In the second section of Spilling Ink, by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter, we encounter the first dare. (oooh, ahhh....)The authors dare us to rewrite a scene from our day. We are encouraged to rewrite the scene the way we would have wished for it to happen...
I am awakened at 6:00 by the soothing sounds of Jack Johnson serenading me from my radio-alarm clock. I pop out of bed refreshed and rejuvenated; I am ready to take on the day's challenges. It is the first day of Junior University for my 11 year old and the first day of soccer camp for my 14 year old. I made sure to set the alarm for a few minutes earlier than usual so that I would have time to make my kids a fresh breakfast to start their day off right.
I go downstairs and pour myself a piping hot cup of coffee and begin frying up some bacon. I happily dance around the kitchen. It feels good to be up and about before the rest of the family. After the bacon is finished, I grab a quick shower. It turns out to be a great hair day. For the first day in a long time, my hair lays perfectly straight. No humidity in the air today! For some unknown reason, the gray hairs go under cover. (I am in serious need of a visit to my hairdresser, but that has been scheduled and rescheduled... Maybe I will get to keep the appointment for this Saturday morning!)
When I go to wake the kids, they hop out of bed without complaint. They brush their teeth and get dressed in record time. They are excited to get downstairs to see the spread I have laid out for them. There is a fresh bacon, egg, and cheese bagel for my son. A fresh fruit smoothie awaits my daughter, accompanied by a lightly toasted bagel smeared with just the right amount of cream cheese. They happily sit down and begin their breakfast feast. After breakfast, dishes are deposited in the dishwasher and lunches are packed.
With extra time on their hands, the kids work together to grab the laundry from the dryer, fold it, and take it upstairs to be put away. By the time they are finished, it is time to take off. They give each other a celebratory high-five and jump in the car, ready to take on the day.
This is not, in any way, shape, or form, close to what happened this morning in our home. That's the cool thing about writing. We get to remix, reorder, and reinvent life's moments. That's pretty remarkable.
How will you rewrite a scene from your life today?
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Hey, I really want to participate in your challenge but I must be out of pocket for a couple of days. Hopefully I can catch up once I get home.
ReplyDeleteNo worries! Do what you can, when you can. To me, anything is better than nothing. (Kind of like exercising!)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I never heard the term "out of pocket" until I moved to the south. (It's one of the many phrases that I have learned.)Love it!
Oops, I forgot to post this yesterday. My answer (such as it is) to this prompt:
ReplyDeletehttp://theoriginaledi.livejournal.com/1233.html
Thanks for the challenge!