31 Days of Five-Minute Writes: Day 21

31 Days of Five-Minute Writes: Day 21 - Wave

Today has been full of waves of emotion. My co-worker told me that she is going to take the early retirement package offered to her by my company. At first I was hit by waves of happiness for her. She now has two extra years to accomplish the things she wanted to do in retirement. Then the waves of panic hit - how will I do her work and my work? Then I felt guilty and tried to let the waves of happiness wash over me again. Then panic, then happiness, panic, happiness.

It's T-4 days until my church's fall carnival. The one that fell to me to organize when my co-chair had to have foot surgery. First waves of stress in how it would turn out. Then waves of calm, knowing that if the inflatables stayed inflated and the candy doesn't run out, the kids could care less how the rest of it goes. Then questions about plans brought waves of stress. Go to my happy place - waves of calm.

Then I go to Target. I'm shopping, buying the bridal shower card that goes with the gift bag. Finding out that my favorite gelato is on sale. In other words, waves of contentment. Then I get up to the front and I hear angry shouts. An argument is happening outside the doors of the store. As I finish checking out and I'm ready to exit, I see that the problem is a man has been accused of shoplifting and his wife is not happy about it. When I hear the man say "go to the car and get my wallet", waves of distress hit, wondering if this is code for "go to the car and get the gun." Suddenly my peaceful trip to Target has turned into fearing for my life. Waves of distress that aren't alternating with waves of the contentment I was feeling earlier. I decided to make a run for the door and I don't turn back until I'm in my car with all the doors locked. It wasn't until I crossed my threshold that the waves of contentment from being safe at home replaced the waves of distress.

Too much drama for a Wednesday. I'm ready for the waves of a beach after a day like today!

Comments

Five Minute Friday: Roots

Lisa-Jo Baker (lisajobaker.com) hosts a weekly event on her blog called "Five Minute Friday". The rules are 1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking. 2. Link back here and invite others to join in. 3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.. So here's my first try at this. Today's topic was Roots. Roots – I think about my grandparents who lived on a farm until my grandfather’s diabetes worsened and they moved to a town with a hospital nearby. My father still says he wished he could have kept that farm. I think of my grandmother who was a widow for 20 years. Every year she would stand over my PaPa’s grave, wishing she was with him. I think of my parents, a product of those grandparents, how hard my father worked to put 2 girls through...

Five Minute Friday: Expect

Five Minute Friday is a writing event that has writers spending five minutes writing on the same topic and then sharing them at http://katemotaung.com/five-minute-friday/ . This week's word is Expect. I'm going to admit something. When I pray, I expect God to do what I ask. I'd like to think that is a sign of faith but in some ways, it is a sign of arrogance, like I know what is best for me. I picture him up in heaven like the above photo, signalling to the angels and saying like a benevolent Captain Picard, "Make it so." I never stop to think about what's right or worse, what's God's will, I just ask away and expect to be granted my wish. I guess that means I see God as more of a fairy godmother than my heavenly father. It doesn't matter if it is little things like, "Please make the bathtub faucet quit leaking" or "Please make my aunt well." I expect my prayer to be answered. And for things like "Please send...

Five Minute Friday: Time

Five Minute Friday is a writing event that has writers spending five minutes writing on the same topic and then sharing them at http://katemotaung.com/five-minute-friday/ . This week's word is Time. Sometimes time feels like this, like we are in it. Standing inside it, watching life pass by. It is so easy to get stuck in a time - in our pain, in our hurt. We hear the ache tick away in our head like a giant clock. Time, instead, is a gift. More time with family, more time to accomplish goals, more time to see the world. When you are hurting, it seems like time takes forever. One day turns into another day, turns into another day. When we hate a job, the five days of time that make up a work week seem to go on forever. But those five days are also a gift. Because these days, a job is not a guarantee. I want to see time as gift, not as a chore. I want to be on the other side of it, wishing there was more of it. Making the most of every hour, minute, and second instead of...

One Is Just A Number

Search This Blog