Category: personal narrative

SOLSC #9 – Beach Finds

Published on March 9, 2023

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

I love my long walks outside, and it’s been particularly delightful to walk the beach these past few days. I’m not a big swimmer; I am not a sunbather, either; no, I like to walk and explore. There are so many new and exotic sights. I love the feel of the sea breeze and to watch the ocean waves crash onto the shore. The water is cool and invigorating, washing over my feet – and that’s a thrill, too, to walk barefoot; I don’t do that when I’m walking in the woods back home.

There are very few seashells on this part of the Hilton Head beach – I feel as if that’s always been true, for as long as I have visited here. My parents retired here back in 1988, and I had many vacations here over the years, before my parents moved back north, closer to us children, in their frail elderly years. This is our first time back to visit the island since 2017, a bit of a nostalgia trip in some ways.

So, yes, back to my walks on the beach. Here, at low tide, the beach is vast and wide and flat and almost entirely soft and bare. Every now and again, you’ll come across something novel, such as a horseshoe crab or a jellyfish, beached on shore. Let me share photos of my special finds these past few days –

Check out this jellyfish – it is easily more than 12 inches in diameter, bigger than my big ol’ foot. There were several on the beach that were perfectly clear, but this one was different – I could see undigested small shrimp and other crustaceans, oh my. TMI, lol.

There are beautiful grasses and sponges in a variety of colors. I imagine these riding waves, feeling the ocean in and around their being.

Check out this strangeness. This blob was about 12 inches long, a gooey gelatinous mass. Google helped me identify it, labeling it a “sea pork.”

Last but not least, here’s my favorite sighting – I always feel as if I have visited Hilton Head, if I see a dolphin in the ocean:

Today’s our last day at the beach – let me go enjoy!

SOLSC #8 – Refuge

Published on March 8, 2023

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

We walked the Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge in the late afternoon, about an hour and a half before sunset. I took so many photos of this glorious area, where you are surrounded by salt marsh and tidal creeks. I could imagine what the Lowcountry terrain looked like before all the developers discovered this jewel of the south.

Our first wildlife encounter truly startled us, when an armadillo crossed our path – right in the midst of all of us. We would see another, later in our visit. I had only seen these as photos (or, sadly, roadkill, out west). What funny little beings! These two seemed absolutely oblivious and uninterested in us; their mission was to gnaw on decaying trees, in pursuit of protein-rich bugs, I suppose.

The trees were rich with all sorts of birds, well-hidden by the pines and Spanish moss. We heard them singing and calling out. My sister-in-law opened up her bird app on her phone, and multitudinous birds were identified – woodpeckers, gnatcatchers, marsh wrens, mourning doves, and so many more.

We walked to a pond on our trail map, and witnessed a gorgeous rookery, filled with white ibis, heron, and egrets, all settling in for the night in their respective tree nests. Let me share a few of my ridiculous number of photos from here –

As we watched from the pond’s edge, my brother noticed a large alligator in the pond…and a baby alligator right along the pond’s edge, much nearer to us. Okay then! This sightseeing is done for the day. We walked quickly away from this precious interlude, thinking these wildlife should enjoy their beautiful evening all to themselves, without the distraction of us.

Another gorgeous day in the Lowcountry.

SOLSC #7 – Salt Marsh

Published on March 7, 2023

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

Here’s a little poetry about our gorgeous afternoon in kayaks. Among many sights I mention in the poem, I saw a waterbird that was new to me, and I thought I’d share a link for this: anhinga .

exploring the salt marsh 
Lowcountry waters of South Carolina 
two at a time tandem kayaks 
double-headed oars in hand

sun so bright temperature soft 
not yet filled with summer heat

calm waters quiet current
glistening sundust sprinkled across the tide 
we maneuvered slowly 
around small nesting islands of Broad Creek
tiny islands that do not host humans
only birds lizards fiddler crabs
edges thick with mud and tough cord-grass 

clams blue crabs shrimp
fish fish fish
most of South Carolina’s seafood
spends all or some of its life
in salt marshes
oyster beds surround
lining pier posts 
lining sides of the creek
lining boats on the water

how essential this environment is

oh, how the waterbirds charmed!
heron gliding elegantly through the sky 
landing on the sludge of shore
muted grey-blue Great Blue Heron
snow white black-legged great egrets
laughing gulls with bright orange beaks
small seabirds indistinguishable and numerous
and several silvery-black anhinga, 
with a flopping dives into the shore
opening like hand-held fans 
as if camouflaging themselves
as fallen weathered palms 

one lively dolphin surprising us
dancing up from the water 
so close to our kayaks
swiftly we paddled
trying to follow the dolphin’s path
she was much too quick 
for our oars

such an extraordinary day
to witness

SOLSC #6 – Blocked

Published on March 6, 2023

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

“I had a newborn and a three year old when I met my first husband. They were both boys. He had a two year old daughter. I married him for security, really. You should never do that, it is a very bad reason to marry anyone, just for security. But with two kids, I really needed his money. Sure, he had money. But he was cruel. He hurt my kids, I feel so guilty about that still. I left him.”

This confession was offered to me by the gray-haired grocery store clerk at the checkout, as she bagged our groceries for the week. (What’s the first thing on the to-do list on a vacation? The grocery store, of course!) I have no idea why she opened up to me in this way or what precipitated the life reflection. I felt as if time stood still as she spoke – I was so uncomfortable with the intimate details this complete stranger was sharing with me.

It didn’t help that she was moving oh-so-slowly to fill the bags themselves. I practiced my quiet breathing and said a silent prayer or two on her behalf, thinking how tough her life.

Back at our rental condo, as we put groceries away, I was telling my husband about this surprise and intimate sharing, chuckling at the awkwardness of it. Likewise, my sister-in-law was animatedly talking with my brother about our shopping, and I thought I heard her describe the grocery clerk by saying,

“She was a block away.”

I burst out laughing – “Wait, how did you describe the woman at checkout? ‘She was a block away.’? I have never heard that said, but what a clever and funny way to describe someone who really isn’t ‘present’ with you.”

My sister-in-law looked at me confused – “No, I was saying, we put that first block of cheddar away and got the other one.”

This sent me into fits of giggles – I was totally dreaming up language! I guess I was the one who was ‘a block away,’ hahaha.

Here’s a couple photos of our gorgeous location – we are here, at the beach!

SOLSC #5 – Car travel

Published on March 5, 2023

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

We stopped for the day in Fayetteville, NC, leaving us only a four hour drive today. What a joy to be retired, allowing us the flexibility of time to not do all the driving in one day.

I am so grateful for this time with my brother and sister-in-law; it has felt as if we’re on vacation since they arrived at our home this past Thursday.

Before going to dinner, we had a nice walk in downtown Fayetteville. Look at the beautiful redbuds in bloom! Oh my, this is sad and glorious – they used to bloom here in mid-April, this is early March…

We visited Lafayette park, where I could only think about Daveed Diggs, singing so fabulously, in Hamilton, lol. Fun coincidence – we were here on the exact day nearly 200 years after the Marquis –

I really loved the city murals … here are just two –

Road weary from the day, I fell asleep easily,

wondering . . .

what brought the first one? And, oh my, many miles later, a second one? And still much further down the road, a third one? No sign of broken down vehicles, and yet, there were three different pedestrians walking the side of I-95 south. What are their stories? What a hard and scary place to be walking, with vehicles alongside you at 80 miles an hour.

Car travel leads to so many interesting sightings…

SOLSC #4 – Wind Wisdom

Published on March 4, 2023

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

We have a strong, loud wind today, as we head out on our road trip south. This slice imagines the wind sharing her wisdom with me…

hellooooo

gooood morning!

Pardon my bluster, I didn’t mean to startle you. I assume I’m invited, too, yes? I’m planning on traveling south with you.

Wait, is this gusty of me?

We get along well, yes? I’m not misunderstanding?

Please don’t get all puffed up like that. I’m excited for you, and I’m not going to interfere with your travel. Let me help you load the car – for me, it’s a breeze.

Oh my, look at your face! I can read right through you: you old introvert you! You always need your quiet and your space to think, but packing the car and hitting the road together is never like that…here you are, caught up in the whirlwind of everyone’s breezy conversations…

Let me help: take a deep cleansing breath along with me. As we breathe deeply, bend like the mahonia, sway like the butterfly bush. Yes, yes, just breathe.

Now, get your list out, let’s read it together and double-check.

headphones?
journal?
computer and cable?
I know you have your phone…did you pack the cable?
extra jacket

Okay.

Yes.

We blew through that checklist!

You’ve got this. Lock the doors of the house – head out on the open road! Whirling twirling wonderful togetherness ahead. I’ll be with you always, and we can catch our breath, together.

To the day! To our fun travels!

SOLSC #3 – All In

Published on March 3, 2023

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Clicking the title of any post will open a comment box at the bottom of the page. I love hearing from you.

In the quiet of my kitchen, I prepared a meal for the ten of us. My brother and sister-in-law were arriving later in the day, and I invited our family to join us for dinner. I wanted our family to have a chance to connect with their uncle and aunt before we ‘old folks’ disappear on our road trip to the beach.

Three adult sons, one daughter-in-law, two granddaughters, and a few dietary allergies and restrictions thrown in the mix.

What’s your go-to ‘flexible’ meal, that allows you to meet everyone’s needs?

I went with enchiladas, and, honestly, I had so much fun preparing these. I set out a variety of bowls of ingredients: Peruvian chicken from our favorite vendor, black beans, roasted sweet potatoes, sauteed spinach and garlic, shredded cheese, rice, salsa, avocado. Then, I assembled four separate pans for the different dietary requirements, using the appropriate ingredients for each – and I was sure to use distinct pans, as well –

the square pan for the dairy allergy,

the salmon-colored clay casserole for the vegetarian,

the glass dish for the meat eaters, and

the last one was a large round dish for the “anything goes,” mixed-bag, combination, all in, everything but the kitchen sink, chef’s surprise and delight, lol.

I was amazed at my concentration, as I created these yummy foods – and thankful for the quiet kitchen. By the time everyone arrived, I didn’t need to have my thinking cap on anymore. I simply set out the buffet, and enjoyed myself, in the company of everyone I love so much.

I’ve had friends say – wow, your family is a pain to cook for! It’s true, it would be so much easier if we all ate from the large round ‘anything goes,’ but life isn’t like this, is it?

“If you can’t change something, change the way you look at it.” – Maya Angelou

SOLSC #2 Dressing Up

Published on March 2, 2023

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

Thank you for visiting my blog.  Clicking the title of any post will open a comment box at the bottom of the page. I love hearing from you.

I woke up to the earworm of Dwayne Johnson singing “You’re Welcome,” in his role as Maui in the Disney film, Moana.

what can I say, except, you’re welcome?

These earworms are only to be expected the day after we babysit our granddaughters. Four year old ‘Frog’ is all about ‘dress-up’ and she imagines stories full of surprise and dancing, with princesses, bears, forests, stars, and magic wands. Two year old ‘Bird’ runs with any play idea that big sister has offered, not entirely following the script but ready to pretend and laugh. At their house, there are numerous dress-ups at the ready – friends and relatives have found all sorts of fun hand-me-downs and thrift store bargains. When Frog throws on a dress, so must Bird – and the next many minutes are awash with frill, taffeta, and twirl, while we all jump over hot lava.

Frog’s outfits are more traditional and manicured – she is imitating a particular character, it seems, and she knows what she wants to wear for this look. Bird, however, is pure whimsy and confusion, she simply wants in on the fun. Yesterday she marched around in a winter knit cap with two large owl eyes, a rainbow tutu that she wore like a junior prom dress, pulled up on her torso, and the patterned leggings that she had been wearing before the house had turned into one enormous dressing room. What a joyful sight!

Then these little sparkles ran up and down the hill in their front yard. Why not climb and run with swish and style?

I am learning so much from them, on how to be at ease in my body. To paraphrase Maui, What can I say, except, Thank You!!

We Are From

Published on February 14, 2023

Have you ever written an “I am From” poem? I was introduced to these at a teachers’ pre-service professional development many years ago. The facilitator had each staff member write a poem in this style, and then we shared our poems aloud with each other. These poems were an excellent way for colleagues to get to know one another, generating a great deal of reflection and conversation.

This past weekend, Tony and I went on a couples’ retreat with our marriage enrichment group. We facilitated a workshop – – which is really a bit funny, since we’d never been on a marriage enrichment retreat before. Anyhow, there we were.

We had complete flexibility on our topic, something that would get the couples interacting and ‘dialoguing’ with each other. As we mused about our session, I remembered this fun poem sharing from my teaching days. I decided to change it up a bit –

What if we wrote “We Are From” poems?

What if we had everyone think back to how their love relationship began – to go down memory lane?

What if we helped everyone to ‘brush the dust off’ their marriage foundation, to go deep about what brought them together in the first place…and just hold onto this magic for a bit?

We handed out pens and pads of papers. Each person worked individually, writing down three to five brief answers in a list form to the following questions:

Place – where did you meet? spend time? what are characteristics of the place, location, neighborhood, room?
Who – was there anyone else there? who else was important or stands out from that time? were the two of you alone?
Food – what did you eat? anything special? homecooked? restaurant? party? add some sensory details, here
Music or sounds – what did you hear? listen to? any special songs jump out at you?
Activities or games – what were you doing? What was going on?
Words – what do you remember being said? Any phrases come back? Funny expressions?
Smiles/Laughs – what made you feel joy back then? When you think back to your special connection with one another, what makes you smile?
BONUS – look over your list and add in any other joyful aspects that come to mind of this memory…special emphasis on smells, feels, tastes, sights, sounds

After everyone wrote a list of their own, we broke into couples, to discuss the memories privately. The couples turned their chairs to look directly at each other, held each others’ hands, and slowly read their lists to each other, repeating the phrase – “we are from” at the beginning of each line. This was so sweet!!

As a grand finale, couples were invited to create one “We Are From” poem together – and to share these with all of us. These stories/poems were absolutely beautiful to hear aloud.

When we reflected on this exercise, many people noted how their partners offered new memories – remembering different things. Everyone agreed that it was really dear to remember the earliest moments of their love stories.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

This was our view from our hotel window, Kent Island, Maryland

It’s Tuesday and I’m grateful to be sharing with Two Writing Teachers

On ‘ki’ and ‘kin’

Published on February 7, 2023

Last Friday and Saturday, we had record-breaking cold, arctic chill. This was no fun at all. Then, this weather left us quickly and abruptly, leaving us with the shock of early spring: temperatures swinging up into the 50s. Early in the morning, writing at my window, I knew this was a day to be outside.

The day began 
with this glorious sunshine 
dappling, spotting, kissing
everything in sight
as if to say
Good morning!

Later in the day, my friend and I met for our regular ‘wun’ (walk/run). She had to collect sticks for an art project with her students, so this was truly a walk in the woods I had recently listened (again!) to Robin Wall Kimmerer [an OnBeing podcast from May 2022], who shared –

And there’s a beautiful word — “bimaadiziaki,” which one of my elders kindly shared with me. It means “a living being of the earth.” But could we be inspired by that little sound at the end of that word, the “ki,” and use “ki” as a pronoun, a respectful pronoun inspired by this language, as an alternative to “he,” “she,” or “it” so that when I’m tapping my maples in the springtime, I can say, “We’re going to go hang the bucket on ki. Ki is giving us maple syrup this springtime”? And so this, then, of course, acknowledges the being-ness of that tree, and we don’t reduce it — it — to an object. It feels so wrong to say that.
Robin Wall Kimmerer with Krista Tippett, The Intelligence of Plants, May 12, 2022

As my friend and I hiked along the creek, in the midst of bare trees of winter, surrounded by all this beautiful brown and gray, I felt embraced by other beings. I understood what Robin Wall Kimmerer was saying, how it feels wrong to use the label ‘it’ when speaking of a tree or a stream or a cloud above.

Let me share a little more of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s wisdom, from the podcast –

And I have some reservations about using a word inspired from the Anishinaabe language, because I don’t in any way want to engage in cultural appropriation. But this word, this sound, “ki,” is, of course, also the word for “who” in Spanish and in French. It turns out that, of course, it’s an alternate pronunciation for “chi,” for life force, for life energy. I’m finding lots of examples that people are bringing to me, where this word also means “a living being of the Earth.”

The plural pronoun that I think is perhaps even more powerful is not one that we need to be inspired by another language, because we already have it in English, and that is the word “kin.”

Yes, “kin” is the plural of “ki,” so that when the geese fly overhead, we can say, Kin are flying south for the winter. Come back soon. So that every time we speak of the living world, we can embody our relatedness to them.
Robin Wall Kimmerer with Krista Tippett, The Intelligence of Plants, May 12, 2022

My friend and I decided to practice ‘ki’ and ‘kin’ on our walk. As we picked up sticks, we introduced the stick to each other – look, isn’t ki a beauty? We were surprised by the mental challenge of this seemingly simple change in language. What was unexpected for me was how easily I chose the masculine ‘he’ for the pronoun. I had to slow down and think through this, before I spoke, choosing not ‘it,’ not ‘he,’ but ‘ki.’

With this language of ‘ki’ and ‘kin’ at the front of our minds, I noticed that we both became quieter and more observant. We were absorbing the beautiful nature all around us, in that slower, meditative way, that is so good for the heart and soul. We were with kin.