100 Words - Lessons
Who are these, my teachers? Not who I expected them to be. Not who anyone expected them to be. Lessons learned on love from a triad and a single journeying man. Lessons learned on parenting from a teenage boy. Lessons learned on patience from an angry, venomous girl. Lessons learned on forgiveness from a hypocrite. Lessons on grief and softening from a stranger let in. Lessons learned from the paradoxes of life, from the in-betweens and opposites and unexpected hidden corners. Who are these, my strange and wonderful teachers? The greatest lesson? Everyone has something to teach. Be still. Listen.
Last week’s 100 Word challenge was “Lessons”. The greatest gift to me in giving this challenge is getting a window into other’s thoughts and view on the world, and how that differs from my own.
Lceel uses a comical and light approach as he tells about early lessons in parenting.
Home from the hospital just a few days before. Our son, named after me. He was so small and helpless. And Annie was nursing. They would lay abed. And she would suckle him. And I would be shushed to silence. I was seldom there when he was awake. I ached to hold him, to touch him, to bond with him. Finally came the call. “Will you change him?” At last. My time with him, alone. Diaper off. I turn away for a moment, reaching for a diaper. I feel warm wet falling on me. Just one of life’s little lessons.
Secret Agent Mama (aka One Cool Secret Agent Mama) uses poetry to express frustration over others’ judgement on the important decision she has made for her children and family to homeschool:
You’re going to what?
Why would you want to do that?
I’d just send them to school,
Then you could get a job.
You know it’s going to be hard, right?
What about friends?
What about riding the school bus?
The cafeteria?
I think you’re being cruel.
Why on earth?Do I care what you think?
How crazy you think I am?
Decisions not made lightly;
Life’s all about choices.
We’ve chosen what we feel is best for us.
Lessons learned, here at home,
Are applied everywhere, all the time.
Cruel, wrong, strange, or imposing?
It’s your judgment that is!
So, let’s see, what books do I have around here…ok, just looking over at my bookshelf without opening a book this time, the challenge for Thursday is:
Atonement
Happy writing, and please do pass the challenge on! Tell your friends, your neighbors, your bloggily buds. Oh, and news! Blog O’ The Week, One Sentence, has linked to the 100 Word Challenge on their About page. Onesentence.org is a place where you are challenged to sum something up with one sentence. There are no specific challenges, just whatever is on your mind. The majority are somewhat confessional, giving it a Post Secret feel, only not so heartwrenching.
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No. I’m going to behave myself. I am NOT going to take the easy and obvious road to witty comment by saying “You’ll be sorry.” Atonement. What I would have to do if I did.
My entry is here.
Ok, I did it!
100 Words: Attonement
OOps.. One too many t’s!! Must. Have. More. Coffee.
Thanks for commenting. BTW - I replied to your comment. A while back I used to write articles for a magazine - trade rag - and somehow I got away from all of that. These little exercises, these 100 word assignments have reminded me how much fun it can be to write with purpose. Thank you. Don’t ever stop.
Lceel and SAM, thanks once again for your beautifully written submissions. It seems you two are now “regulars” around here. Too bad we weren’t all in the same place, we could sit back with a bottle of good wine discussing writing each week.
I think I have to come up with a better system though. I only partly like the Mr. Linky method, as I don’t like the look of it so much. In addition, as far as I can tell, one must also pay to use it, and I do not yet have enough traffic to justify it.
How would you both feel about writing on the same day I post the challenge and then just having the link? I could easily add the link in the body of the post as they come in. (While there are still only a few of us.)
Or, do you prefer it the way it is now?
I look forward to your feedback.
Lceel, as long as I have participants, I don’t intend to stop.
Be well.
I don’t know about SAM, but I need that couple of days between the Challenge and the posting to let the notion percolate through my head and come out the fingertips in the form of a doable post. At least, I think I do. I haven’t really tried doing it on the spur of the moment. But then, I haven’t been asked to. Well, I’m easy. I’ll try anything, once. Let’s see what SAM says.
I’m like Lou, actually. I come and see the word and then I chew on it, mull over it, yadda yadda, ya’know? Then by Thursday morning I really have a good idea what I’m going to do. I formulate the piece from the brainstorming I have done earlier in the week (via draft form).
Oh and I have to say that this is one of the most stimulating “memes” I’ve ever been a part of. I enjoy the 100 Word writing so much, and it’s really helping me fine tune. I thank you!
Well, it’s settled then. We shall continue on as we have.
SAM, I’m glad you enjoy the 100 Word Challenge. Do spread the word so that we can have much to discuss! I cannot take credit for originating the idea, it was started amongst a small group of bloggers a few years back, on a dating site no less! I just liked it so much that I brought it here.
Is it incredibly bad form to leave a comment having not read the post — I’m really far behind in my blog reading, but wanted to put a quick note in a place where I knew you’d see it to let you know I didn’t get the e-mail you mentioned sending in a comment. Could you resend it? I’ll e-mail back to confirm when I have it!
Nice website!!