Yesterday, was going to be a busy day, so I thought I'd post a photo on my blog and have you my readers tell me a story. For me that is the easiest post ever. And if you must know, when a day is going to be extra busy I usually add that sort of post to my blog… a guessing game, a give away, a gift for a story or thought. Yesterday, like I said was going to be that kind of day.
The thing is I always, and I mean always, forget that the day after such a post is going to be a tough choice day. I day where I read the lovely responses and hear myself saying, "Gee, why did I do this! Dang this is no sweet potato. I can't decide. Gee Ding Dong why do you do this. Who are you gonna pick when all the responses are soooooooooo tender, genuine and good?"
This morning I read the responses wishing I wasn't the one who had to pick. Even picking a few for you to decide wasn't easy. Do you ever get yourself in this sort of pickle? Where you do one thing thinking it will be easier, only to find out you made it more difficult?
Yes, I know picking a few comments is not as tough as a choice as deciding on something critical, or having something devastating happening. I am not a Drama Queen, nor do I exaggerate…. but picking a few comments is not a piece of cake when the whole apple pie is tasty.
Most of yesterday's responses spoke about going back to a moment in childhood or youth. Beautiful stories, about innocence, saying good bye, holding on to someone they loved for one last time. I had tears in my eyes, my emotions were stirred and with a few made me laughed out loud. But mainly the responses talked about moments of love, and how over time that moment of love became a cornerstone in their being. One that they leaned on, and went back to as they gathered wisdom and age.
Listed below are the five responses that I selected from the responses to yesterday's post. Please read them, then selected one that you think deserves the old Fatima's hand door knocker. I will then send the winner the old Fatima's hand door knocker and the other winners an old key.
Thank you for your responses yesterday, everyday actually. They were amazingly beautiful, giving this blog such wonderful depth, I love reading what you have to say, and I know I am not the only one.
By the way I have enabled the comment section of my blog to be interactive. Below each comment you will see a button that says, "Reply", if you click on it you can reply directly to the commenter and they can reply directly to you.
Please select one from the list, or one that you like best from the list in yesterday's comments. You all deserve to win!! (And by the way Happy Birthday Susan!)
1)
In 1975 I was twenty five years old. I could read a newspaper from a hundred yards away. I smoked cigarettes, and never coughed. The idea that it was unhealthy never crossed my mind. I could still run back then without my knees screaming in pain, and my feet could carry me dozens of miles without barking. I had sex, a lot. My dad was still alive, I had long hair, and driving a car was fun. The one thing I'd love to re-enter my life is youth. Of course the more I think about it, I made poor decisions back then. I quit my job and moved to California, where I spent every dime I had. I fell in love with the wrong people. I smoked too much pot. I drank too much. Oh, and I had sex, a lot.
2)
A glorious day in April one year in Rome, early morning, on my way to school, walking through Villa Borghese, smelling and hearing spring all around me, and there it was, a large, pristine white magnolia blossom, fallen from the tree. I'd like to relive that moment, when I bent down to pick it up.
3)
I'd like to bring back swinging and singing into my life. When I was a child, we had a swing set in our yard (we lived on a small acreage). During the warmer months, I used to love to go out after supper and swing until the dews came as the sun set and it became too cool to be out. While I was swinging, I would sing…just about anything. There were songs that my mother taught me (songs that were popular when she was growing up) that we used to sing as we did the dishes after meals. There were folk songs. I even sang commercial jingles from the radio or television. It seemed like I was in my own little world out there, singing and swinging away, and I felt so relaxed and ready for bed when I came indoors at nightfall.
When my father was progressing through the stages of Alzheimer, my mother shared with me that my father sometimes would sit on the steps between the kitchen and the back door and listen to my singing through the screen door. I'd never known until then.
4)
This triggered an old memory and prompts an answer that surprises even me. I would like to walk into a Brocante today and find a metal wind up toy of Dino (from the Flintstones) of my youth.I was given the toy the day my mom entered the hospital for an extended stay. I found such comfort lying on the floor winding it up and watching it go in circles over and over and over. The loud mechanical noise drowning out the medical terms I couldn't understand and the words I didn't want to hear.In the car and in my bed I still wound it, holding it with wheels spinning freely so that sound would keep my focus–be my barrier. I miss the ability to self-sufficiently and single-mindedly center on something that blocks the confusion and turmoil of life's difficulties.In writing this now I guess I realize what I miss isn't the toy as much as the simplicity of childhood.But, I'd still take the toy as tribute to that time.
5)
I used to sing out loud just because until one day in the 4th grade I overheard some other kids taking about my singing and they weren't very flattering. It broke my heart and my spirit for awhile. I continued to sing in groups, but I still am self-conscious even singing in the shower. I would love to feel the freedom that I felt as a child before that day.
Leave a Reply