People Watching

It always amazes me how much you can learn from people watching.  Sitting in a public place, just listening, people tend to forget you exist.  You hear their personal drama, woes, and misfortunes broadcast through one ended phone conversations and blasted through carrying voices.  Things are said in the company of strangers that most wouldn't share with anyone but their closest friends.  I realize that the "polite" thing to do is to tune them out, but you can't really be faulted for the things that you overhear.  It isn't as if I'm hiding in the bushes or sneaking around the corner.  Sitting in plain site or just walking down the street you can overhear things about strangers that you wouldn't care to know about family.

I've heard stories of secret love and romance, squishy words shared between a couple that is nauseatingly sweet.  I've listened as a woman shared her most recent bout of VERY "personal" problems with someone unknown on the phone.  I've heard admissions of secrets and woeful stories of regret.  I've caught whispered words shared within earshot of dozens of strangers.  I think part of it is as society we've become so self-involved that we don't always notice the people around us.  It's a world where it isn't uncommon to know the names of your neighbors, so why would a random stranger on the street be of any concern?  I admit that part of this project is counter-active to that self-indulgent side of society...being totally selfish in it's format.  On the other side though, I'm sharing myself and my story with the world.  Maybe that balances things out?  Who knows.

Spring Fever

Mondays are a time for new beginnings.  At least that's what I tell myself when 6am comes way too early and I have to crawl out of bed for another adventure in the working world.  Adult life is a vicious cycle sometimes, waking up early and hoping for the week to pass quickly so we can once again encounter the divine weekend...only to see our goal flash by way too quickly.  Lather, rinse, repeat. Part of me relishes that security and monotony.  The cyclical repetition makes things predictable and safe.  I appreciate that, especially during times where the rest of the world seems to be falling apart.  On the other hand, a small part of me misses the freedom of childhood.  I think I have spring fever desperately and want to escape for a little while.  I don't need any specific plans, but a brief moment where I can just relax would be spectacular. I find myself daydreaming of times when I could soak up the sun while lounging in a random body of water and hoping for that much needed escape.  I know the heat of summer will be here before I know it followed all too soon by the chill of fall.  It's a constant internal battle.  Part of me wants to jump forward, but the other part clings to the present hoping not to miss a second of it.  I guess that's the life of an adult.  Wanting to make it through everything in the right time frame...whatever that may be.  For now I'll just enjoy what I have while I've got it.  The weather is still cool and refreshing, Orion is a beacon of eternal joy, and life overall seems to be ok.  Tomorrow is another brand new day.  Who knows what it has waiting in the wings for me.  I'm looking forward and will meet the challenges head on.  

Asylum Nights

Today it finally feels like spring may be here. The sunshine was much needed after a long night of nightmares and overwhelming thoughts. Today I felt alive and awake. I spent my lunch hour sitting n the grass, bare foot, painting my nails and it felt amazing.I can't wait for spring to decide to stay around.
Last nights nightmare was so vivid that it made it impossible to go back to sleep. I have never fully understood why my dreams seem so terrifying at the time but then seem ridiculous to be scared of in the daylight.

 Here is the gist of last night's dream:

Me and a man went to investigate a haunting at an asylum. It was supposedly haunted by a little evil girl. From what I could gather the asylum was still in use.  Either that or the apparitions were so vivid that I couldn't tell the difference between the living and the dead. We were doing a walk-through of the building when we came to a room where there is a small girl sitting on a doctor's table with a short bob hair cut and bangs. Her hair was a dirty blonde and she had huge brown eyes. She was in a faded blue hospital gown. An old male doctor was examining her. He had a stethoscope held to her chest and was listening to it.  He looked at the man with me and called him over, asking for his assistance.  The man I was with walked over and stood next to the girl.  The doctor worked his stethoscope across the little girls chest towards the man and then started listening to the man's chest.  He pulled the man in front of the little girl and I saw her get on her knees behind him and begin to whisper in his ear.  She looked at me as she whispered but the man didn't react at all.  It was almost as if he couldn't hear her.  The entire time she just stared at me with her huge dark eyes.  Eventually she stopped, smirked at me, hopped off the table, and left the room in the opposite direction from where we came in.  The doctor finished with the man and we decided to call the search off for the night.  Apparently we were staying in the hospital because our room looked like any room in an asylum with just a bed, but the bed was a queen sized one with one large navy blue blanket.  We laid down to sleep.  At one point while I was sleeping I was dragged to the foot of the bed and woke up laying sideways in the bed clear at the foot.  I tried to pull my blanket back up but it was like something was fighting me.  I searched the room and saw nothing and finally it was almost like it let go so I scrambled to the head of the bed once again.  The man next to me never stirred.  I laid down beside him once again and turned so my back was pressed up against him and I could see the wall next to the bed and closed my eyes.  A short time later I woke up again, only this time it was because I could hear whispering.  I opened my eyes and the little girl from the examining room was standing next to my bed, only her blonde hair had turned black and she had a red and black light that seemed to glow from around her eyes, almost like an incredibly bright eyeliner.  She once again smirked at me and just walked out the door without ever touching me.  As soon as she left the door slammed shut and the entire room began to shake.  The bed lifted off the ground and the man beside me finally woke up, screaming.  He had been sleeping on his stomach and when he rolled over I saw tiny letters carved into the flesh of his stomach and chest.  The bed hit the floor....


and at this point I woke up for real.  The rest of the night was sleepless, but looking back it doesn't really seem all that bad.....

Uncertainty

Things really never do end up how you seem.  Sometimes things fall apart when you least expect it...or maybe just fall into place in way you weren't expecting.  Sometimes it feels like everything is shattered and you don't know how to pick up the pieces.  Other times it seems more like it melts into an indistinguishable puddle.   I guess that's what the uncertainty of life is all about.  It's that unknown that can drive a person crazy.  The wondering and considering...the not knowing the effect of everything...*sigh* I wish I had all the answers, or even some of them.  I'd be happy with some sort of guidance in the right direction.  A helpful word telling me that I wasn't just making a mess of everything would be fine.  Instead we're all stuck trying to figure out a recipe when we aren't even sure what the right ingredients are or if we even have them.

Awkward Mourning

It's definitely weird to be back here.  There are awkward silences where they wouldn't be awkward before.  I'm not quite sure what to say or how to behave.  Part of me knows that they are glad I'm here, but I also feel a bit like I'm in the way.  I really just want to stay out of the way.  I don't want to make this process any harder for anyone.  I am glad that I got to have some time with Arlana today at least.  I don't feel weird around her the way I do around Seth's family.   Oh well.  I know I need to be here and I'm glad that I can be.  It's just weird.

Valentine Rollercoaster

What a roller coaster of a day.  Orion woke up before the alarm clock this morning and the little dude was still sick.  We got up, got ready, and took him into town to spend the day with his daddy so I could go to work.  As I was leaving Seth's place, the front stairs of the apartment complex were...umm...well let's just say they were a little slippery.  I somehow managed to baseball slide down the entire flight.  Needless to say that hurt like a bitch! Of course there was an entire van full of people sitting there to see my graceful moves.  *sigh*

I picked myself up, brushed off my pride, and went to work...where of course I was now late! Luckily my boss is awesome and wasn't upset about it.   Work was ok, nothing terribly exciting.   However, today is Valentine's day...and for the first time ever I got flowers!  They are beautiful roses.  They smelled amazing and made the day seem a lot better off. I also got a carnation from Orion.  He was so proud.  I've always played off Valentine's day to be not a big deal...and really it isn't, but there is something that just makes you feel good to know that someone cares about you that much.  It also helps to be "that" girl with a dozen roses sitting at her desk.  It definitely helped to brighten my day a whole lot.   

After work I drove home and started cooking supper.  We got a phone call that Seth's grandpa is not doing well at all.  They said he is going downhill quickly so we may have to be making a trip out there sometime this week.   As I said, a roller coaster of a day. I'm in bed and just hoping to get some sleep once I get this all posted.  I hope everyone had a fantastic Valentine's day.

Hemingway Prompt

 Today I made the following post on both Facebook and Google+: 

 

Someone once bet Ernest Hemingway that he found not write a short story in just six words. This is what he came up with:

For sale: baby shoes, never used.

He won the bet and is said to have considered it his best work. Those six words paint a story...one that may be different for every reader. I know I have some very creative friends out there so I challenge each of you to come up with your own 6 word story.

This isn't some random Facebook chain letter by the way. This comes straight from the random mind of yours truly. I'm very curious to see what you all come up with.

 

I got some really interesting comments so far and I'm hoping to get some more over the next couple days.  Here is what I've got so far: 

• This is a lie...believe me.
• She waved! But not at you.
• The chainsaw screams. So does she.
• I said I have to pee.
• Out of meds, and he pushed...
• Afraid of the dark. Scratching. Noises.
• pinano pants. the memories are grand
• I used to dream in color.
• Black car, one bullet, life lost
• Sorry, never happened to me before

It's been a fun project.  I'm hoping to come up with some more ideas like that to post and spark thoughts in other people.  I like that stuff.