I light a candle and wait for the aroma of vanilla and lavender to fill the room. It’s storming outside, the rain is pattering against the tin roof. It’s such a soothing sound. There’s no need for ambient music or chants today. Mother Nature is providing all I need. I sit in my best lotus and close my eyes. I inhale deeply, filling my lungs; then exhale slowly. Inhale, exhale; inhale, exhale; a gentle rhythm takes over. Slowly the muscles release their tension, the shoulders first, flowing down through the arms and back. I feel like a stick of butter slowly softening. Inhale, exhale. Thoughts of the day start to rush into my head. No. Inhale, exhale. The day is done, I’ve given my time, now it’s time to rest. Inhale, exhale. I focus on the sound of the rain and my breath, letting my mind go blank. Letting my body relax, recharge. Purge negativity, like the cleansing rain. Inhale, exhale. Peace. Let’s Get Emotional
My goal with the challenge this year is to use it as an exercise to write something focused on a particular emotion. I hope to convey that mood or feeling through word choice in the story. I welcome your feedback on what worked or didn’t for you in each piece.
2 Comments
I have a coloring book, one of those “adult” versions. A friend gave it to me and I was thrilled to get it. I use it with more sophisticated tools than crayons, I use watercolors and colored pencils, to adorn the pages. It is relaxing and a throw back to my youth. I always loved to color. I think you see that a lot now, adults returning to their childhood loves. If for no other reason than trying to escape being an adult for a little while. To regress in mind, to a place where life was just simpler. I made the mistake of turning on the news today. Bomb threats and destruction at a local jewish cemetery; a muslim professor, an American citizen, is not being permitted to return to the U.S. after traveling overseas; and stories of deportations occurring across the nation. Hatred, our country has become filled with hatred. If it’s foreign, it doesn’t belong here. I don’t recognize it any longer. I’m ashamed of it. I thought we had progressed beyond these issues. I know now that I have just been wearing rose-colored glasses. I’m so disheartened by it all. I feel like the past is repeating itself, did we learn nothing from the wars of the past, the intolerance of those who believed something different, who had different customs and ideals. Why is it so difficult to learn from one another and accept one another. It isn’t necessary to agree or all believe in the same thing, but we can have respect for each other. This is a pretty big world we live in, there is room enough for all of us. Let’s Get Emotional
My goal with the challenge this year is to use it as an exercise to write something focused on a particular emotion. I hope to convey that mood or feeling through word choice in the story. I welcome your feedback on what worked or didn’t for you in each piece. Like millions of other people I was waiting and watching for April, the giraffe to have her baby. I love animals and I love good stories and this event had both. In watching the interactions of April, the keepers, and owner of the facility she seems like such a sweet animal. It was heart-warming to get a glimpse of her gentleness. I really wanted this to be a great success for all of them. As the days turned into months before she had her baby, I began to worry about the what ifs that could go wrong and would make this such a tragedy for all these folks. But luckily that wasn’t the case. Millions were able to tune in to witness the little guy’s birth. It was charming to see April in action as a mom. She was just as tender and gentle with the new arrival as she is with her keepers. The baby though - what a personality right from his first breath. I was so taken by his spunkiness and inquisitiveness. He appeared absolutely fearless. I was fascinated by his struggles to stand and stay standing and how over the course of just the day he got stronger and steadier. I was also tickled by Oliver’s curiosity over the new addition. The whole scene was adorable and gave me all the feels. I wish the new family and all who care for them the best. Let’s Get Emotional
My goal with the challenge this year is to use it as an exercise to write something focused on a particular emotion. I hope to convey that mood or feeling through word choice in the story. I welcome your feedback on what worked or didn’t for you in each piece. Nothing. I feel nothing. I can’t even work myself up to a good cry any longer. I used to be able to at least have a good cathartic cry. But, nothing. Day after day of the same old, same old. It never changes, voices sound like the teacher in Charlie Brown, “Wah waaah wah wah waaah.” Just going through the motions. Just trying to get through a day, a week, a month. Searching, searching but never actually finding what I am looking for. This is not sustainable, this is not healthy. This is what happens when you stand still and stay in one place for too long. Nothing. Let’s Get Emotional
My goal with the challenge this year is to use it as an exercise to write something focused on a particular emotion. I hope to convey that mood or feeling through word choice in the story. I welcome your feedback on what worked or didn’t for you in each piece. Like anything else in life being single and living alone has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages is the ability to do what you want without needing to check in with anyone else first. My schedule is solely my own. I don’t need to work around anyone else’s time. When I get the itch to take off on an adventure, I can just go. (Confession: I leave a note on my kitchen counter so people know where to start looking if something goes awry.) If I feel like eating pancakes for dinner, I can. If I want to paint a room chartreuse, no problem. (No, I don’t have any room in the house painted chartreuse, but I could if I so desired.) I choose what to watch or not, what to listen to or not. Being able to live comfortably solo has given me a sense of strength and confidence. When the shit hits the fan, you need to figure it out. Even if figuring it out means duct tape until a better solution comes to mind. So on this dreary, rainy night it’s PB & J for dinner while I try to finish up the posts for this challenge. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll cook a real dinner, or go for a walk, or do some gardening, we’ll see. Tomorrow is another day to do with as I please. Let’s Get Emotional
My goal with the challenge this year is to use it as an exercise to write something focused on a particular emotion. I hope to convey that mood or feeling through word choice in the story. I welcome your feedback on what worked or didn’t for you in each piece. If you are lucky, you have that one friend, the one where no matter how much time passes between seeing each other or speaking to one another, it’s as if no time has passed at all. The ease, the conversation, the camaraderie picks right up where you left off. I am lucky to have such a person in my life. We met in Girl Scouts, oh so many moons ago. It was in sixth grade though when we really became the best of friends and that has endured ever since. We grew up together sharing all the major milestones of our teen years and college days. We have stumbled our way through adulthood - sometimes kicking and screaming and sometimes rejoicing in it. She is the one person that truly understands me, my idiosyncrasies, my moods, and she is just accepting of it all. No questions, no poking fun, no trying to change it, just lending quiet support. Despite living 1200 miles apart, our friendship has never wavered. I am so grateful for that and so blessed. Let’s Get Emotional
My goal with the challenge this year is to use it as an exercise to write something focused on a particular emotion. I hope to convey that mood or feeling through word choice in the story. I welcome your feedback on what worked or didn’t for you in each piece. I love a good surprise!
Good vibes, positive energy, happiness - the after effects of a good surprise can last for days. Let’s Get Emotional
My goal with the challenge this year is to use it as an exercise to write something focused on a particular emotion. I hope to convey that mood or feeling through word choice in the story. I welcome your feedback on what worked or didn’t for you in each piece. “I’ll check my schedule and get back to you.” I have heard this before, more than once. I know what it means too. I won’t hear from him. He won’t get back to me. He’ll blow me off once again. I admit it took me awhile to catch on and see the pattern. I gave him the benefit of the doubt more than once. I told myself, he’s busy. I trusted him to his word. I reminded myself, be patient, he said he’d get back to you and he will. But he never does. Over time I begin to see, it’s not that he’s too busy. He manages to find the time to do the things he wants to do, when he wants to, with the people he wants to do them with. I just don't factor into that equation. Sure he claims he’s interested. He flirts. He’s charming. He says all the right things. But actions speak louder than words and his actions scream, “Not interested.” If he truly wanted to have more of a relationship, he would find the time and make the effort. Yet I fall for it time and again. Each time I walk away feeling hurt, disappointed, and downtrodden. I begin to doubt and question myself, what did I do? What is it about me that turns him off? Why is he playing games? The real question I should be asking myself is why are you letting it continue? Let’s Get Emotional
My goal with the challenge this year is to use it as an exercise to write something focused on a particular emotion. I hope to convey that mood or feeling through word choice in the story. I welcome your feedback on what worked or didn’t for you in each piece. I really don’t want to write about the letter “Q”. It’s the most persnickety word in the alphabet. “Q” must always be followed by “U”. I mean really, who do you think you are to be so demanding. There isn’t any other letter that insists upon a particular order. Do you think you are some sort of royalty? It’s rather peculiar, isn’t it? I suppose some may find you sweet and old fashioned, but you’ve squashed my chances of winning many a game of Words With Friends. I bet you hoped you would cause my idleness in posting today. I sure proved you wrong. Let’s Get Emotional
My goal with the challenge this year is to use it as an exercise to write something focused on a particular emotion. I hope to convey that mood or feeling through word choice in the story. I welcome your feedback on what worked or didn’t for you in each piece. |
AuthorOnce upon a time... Archives
December 2021
Categories
All
All content on this website is © Darcy Michele Scelsi
|