SOLC 3: In Which We Consider The Night Sky

The sky is perfectly dark, lit with tiny white lights. While lying on the ground you can look straight up and see nothing but stars and thin branches from the surrounding trees. The grass of the clearing rustles quietly in the evening breeze, the ground alive with insects. It's the kind of thing that you read about in books and see in the movies. A navy blue sky and a flat spot in the forest. Every once in a while there might even be a shooting star, soaring through the stillness before quickly fading our of sight. This moment is as close as I might ever be to genuine magic. You can't find this kind of beauty just anywhere. There is nothing quite like staring out at something so big. It's humbling but at the same time, it's captivating. Looking away is almost impossible and you can find this beauty almost anywhere in the world. When you get away from all the light of civilization you can finally see what was there all along. A vast expanse, shining just for you. This is what I'm here for. If only I could spend more time. If only I wasn't trapped by the limits of day. All I want is to lie down somewhere quiet, with no city blocks or cars to bother me. I just want to stare at the night sky forever.

The adventurer, after taking only a couple of steps has already come across a bump in the path. This is what you might call "Starting off on the wrong foot."

SOLC 2: In Which Things Are Broken

I have a rose pearl necklace. Although I'm not sure if I can actually call it that. It's broken. It used to belong to my grandmother. It's funny how some things never really seem to break, but others can't  stay in one piece. No matter what you do to try to protect them and keep them safe, they just fall off of a counter or get dropped. How unfortunate. I keep all sorts of things on my dresser and some just don't last long. Some times it doesn't matter where you put something. It can't be saved. That necklace is still in my house somewhere, waiting. Each little pearl sitting quietly, knowing that someday it's time will come. My grandmother gave the necklace to me when I was six and that makes it kind of a big deal. She trusted me enough to give me that necklace so I can't help but remember it. It matters to me. I don't care if those pearls are never restrung. Knowing that it is still with me reminds me that I am trusted. I am so proud to have been given such a precious object. It doesn't matter if it's broken because it's mine.

The adventurer, having very recently set out for her journey has yet to hit any bumps along the road. But then again, she has only taken a couple of steps.

SOLC 1: In Which We Begin

    Today is March first. The first of 31 possibly very long days with possibly very long nights. Today marks the first day of the Slice of Life Challenge and we'll see if I can actually do this again. Last year was (I'll admit) a little bit rough, and I'm really hoping that it's a bit easier this year. This challenge isn't a requirement, but I really love writing and I never get to write as much as I actually want to. I figured that this would be a way for me to start writing again after a long break from the kind of writing that I like to do. Therefore, it is time to go forth and explore this new challenge in this new year. I don't exactly have a game plan or an idea of a direction to go, but I can't help but be excited for these days to come! I loved being able to do this last year and am so happy to be doing it here again. It's time to get back to the keyboard and keep my writing going. Hopefully I won't run out of ideas. I guess that I just need to start writing day by day and not worry about what's to come right? I hope this works.

    And so we begin! The daring hero sets out along the path to success! With a determined heart and some tricks up her sleeve, she is ready to take on the challenge. But will she persevere? There's only one way to find out.

FInal SOL: Trip Memories

This Is For The Trip

This is for the trip. For the airplane and the boats. This is for the bubbles and the grass. This is for the who-knows-what's and the who-knows-where's. This is for getting lost. For getting found. This is for being spies and koalas. This is for the elephant, and the whale, and the earrings. This is for the flight simulators. For chasing rainbows and playing tag. This is for the same put-two-fingers-by-your-ear-and-wait. This is for the pictures and the journals. This is for the rain and the heat. This is for earth, fire, water, air, and cosmos. This is for the green and the blue. This is for ourselves and our futures. This is for the firsts and the lasts. For the beginnings and the ends. This is for Obama and the beavers. This is for red chalk and fluid. This is for running and floating down the river. This is for bruises and cuts. This is for mud and waking all day. This is for the city. For the bay. This is for the orchestra and the quarters. This is for the burgers and the statue with his hand in the air like he's trying to catch something. This is for bunk beds. This is for the marble and the wood. This is for that-one-time-we-did-that. Don't you remember? This is for the candy, for iced tea and Cheetos. This is for change and improvement. This is for the frogs and caterpillars. This is for the shoes and the messes. This is for the ropes course and the swing. This is for ga-ga and nicknames. This is for the memories. For the goodbyes and the thank yous. So there you go. Thank you. That was for us.

Sophie's World

This past week I spent some of my time reading Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder. The story begins when Sophie Amundsen opens the mailbox to find an envelope addressed to her. She opens it to find that the only thing inside is one sentence: "Who are you?"  In pure disbelief, Sophie launches into confused questions. Still trying to understand, she looks in her mailbox again to find a second envelope. The letter inside reads only "Where does the world come from?" In the time that follows she receives anonymous letters and packages containing essays and stories that toss her into a crash course through philosophy. The philosophic questions and ideas begin to take up the majority of her time but none of her family members seem to ever question anything. This book teaches philosophy, and is still a continuous story about a girl, a stranger, a mailbox, and a postcard.

I got pretty far into this book about a year ago and have just now started to restart. I would recommend this book to most people although I am not sure if others would be interested in reading it.

Time and Again

Finney, Jack. Time and Again. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1970. 

This past week I started reading Time and Again by Jack Finney. This book is set in New York in two different time periods. It tells the story of an artist who joins a mysterious government program and travels back in time. I am very much enjoying this book but am not finished with reading it. I like the first person telling of the story and how unique the plot is. I am enjoying learning about both of the time periods that this book is set in. The dialogue is descriptive and interesting and the characters are not cliche or boring. Overall, I am excited to finish this book and would definitely recommend it.

SOL9: Trip Prep

I am so excited for our trip to DC but there are still some things that I have to do. First of all, I have to finish packing. I need to pack clothes and money and pencils and games and a sketch pad and my poetry book and some other things too. And even though I am going to be packing all of these things, there is a very good chance that I will overpack, forget something, or both. Trip prep is difficult and slightly stressful to think about for me so I decided to write a poem.

Don't forget
And make quit sure
To take your meds
For they're the cure

Don't ask dumb questions
Don't talk too loud
And bring a coat
If you see clouds

Finish journal pages
Don't break the ships
We love you so
Now have a nice trip!