gets trapped inside a brown paper bag. That paper bag is on the shelf of an old gas station that will not accept credit or debit cards. The Doritos are stale, but the beer is ice cold. And Gunther works the counter where he supplements his meager paycheck with an ever steady stream of dry roasted peanuts. He gave up the daily jelly beans because he read somewhere that peanuts were better for his health. If you ask him, he won't be able to recall where he gathered that information, but he does remember that he read it in the waiting room at Doc Kimmel's office when he went in to see her about his sore toe. The jelly beans still call to him and he doesn't regret one bit that on Friday afternoons he celebrates life with a packet of the colorful confections. He always picks out the sour apples because he has a fierce sense of loyalty to classic flavors. Cherry, grape, orange...these are acceptable. Lemon pushes the envelope, and peach is just not done.

Writing Prompt #3 and "The Week That Ate My Lunch"

Yowzah. That's all I can say about this week. Influenza B has invaded our home and it's taken down two of my people. Writing and social media have taken a backseat to supply runs, doting, and rest. Life is gloriously messy sometimes.

I haven't written my prompts this week, so I grabbed one from a few weeks back. It's short and applicable.

“If we were all forced to wear a warning label, what would yours say?”

Caution: Stay back 200 feet. Stay back 300 feet before meals are consumed.

And now for no other reason other than the fact that this made me happy, enjoy this unrelated photo:

Now it's your turn. What would your warning label say?

Weekly Prompt 2.154

We've made it to another Friday! It's the weekend and I've got a new stack of books to work through. That is my favorite combination. Speaking of favorites, this was my favorite writing prompt for the week. Post your response below if you'd like to create one also! Once again, this one is from Writers Write:

“Write a paragraph where a character apologizes without using the words ‘apologize’, ‘regret’, or ‘sorry’.”

Dearest Emily,

A cloud of discontent has settled upon our relationship and I understand that I am the one to shoulder this blame. I recognize that I have hurt you and I desperately wish that I could go back in time and put a filter over my mouth. Please understand that this mistake will never happen again and I will do all that I can to make this up to you. When I said, “You snore like a banshee,” what I meant to say was, “Baby, you’re so talented. I’ve never met another person who could sing through their nose while they slept. And to be able to sustain that intriguing melody all throughout the night is nothing less than a sign of greatness.” Truly, I bow to your genius and can’t wait to spend the rest of my life listening to your nightly nasal serenade. Do you take requests?

All my love,

Bill

Writing Prompts

Hold on to your hats, I'm about to tell you something without entering our share circle.

I enjoy writing.

While I wait for you to pick yourself up from the shock of it all, I'll just move this post along. I'm learning that there are things in this life that I don't care for at all. I'm looking at you, calamari, goat cheese, rooms without windows, folks who don't use blinkers, and crowds of people. There are also things I adore. Hello, hot tea, reading chairs, good books, laughter, stargazing, family, dogs sleeping at my feet...this list is extensive. For the sake of saving your eyes, I'll just let that end there.

I've recently discovered that writing energizes me. I can get absolutely nothing substantial or noteworthy accomplished during my day, but if I've added a few words to my book or worked on a short story, I will walk away feeling like I showed that day who's boss. I think we have different skill sets and abilities that make us feel fully engaged in life, something that takes living from ordinary to abundant in record time. I hope you know what that looks like for you. If not, why not make this the year that you discover what makes your heart light and your spirit zing?

I decided to really focus on writing this year to, hopefully, improve my craft and get back into the swing of things. Each morning I'm using a  writing prompt from Writers Write. I thought I would begin posting one at the end of the week to pry me out of my comfort zone. Somebody grab a crowbar....

Here is the prompt and my response:

“She knew about the strawberries and the vanilla pods, but she couldn’t remember why she needed to know.”

It tickled the back of her memory. The juicy red berries and the soothing scent of the vanilla brought a sense of comfort. In another life these meant something. In another life she would check ingredients three times before beginning to slice and measure, chop and prep. Not that she remembered that life now. Muddled thoughts ushered in frustrations and fears she never wanted to share. It was a weakness, a failure on her part, to admit that things were slipping. Things that should have a permanent hold on her, faces of loved ones, and places once known were slowly falling away. She felt the tears well up in her eyes as she stared at the kitchen counter with the chipped tile and dingy grout. Today would not be the day she let the forgetting begin. She cleared her mind of the jumbled confusion and reached a gnarled hand towards the basket of berries. If nothing else, her hands would remember. They would remember for her when memory faltered. Slowly, slowly, they took over and began to slice and create what she had forgotten.