If we were having coffee today, you would discover my house is still dressed for Christmas and the kid and I are still recovering from the flu.
A flu it feels like we will never recover from. But it’s not true, I know. One day, suddenly it will seem, we will both be fine and the sickness a long ago memory. But right now, I’m on day five of little voice. It is not lost on me the spiritual irony that my voice is typically removed when I get sick.
The last two days, it seems like my son is declining – his poor lips are so chapped and something seems to be going on in his mouth – either canker sore on his cheek or sore throat. He has a hard time telling me and I’m having a hard time interpreting … such is a mother’s quandary. So we went to the CVS yesterday (again!) and bought a crap ton of stuff and well, you know, hoping healing will happen. Plus I’ve scheduled the doctor for Monday morning so an answer will happen soon.
But come in, sit down. Let me get you some coffee. The only true down side of starting the year off this way is one does not feel they’ve started the year off with a “bang.” Especially when being healthy is on the resolution agenda and yet here I am with little energy and little appetitite to eat anything much less more green.
So coffee black is good. Getting into the new year with new blog posting schedule is great. I really want to return to a stronger writing practice so I was excited when I came across the #WeekendCoffeeShare. I’m looking forward to reading and writing in this fashion. I like the intimacy and authenticity vibes it’s giving me.
We will be doing our 2020 vision board in a week or so. I did have my “word” for 2020 about a week before Christmas and yes, the irony of the present will make you laugh. It’s okay to laugh, smile a little. My “word” is “give voice” and yes, having started the year off with no actual voice… ha ha ha. But I do want to give voice… to just start sharing again my “voice.” I’ve been managaging this blog and even my marketing one for several years now and yet, my actual voice is not fully shared. I do lots of things. Sharing things and facts and wallpapers is pretty easy. Beginning again to share my own formulated sentences … big stuff! So “give voice” not saying to speak up or shout and publish or anything but just take my little whispers and quietly type them. Feel safe in that starting place.
Did I get burned? Why the shyness? I find the world rather frightening these days in the amount of rage that is out there. I try hard in my interactions to hold and look to love and kindness – putting out positivity so I may reap that. When life can be challenging all on its own, I don’t fully understand the desire to lash and beat up others virtually or IRL. Applaud that with which you agree, support it if you want to see more. But that’s not how thing have been the last few years from my view. But I’m trying to own my space. That I am allowed space… allowed a voice… just as we all are.
I hope 2020 is wonderful for you. I hope you’ll stop by again when we’re not so sickly over here.
Hello SFA (until I discover your name, you will have to put up with this sorry moniker).
My name is Gary Wilson, I’d like to say that I’m a new blogger, but with a couple years worth of coffee shares would easily betray me, so I’m more like a slow learner I guess.
I’m always happy to see new faces in our weekly meet up and, lady, you look like a great member for this gang. In the full time I’ve been part of it, we’ve not had one political or hateful argument or even hurtful remark that I can recall. We are all very different folks, but here, we remain positive while still allowing each other to share things that hurt or are challenging. We have poets, teachers, story tellers, book writers, self publishers, moms and dads, and generally a pile of people I’m proud to know.
I could tell you more about the group make up but don’t want to presume on your interest.
I would love to share some of my stories with you, as most of my collection are nostalgic pieces about growing up. Most are funny, all are shorter than 2000 words, so I work hard at not rambling and making my words and images quickly deliver entertainment.
I have a few that go back to my earliest years in grammar school that you might really get a kick from. I’d love to know more about your thoughts on finding (developing?) your online voice because I’ve been careful with that myself. My collection is mostly written in what I call “first person rowdy”. All my stories are clean and reflect what I think Biblical scripture is teaching us about how we should speak except I’m a lot more sarcastic.
After reading your intro essay above, I am so tempted to give you a bunch of links to stories where I’ve dealt with things you reminded me of.
But that would also be presumptuous, so I’ll just leave you with one to test read. At the bottom of all my stories is a link back to the table of contents and if you like the first story, you’ll see there are plenty more laughs in the list.
As a mom of young guy, you might enjoy what the world looked like to this guy when I was about that same age.
One of my all time favorite stories is: https://garyawilsonstories.wordpress.com/the-inner-tube-adventure/ but you might enjoy any from the grammar school list.
A final practical item: I’ve found that Carmax is wonderful for those chapped lips. Do you have it in your drug store?
A final blog question: Many of us use WordPress blogs and I think yours must be different – mostly because I don’t see the familiar “like” button. Perhaps this is an option that you opted out of.
Oh – I just noted your copyright banner at the bottom of the window. Can I address you as: Jeny? I do like to use peoples real names where allowed.
I’m glad you joined in and hope to hear and read more from you soon.
Warmest welcome and Happy 2020
Thank you so much for your welcome and I look forward to reading more of your work!