Sleeping Alone

even in a crowd one can still find solitude—silence is overrated

My children got me a subscription to a service called Storyworth. It sends me a weekly prompt, usually something about my childhood, to help get those creative juices flowing. Of course, the end result will hopefully be to produce a kind of diary that might leave some small insight into who I was back in the day.

One of those prompts read, “when you were a child, did you have to share a bedroom and possibly a bed with your siblings?”

Wait a doggone second guys. Do you mean to tell me that sleeping alone when you were a child is a real thing? Man, when I was growing up back in Wakenda, I recall the biggest house we ever lived in had four bedrooms. I know that a four-bedroom house might sound like a mansion but when you throw in the fact that there were more kids than you could count without using your toes, plus mom and dad, that sure didn’t leave much space.

Heck, even after I joined the Army, depending on where I was stationed, I had to share a bedroom with 4 to 12 other people. Then I got married and spent each night of my life sharing a bed.

After all those years, I’m not sure I could sleep a whole night without the sound of snoring and an occasional fart drifting out from under the covers.

Been Gone Too Long

One might assume, that my extended absence could be taken as a sign of a wonderful vacation. Perhaps a global adventure across continents or a trek of solitude high upon a mountain path. Maybe a quiet dip into the foamy waves of an exotic ocean or even an inspirational sabbatical to a Tibetan monastery.

For those with a more pessimistic mindset and are always looking for some doom and gloom, perhaps something with a little more drama. Like being incarcerated for some nefarious crime or better yet, on my death bed doing battle with the Devil for my eternal soul.

I am quite sad to report that the answer is NO to the first paragraph but very happy to give a resounding NO to the second.

In truth I have been happily crawling around in the tilled soil of my back yard in an attempt to call myself a gardener. Though my plants would most assuredly disagree, the wonderful crop of weeds and crab grass are singing my praises. However, I did manage to collect enough tomatoes, peppers, onions and green beans to satisfy my ego and to give me enough inspiration to attempt it all again next year.

I must admit that I had lost interest in pen and paper. But the nostalgia of visiting with family and friends over this past holiday season, combined with spending these last few days in my recliner with TV remote in hand binge watching “The Waltons”, has sparked my inspiration once again.

With a brand-new year ready to begin, my first official resolutionone among manyis to return to the blogging world. So, I want to say thank you in advance to what I hope will become a great friendship.

No Regrets – Poor Man’s Steak

Together, my parents faced two world wars, the great depression, floods, fires, and some things that would bring most people to their knees. Imagine just where I would be if they had just decided that things were too rough and chucked in the towel. At the time, I didn’t think they had a lot to give.
But looking back, I’m amazed at how much I got.

steak’s what I wanted
bologna is what I got—
never went hungry

~A Thump on the Head / No Regrets~

In times of impending demise, in your mind, you might see your life being replayed. Sometimes it’s in fast forward, sometimes in slow motion, sometimes both at once. Life flashes in random order, constantly cycling in and out like an out-of-control tilt-a-whirl at the county fair. You’d think that with all those moments stuck on a playback loop that one would walk away with perfect recall of all the events. Not true. You can remember things like the first time you pooped in your diaper and that piece of Bazooka Joe bubble gum you pocketed when you were ten years old. Every detail, no matter how small or insignificant will come flooding back. But what the heck just went down—draws a complete blank.

when death feels certain,
life flashes by in seconds—
don’t regret the show

~Flip or Flop~

if you see me sitting around
with my head tilted down
face wrinkled in a frown
hands shielding my face
just trying to figure out
if I can survive in this place
if I can finish this race

I know. I got it
change will come
and change will go
for better or worse
we won’t know
until we’ll either
suffer through hell
or find Heaven’s grace

if we’re to be celebrated
as conquering heroes
or banned in disgrace

the true story
will not be told
until those very last
words unfold
and in the end
they are rejected
or embraced