Sharing Morning Chats with "Strangers"

Written Monday, January 3, 2022

Story Circle Network is a group of women who aspire to write, publish, attend online classes, interact through "circles," review books and more. I have belonged to this group for over ten years. https://www.storycircle.org

Today begins an interaction of four weeks - 100+ women writing and sharing. It is free and requires one to write 20 Minutes each day and post if desired to one another in their "subgroup." 

For the upcoming month I am going to share selected posts that I have written for this interaction.

Week 1 Day 1:

I have just cleaned the kitchen, filled the dishwasher, and will "blog" for fifteen minutes before I read it through, correct those typos, reconstruct a sentence or two, click send and go settle in the recliner for my typical 7:00 - 8:00 news briefing on ABC.

Wouldn't that be something - to be so important that folks would be standing in line to "brief me" on the day's events, the world's events, even my dog's events? 

Will it ain't gonna' happen in my lifetime.....that is a given. I am 78 years in the making and pretty sure my routine is up to me. I ponder.....

Should I sign up for substitute teaching?

Should I commit to Tuesday ukuleles at the senior center?

Should I become a Meals on Wheels deliverer?

Should I volunteer at the Literacy Center?

What if I do none of the above?

It's the new year and I'm taking inventory of my possibilities to fill my days, my weeks, my conscience, my motives.

Mondays are my play days. I go to the senior center for a book club meeting. I rarely miss. Today is my day to present. Each participant selects (in the spring) the book he/she would like to discuss. We take two weeks to read the assigned book. I chose "Autobiography of a Face" by Lucy Grealy. I read the book exactly one year ago for an MFA class in nonfiction writing. It is an amazing piece of literary prose, an amazing story. I have prepared my presentation chapter by chapter. We will discuss through page 116, the middle. Then next week we discuss the remainder of the book.  The ladies (and one new gent) are talkative. I am not concerned about a lull in the conversation. The leader is a gentleman who was a professor of French. He is a good leader, keeps us on our toes (such a cliche). 

I am cliche conscious because of a poetry class I recently took. Now I am thinking that I should never write them into anything, but that is nonsensical. Many of my thoughts are nonsensical. I wish I could write like Dr. Seuss and be censored in my first briefing.

This afternoon the dulcimer group, also at the senior center, meets and jams for two hours. Yeah! They allow other instruments. I am a newbie on the fiddle. I practice at least one hour each day. I take lessons and love playing the instruments. I have diddle-daddled with a myriad of folk instruments but am now committed to the fiddle.  

Time's up! Submit and Smile!