there there kitten: November 2016

November 23, 2016

November 4, 2016

I was chatting at lunch today with a few co-workers about our experiences on some amazing roller coasters at some of the best amusement parks across North America.

It's all about the ride.

We don't talk much about that short moment after, as the safety bar raises and you exit the car. That breath of relief, the plans for the next ride, the next activity.

We like to tell our story of the ride.

It's all about that journey, that ride, those ups and downs, every bone-shaking curve. It's all about the moments of anticipation as you clicky-clack up the hill and then the pause before the stomach-flopping decent. All the moments, thrilling or still.

Life should be that way, too.

Sure, we set goals or make plans, but make sure you don't miss the rest of life's journey.

It's all about the little things—the picnics along the way, the stops and starts, and restarts.

Life is about noticing the sunrises and sunsets.
Enjoying the feeling of sand between your toes.
The way your child or nephew or neighbourhood kid throws back their head to laugh.

It's about hugging a friend when they are down, having tea with your mother or grandmother, and taking a walk beside the sea on a windy day.

Life is a journey.

Don't forget that.

Stop for a moment, look around and enjoy it.

On Fridays a group of people who love to throw caution to the wind and just write gather to share what five minutes buys them.

Just five minutes. Unscripted. Unedited. Real.
1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking
2. THIS WEEK Link back HERE and invite others to join in.
3. Please visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments.

Catch up on all my 31Days + 5MinFriday posts by clicking here.

November 2, 2016

Write 31 Days - Cut

I have a scar on my left knee from a childhood cut.

I was a tough kid who played hard, so cuts and scrapes weren't unusual. But for some reason I remember getting this particular cut.

I was about 6 years old.
We were visiting friends in a smaller town about an hour away.

All the kids were playing outside on the pleasant summer's day.
Our friends, my siblings, other neighbourhood kids.

And there was a wagon involved.

I think we were riding in the wagon, down a hill, quite fast.

Something happened, maybe we hit a bump, maybe that little wagon was just not meant to be ridden downhill by two or three kids at that speed.

We tumbled out of the wagon and my knee hit the gravelly pavement, hard.

There was blood, and skin and though I was tough, there were a few tears.

My mom, in her calming way, dried my tears and took me inside to clean me up.

For some reason this is the first time I remember the feeling of hydrogen peroxide being poured onto a wound. Being the rough kid that I was I'm sure it had been administered before that moment, but this was an instance I clearly remembered.

That dark brown bottle tipped up and for a moment the pain was searingly worse. Then the liquid frothed and bubbled on the oval open wound on my knee. Like a an injured cub I cried out, not understanding that this additional pain would be worth it, would help my wound and start the process of healing.

The sharpness of the treatment stung badly but my mom's gentle cool hands patted and bandaged and sent me back outside to play.

I'm sure we played some more and I'm sure I was into more mischief by the end of that day.

I even managed to make everyone laugh when we were leaving, slapping a neighbourhood boy on the back and proclaiming, "Well, s'long Jeremy!" (A memorable moment that has become a family saying ever since.)

Now, as an adult with a few more scars and bumps along the way, I notice that half-inch line of a scar on my knee once in a while.

I remember that even when we are wounded, the pain doesn't last forever.
Though sharp and difficult to ignore, pain fades.

We can heal, we can be patched up, and sent back out to play.

This has been a writing prompt post from #Write31Days, join in the fun.

Catch up on all my 31Days + 5MinFriday posts by clicking here.