Imagination fodder

~ Sahara ~ 4 Comments

A daily prompt about history, asking to which period of human history I think I belong, if not the present one. I think I do belong to right now because right now is the summation of all those “agos,” and something I like the most about being part of now is being able to imagine those agos.  I like to imagine history; I like to pretend that I’m in a certain place and time, that my life is other than it is (especially when I’m on the road).

I have also thought about past lives, if I have had them.  There are certain ages and peoples to whom I feel a particular pull, and I wonder if it’s because my past selves have interacted with them. Holy people in India, or at least my imagining of them as I’ve read. Native American tribes tribes before the Europeans. An academic in England. A family is the Russian tundra. In Andalucia during Moorish Spain. A daughter to Mary Magdelene, to hear stories at her feet.

I can easily learn about all of these things in the 21st century and, for the most part, visit the different places. Which only supplies and feeds further imaginings.

My go-to laugh inspiration

~ Sahara ~ 5 Comments

I’ve got to write again about this prompt about jokes: I have a particular website that I go to for laughter inspiration: Television without Pity (TWOP). They have many writers who review television shows and some movies, and I can usually get a laugh or two off their reviews – I like them.

I am a child of the 80s, and had some formative years while Dawson’s Creek was on. On TWOP, there were two people in particular who recapped the four early seasons, the ones I knew best. It seemed like they were friends, because they would refer to each other throughout the recap and were kind of unified on their opinions and nicknames of the characters which was woven throughout the recap. They also interjected their opinions throughout the recap, and that was possibly the best part. It was so funny.

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Ever seen a grown man cry?

~ Sahara ~ 8 Comments

This really happened, and it was funny.

My fiance were and I were relaxing at our favorite cigar bar downtown, sitting on the super plush seats in the front window.  A group of guys came into the bar and sat on the couch across from us. One of the guys was clearly the designated drunk and was still in a happy mode of drunk, talking to everyone. They were firefighters from Queens, members of the first fire academy graduating class after 9/11. They came to town for a hockey game, and were gonna rush back to New York the next morning.  

We started talking about their time in our city, comparing things we enjoy about our respective homes, and then they asked about our professions. Right when I told them I’m a drug and alcohol counselor, the Designated Drunk looked at his friends, horrified, and said, “This isn’t an intervention, is it?”

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Pure Love…on the Streets

~ Sahara ~ 4 Comments

Reflecting on a moment of kindness, as was suggested in today’s prompt, I remember one of my clients.

I don’t know Tony’s diagnosis, but he’s not very lucid. He generally only speaks when spoken to, and when he smiles, his eyes crinkle into a dozen lines. He is one of those people who had fallen through the cracks and wasn’t doing well, but it’s been changing over the past couple of years and he’s recovered a bit.

With that recovery comes the singing of Jackson 5 songs, and you can hear his falsetto “tweet tweet” as he sings Rockin’ Robin.  He doesn’t even know the words, just the tweet, and the whole floor can hear him.

Last week, I learned that one of my female clients left the place she was staying with her son to avoid the drug use and dealing, and they were sleeping in the streets for several nights. I also learned that Tony accompanied them on the streets to help defend against possible trouble.  He’s in an apartment (one we helped him get into) but on those nights, he chose to stay with my client and her son to help keep them safe, without requesting anything in return.

He doesn’t brag about this; since he doesn’t really talk unless spoken to, how could he? He just did it. I heard about it in passing, and then when I asked him, he told me. I don’t know if he realizes how kind and precious this is, but it moves me every time. This is kindness like I rarely see it, and it comes from the humblest of corners.

Never s-TAG-nate

~ Sahara ~ 1 Comment

Today’s Daily Prompt challenged writers to come up with a tagline to describe them, and I like this one – it makes me giggle to think of.

There’s no kill switch on awesome.

Not as bad as everyone thinks. (Several of my clients, homeless addicts, actually say this to me.  And if homeless men think I’m tough, I’m okay with that.)

I’m not your handler.

This is why we can’t have nice things.

Just because they serve you doesn’t meant they like you.

 

 

 

Yeah, I’m talkin’ to you

~ Sahara ~ 9 Comments

Hey.

Hey you.

Obstinance.

Stubbornness.

You need to get out.

No, really.  You need to bug off, and get out of here, now.

No, you can’t stay.  You cause me trouble at work, trouble with my clients, trouble with my family, trouble with Cohiba, even.  You bring out the worst in me.

Plus, Obstinance, you’re a bully. You choke up creativity and you stifle kindness. You completely abandon love and even responsibility.

While you did help after the accident, Tenacity and Determination and I could have done it without you.  Actually, come to think of it, we did do it without you – you just tripped over our feet from time to time.  If you hadn’t helped, I wouldn’t have cussed out my nurses. I wouldn’t have unlocked myself from the wheelchair and pulled myself back into bed (which was really dangerous, by the by). There’s a lot of stupid stuff I’ve done that I don’t like; I just did it because of you.

So, listen, it’s not me, it’s you, and it’s just not gonna work. Smell ya later.

(This break-up brought to you courtesy of the Daily prompt)

Under the Covers

~ Sahara ~ 3 Comments

In response to the Daily Prompt in which we are asked to : Describe a memory or encounter in which you considered your faith, religion, spirituality — or lack of — for the first time.

I love this prompt. I love this topic and I love God, a loving God who has always been with me, no matter what I did or railed against them.

Like anyone, I imagine, I’ve had a twisted path to this God.

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His name is Bill W.

~ Sahara ~ 9 Comments

The Daily Prompt asked to nominate someone for TIME’s Person of the Year.  I want to talk about my dad, someone I didn’t meet for a long time. I was 20 when my dad came into my life.

For the first 20 years, I thought I had a dad, a sham of a father. He only came around when he wanted, abused my mother and I, looked down on us, and threatened us even after we finally got away.  Some of his shit still crops up now and again that mom or I have to deal with.

My little developing child mind fixed that these are the kinds of things a Dad does. He says he loves us, and this is what fatherly love looks like.

No wonder I didn’t want kids. No wonder I didn’t want a family. No wonder I was so okay with being alone my whole life.

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It’s getting kinda hectic

~ Sahara ~ 4 Comments

In response to today’s Daily prompt: You have the power to enact a single law. What would it be?

As a social scientist, I have thought a lot about policies and laws that I wish would get enacted, the trade-offs of such laws, and the unintended consequences, both good and bad. It’s hard to think of real and true changes that will bring the most good, despite the unintended consequences.

Therefore, I think that a law should be enacted that rewards companies for offering their employees downtime, like – in-office art projects or nap time, preferably both, and maybe also time to exercise if someone wants.  If they don’t want to exercise, they can work through that time and go home early.

Perhaps the transportation system would be changed to interesting walkways for foot commuters, wide bike paths for cyclists, and slides and escalators for fun options up and down hills.

Finally, there will be small groups of performers wandering around performing – minstrels and trios, small skits and violin players. We would also make trees a priority – keeping and planting trees, weaving the walk paths through them or planting them along the edge. So there would be easy access to shade and music.