Selecting Shoes

Can you believe this collection of shoes?!  Let me say at the start these are not my shoes. I whipped out the new camera recently and took this picture in the home of a friend. But, I believe you can tell alot about the person from just this picture.  There were additional shoes in the closet - dress shoes, boots, work shoes, etc.  You get the picture. Leave me a comment describing the person who is the owner of this collection and I will then tell you "the rest of the story" and we will see who is closest to being correct.  And, so you know, the owner of the shoes will not see this journal entry or your comments.

Is this a ploy for comments?  Maybe, but mostly I was so shocked by the revelation of this rack of shoes I felt it was journal worthy!  And, it was a good way to start practicing the download from my new camera.  Of course, I think it may be getting old that I am always saying, "Wait!  Let me take a picture!!"

Tags: shoes, camera, comments

Remembering Big Chief Tablets and Protractors

I was in a WalMart this past week and saw the stacks and stacks of school supplies. Already the parents and their kids were clogging the aisles making decisions about back-packs, pen styles and whether or not little Brittany needed the Neon markers in addition to the primary colored ones.  Of course, she did!

Moms with the glassy-eyed look of a wearied warrior perused preprinted schools lists that will invariably be incorrect.  This will result in another trip to the store, with a panicked second grader, on the evening of the first day of school.  First graders don't get it - yet. 

Do not venture into WalMart or Target in August if it can be avoided.

Buying school supplies with my kids was fun, in a masochistic kind of way.  I walked a fine line between trying to stay within budget and yet allow them to make "cool" choices. Those were the Transformer years and Star Wars and the New Kids on the Block, each vying for their market share.  My daughter's Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox would probably be worth something on e-bay today. My kids had a little of their own money at the time and if they wanted something that was unreasonably beyond our budget constraints they had to purchase it themselves. Funny how that reigned in a lot of impulse buys. I do remember my son loved mechanical pencils, even in elementary school.  It was more expensive but we let him start the school year off with one.  If he lost it he was back to a yellow #2 until the Christmas break.

I can remember my own school supply days choosing folders in a variety of colors, new pencils and art paper.  It was such a fresh start each year and even though I made the appropriate groans about returning to school, I loved the social interaction and the routine. Of course, that typically lasted a week before I was counting the days until the first holiday. The big choices I recall were if your folders came with or without pockets. The plain ones were 7 cents each and Mom stocked up for four kids at three schools so getting folders with pockets was a big deal.  And, crayons. I longed for the box of 64 Crayola Crayons with the the built-in sharpener but can only recall getting it one time.  It has since become a recurring theme in some online surveys and memes I have completed.  Blue-green was my favorite color and could only be found in that box of 64.

When I was in the 7th grade, and in love with Davy Jones from the Monkees I believe, I had a canvas notebook that was in bright colors and lots of paisley.  It had a matching spiral notebook as well and I loved it!! I saved that special notebook for just the right occasion and still had most of it left at the end of the school year. That was also the year I remember Mom writing the subject on the front of each folder I had for class, in broad tip Magic Marker.  Her handwriting was beautiful and I can still remember how neatly the words, Science, Algebra, and Speech looked on the front of each.

Don't ask me why, but when I was in line behind a family at WalMart the other day, and they were purchasing four of each color of folders, the orange ones triggered the memories that prompted this post.  My Science folder was orange. 

I had to control my desire to hit the school supply aisle!! 

                                            

 

Tags: school supplies, crayons, Monkees, Transformers, New Kids on the Block, WalMart, Star Wars

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Been there ... want to go again

1. Charlotte, NC, USA
2. Dallas, TX, USA
3. Naples, FL, USA
4. London, England

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My Caffeine Level for Today

Found this over at Shelly's CyberChocolate. I am not surprised it is only moderate.  This has been a long week!!

Created by OnePlusYou - Online Dating Site

Tags: meme, caffeine

Random Thoughts

I am still shocked to find myself excited if I find gas less than $4 a gallon these days. I remember it was 35 cents a gallon when I started driving.  Of course, back then I also charged 50 cents an hour to baby sit!  I was much in demand and often got 75 cents or $1 an hour (Woo Hoo!!) from the parents with difficult children. And, that still wasn't enough.

Today my neighborhood station dropped the price of gas to $3.76 and I pulled right in to top off the tank. I intended to use my debit card but it wouldn't take it. I then realized it was already turned on and just waiting for me to start pumping.  It had been prepaid for $10. I got all excited that someone had done a random act of kindness or a random act of stupidity by driving off before they pumped.  I paused to contemplate my good fortune.  Then I heard the clicking of someone trying to get the gas to pump. It was a young girl in front of me and I could tell she was expecting gas to come out but nothing was happening.  I called to her and asked, "Did you prepay?"  She had.  "How much?"  $10.  I told her something must be wrong with her pump and quickly filled my tank with the two and a half gallons.  Tee Hee.  Not really.  I told her they had put it on the wrong pump and waited while she went in and they reset the pumps. Gotcha, didn't I? 

In spite of my frequent references to age defining things in my life, I do not consider myself old.  I just keep having moments where my mind will jump the track, typically in mid-sentence and I cannot think of the right word or even what the topic was at the time. It is very frustrating.  Sometimes at work I get up from my desk and head toward a destination and, unless I have a page in my hand that is a clue of my intent, I will stop, look around and have to back track to figure out where I was going. I just tell myself ......

For those of you who grew up in the 60s (and even those who have only read about the 60s), I would like to recommend the television show "Mad Men" on AMC.  It is about to start its second season so rent the first season and also look at the Special Features on the DVD for interesting tidbits about the sets, styles, decor. It is about advertisers on Madison Avenue in 1960 and it is a fascinating look into that era.  It is not, I repeat, NOT, "Leave it to Beaver."  It is at least a PG-13 rating.  And, if you are trying to quit smoking, this is not the show for you.  I haven't seen that many smoke rings in decades.

Oh, yeah.  I tell myself that it is just because I have too many things on my mind. 

Tags: old age, gas prices, nostalgia, Mad Men

What makes a grown-up?

When I qualified for my first credit card, I thought I was a grown up.

When I got married, I knew I was a grown-up.

And, then I had children and thought, now I am officially an adult.

When I was asked to be a chaperone I felt I was a "cool" adult.

I later took on all the responsibilities of single parenthood and said, this is what it means to be an adult.

When I bought my first home I learned mortgage = adult.

I was with my grandmother when she breathed her last and felt that moment was a turning point into adulthood.

I helped my mother make the arrangements for my grandmother's passing and felt even older.  It was the first time I had ever had to help pick out a casket.  [I had always said I wanted to be buried in the cheapest box possible but after I saw the garish pink and blue flocked caskets, I decided to rethink my position.]

When I got bifocals I kept my adult secret to myself.

When I got trifocals I bragged about how easily I adapted.  That's what grown-ups do.

When I became a grandmother I announced that it was a premature event!

When my children complained that my television was too loud, I suggested they had ruined their hearing with their ipods and surround sound.

When I eat at a cafeteria and don't want the blue Jello, I realize my childhood is fading.

When people, whom I consider to be my peers, call me Momma and ask my advice, I tell myself I am flattered.  I'm not sure I am.

When AARP started sending me mailers I considered it junk mail.

When I can eat what I want, when I want it but still choose vegetables I feel very mature.

And, since both my parents are relatively healthy and living on their own I realize I have not had to take on that ultimate role of caregiver or decision maker so my segue into adulthood is not complete.  I am grateful to still be the child.

Tags: adulthood, grown up, grandmother, veggies, caskets, AARP, trifocals, mortgage, child

Fra-gi-le - It must be French!

Wow!  I was very pleased to win the Magic Smoke "What's The Caption" award and I appreciate all the great comments you have so kindly left for me.  I was a bit embarrassed that the one time I am getting "national attention" was when my latest entry was the most unguarded entry I have ever posted. 

http://journals.aol.com/journalseditor/magicsmoke/entries/2008/07/22/winner-of-whats-the-caption-wednesday-16.../3403

I typically want to go for the upbeat, more positive post and having new readers come at this time was like having drop-in company when your house is in shambles. 

Never fear. I have cleared the papers off the coffee table, washed the sink full of dishes and, much like Hansel and Gretel's crumbs in the forest, I have picked up the trail of clothing that starts just inside the front door. 

So, ya'll come on back now, ya hear?!!

 

If you do not understand the title to this entry, please check this out:

http://www.redriderleglamps.com/majoraward.html

Tags: award, embarrassed, OCD, A Christmas Story

Other side of the coin

I believe that everyone has two sides to their life.  There are the pleasant memories and the not so pleasant ones.  Even in the most unhappy of childhoods there will be moments of laughter and joy, if for no other reason, than they were the moments that were less painful.

The other night I wrote an entry of things I remembered from my childhood. It was a fun list and many of the items were from my family's once a year "vacation" to visit my mother's family 1,500 miles away. Wish we could have gone there more often. It was a time where my mother was happy with her friends and extended family. She never quite adjusted to marrying a Southern and being uprooted.  But that was only part of what made her unhappy.

As I created my happy list I was glad to recall the fun times I had as a child but I also thought, "There is that other list I could make.  Boy, would it be a different picture!!"  Things were difficult to say the least in my house. Not the Sybil, multiple personality, kind of trauma, but the painful, daily events that shaped my one personality.

[When I originally posted this entry, I went on to write about six events from my childhood that were traumatic for me at the time.  It was very cathartic to put it in writing but I have since removed that portion since it cast a negative shadow over what I prefer to keep an upbeat journal.]

There is no need for me to dig up the debris I remember.  Suffice it to say that that none of us are unscathed and while someone may have some happy memories scattered throughout their childhood, they may have just as many painful ones.  We each have to make a conscious decision how we will allow those events to effect us as adults.  I hope my experience made me a better parent since I was determined to raise my own children differently.

So, when I look back, I try to pretend that we were always on vacation.

Tags: vacation, memories, discipline

Finding I have a different attitude

I was driving on a service road of the highway the other day when I approached an intersection where there had just been a two car accident.  I saw there was a woman still sitting in the driver's seat and about five men had gotten out of their cars to help.  I pulled over and went back to offer my support as well.  I have no medical background and typically do not feel I need or should get involved in a situation like this. It is not that I don't care, it's just that I think the best thing for me to do is stay out of the way.  But after I had my car accident last November, I recognized how I was so grateful to the people that came up to help me and the woman who held my hand. I wanted to do the same for this young woman. It is a scary, helpless feeling.

Her car was absolutely totaled since she had been t-boned by a utility truck, spun around and hit a large utility box.  Glass was everywhere but she had relatively few injuries.  Thank goodness for her seatbelt!  Problem was she was 3 months pregnant and was naturally upset. I told her I was just there to hold her hand until the ambulance arrived and I asked if she needed me to call anyone.  She had me call her husband and I reassured him she appeared basically okay - just scared more than anything.  I offered words of comfort, reminding her the worst was over, telling her the ambulance was on its way and so was her husband.  She had me call him back to ask if he was coming on his motorcycle (he wasn't) and to be careful (he was trying).

I saw a pair of glasses in the middle of the intersection and sure enough, they were hers so I retrieved them for her. A guy had climbed into the back seat of her car and was holding her head immobile and asking her medical questions. He seemed to know what he was doing and gave all the details to the EMTs when they arrived.  I moved out of the way, held her purse and started gathering the CDs that were scattered from one end to the other.  I knew her car was headed to a towing lot so I put as many things in her purse as I could that looked important. 

When her husband arrived they were already loading her into the ambulance so I gave him her purse, asked what else I could do and started back to my own car. 

I don't really notice the grass on the side of these roads.  It's either mowed or in need of mowing and this area appeared mowed.  Imagine my shock when I am walking along the grassy shoulder back to my car and stepped into a crevice up to my knee.  Guess it is to be expected in hot, dry Texas where the ground expands and contracts on a daily basis. Luckily, I was wearing my ankle brace but I lost my balance and sat down in the grass with a thud.  I wasn't hurt but my bad foot was stuck in the hole. I said out loud but to myself, "Oh, that's just great!" I started laughing and was rocking back and forth trying to  extricate myself. That was all the EMTs needed.  The casual bystander now part of "the scene."   'scuse me.  Got room for me in that ambulance??  I seem to have rebroken something. LOL

A second later two of the firemen approached, offered a hand and pulled me loose. They were concerned I was hurt but I assured them only my pride was a bit bruised. I got in my car and drove on, grateful things had not been more serious with the driver and thinking how we are all in this together.

Tags: accident, helping others, EMT

I remember

I usually get so caught up reading everyone else's entries and run out of time to do my own. But, along the way, I read so many great journals and they trigger ideas for me to "bring home".

Tonight was no exception. I enjoyed, among others, Robin, http://journals.aol.com/robinngabster/TheYellowBrickRoad/ and her most recent "I remember" entry. I immediately started down memory lane myself.

I remember ...

1.  My dad playing The Barbie Game with my sister and me one Christmas day.  We laughed so hard when he had to go to the prom with Poindexter and he acted sufficiently disgusted with his lousy luck.

2.  Homemade ice cream in the summer. For years it was the hand crank kind and later it was the oh-so-cool electric version.  Mom put towels on top and we kids took turns sitting on it to pack down the ice.  And, rock salt! 

3.  Vacations spending three days in the car to get to Mom-mom and Pop-pop's house. There was a drawer in the guest bedroom where my grandmother always put new toys for our visit.

4.  Pick-up sticks.

5.  Transistor radios.  Hidden under the pillow and then fall asleep with the music playing and the battery run down by morning.

6.  My Pink Lady bicycle that I pedaled to school every day since my mom did not drive for years and my dad traveled during the week. I really wanted a regular colored bike like my friends and I took a lot of kidding for my fancy-schmancy one.

7.  I loved Cocoa Krispies every school day morning with orange juice and toast. Fried eggs and bacon only on Saturday mornings. Oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins on Sundays.

8.  Sunday's roast, potatoes and carrots cooked in an iron dutch oven while we were at church. The smell that greeted us when we returned home was wonderful!!

9.  Praying at every meal.

10.  Playing the card game Pit.  Corner on the market!!!!

11.  The red baby doll pajamas I got when I had my tonsils removed.

12.  Peppermint lifesavers in the right hand drawer of my great grandfather's roll top desk.

13.  Rolling pennies with Pop-pop on vacation.

14.  The weekly Top Forty list the (only) radio station in town put out. I remember collecting them but cannot recall where we picked them up.

15.  Feeling sophisticated playing cribbage with my cousin.

16.  Picking beetles off the rose bushes in the backyard.

17.  The big wooden picnic table.

18.  The box of 64 Crayola crayons.  With a built in sharpener.  That was the coolest!!

19.  Mother sewing all our clothes.  The fights we had over the hems as I got older.

20.  Dippity Doo

21.  Wrapping toilet paper around my hair at night to keep the hair just right! I would wake up with a wad of tp on my pillow and curly bangs - again!!

22.  Pedal pushers.

23.  Care packages at camp.

24.  Picking blackberries ... and raspberries ... and strawberries.

25.  Honeysuckle in abundance.

What fun this was!  Living it and remembering it.

 

Tags: childhood, vacations, memory lane, games

Getting to know me

I got this several times in emails and loved reading the answers.  Instead of sending it out I thought I'd just do it here.  Hope you'll play along.............

 

(Prompted by Donna at http://journals.aol.com/nightmaremom/Thisandthatandhockey/)

 

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?  No, my folks just liked the name.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Back in June when I got mad. I hate when that happens but I can't seem to stop the waterworks when I get that angry.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes.  My mother use to make me practive my penmanship when I did not have homework. Wish she had made me learn calligraphy!

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Mmmm ... ham

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes, two. Daughter 30 and son 28.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Good question.  I think so. I enjoy my own company. :-)

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? as if!

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?  Nope

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Nope.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Special K with red berries. 
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Ummm.. nope

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?  Not physically, but I have dealt with a lot and think I handled most of it well.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Fudge Brownie Nut - you can't get too much chocolate  LMAO!

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their smile/teeth.

15. RED OR PINK? Red

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Weight

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST My sister... she is still living but her mind is drifting away. We have not been able to have a regular conversation in over three years.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Hope some will do an entry, yes

19. WHAT COLOR  SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Since I am still having to wear the ankle brace, athletic shoes are the only ones that fit. I am wearing white ones with matching socks.  LOL

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Schlotsky's original (sandwich) on sour dough. Yummy!

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Nada

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?  Blue/green, only found in the box of 64.  Do they still make that box??

23. FAVORITE SMELL?  Burning leaves in the fall (only in the country these days.)

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My son, about 3 hours ago

25. FAMOUS PERSON YOU WOULD LIKE TO MEET?  Bette Midler
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?  Of course, she is so talented. And, we share the same name!
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?  Hockey
27. HAIR COLOR? Blonde this month
28. EYE COLOR? Blue

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No, I have one eye that dries out immediately and I always look like I am winking at people.

30. FAVORITE FOOD? Italian

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Endings 
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Amadeus, again 

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Lavender

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Both!

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Strawberry pie or banana popsicles if I am in a hurry

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I hope to see lots

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?  Anonymous

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? 1000 Splendid Suns

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Flowers

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Things my daughter tivoed.  Kimmora, Life in the Fab Lane and Hopkins

42. FAVORITE SOUND? The sound of falling rain and now, my grandaughter saying "Nana."

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles before Yoko

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?  England

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? A few, but the only one I will admit to here is being able to do spoonerisms.  Ever hear the one about Rinder Cella who went to the bancy fall?

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? MD

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?  All of them :)

Tags: survey, This That and Hockey, chocolate, spoonerisms

Tags:

Making Memories

I love fireworks!! So, this past holiday weekend, I did not miss an opportunity to enjoy, not one, but two events. One on Thursday evening and another on Friday. The Thursday event was Kaboom Town which has frequently been ranked in the top ten of outstanding fireworks displays. http://www.addisontexas.net/events/KaboomTown/

When the children were young, Kaboom Town was a family adventure. We packed a cooler, plenty to eat and our lawn chairs and planted ourselves in a KMart parking lot across the street from the main festivities. We tailgated with lots of friends and it was a blast.  You had to start early to get the best vantage point and I clearly remember the year where we were so close it looked as though the sparks would rain down on us.

During the six years I lived in another city I got homesick the night before each July 4th and longed for "the good ol' days." The first year I was back in town, I joined several friends and my daughter with her new boyfriend as we spread a picnic and shared cold drinks. Texas in July brings its own challenges to stay cool. We had a great time but swore we would remember where we were that year and try to get closer in the future.

This year was a bit different. My son was in town and he and my son in law (aforementioned "new boyfriend") had played golf all afternoon and were in no mood to sit in the heat waiting for the sun to set.  I was not to be deterred so my daughter, bless her heart, packed up the baby, food, drinks and yours truly and off we headed into the sunset.

The news that night indicated that over 350,000 were in attendance at Kaboom town. Can you imagine the crowds??

The KMart has long been gone so we were guessing what might be a good location. Naturally, my daughter wanted to avoid as much of the traffic as possible.  But, we kept creeping closer and closer until we finally found a nice big parking lot with several other families already set up and aimed toward the event.

Out came the lawn chairs, in festive red, white and blue, of course. Then the baby's Pack N Play, mini-playpen, toys, July 4th pinwheels, cooler, food, drinks, radio ... we were set.  This particular fireworks display is set to music on one of the local stations. I could just feel the anticipation in the air.

Finally, at 9:30 PM, the fireworks started. You know how we knew?  We could see the glow of the display in the distance, directly behind the building that blocked our view! We had parked too far away and the rockets red glare was too low on the horizon.

You should have seen the scramble in that parking lot as we all rushed to try and secure a better view. But first ... throw the Pack N Play in the back, collapse the chairs, shut the cooler, grab the stroller and baby and run!  The whole display is only 30 minutes long so time was of the essence. Across the parking lot, over the curb, across the street, hop the the other curb, dodge the construction of the building in our way, round the bend, don't stop in front of others who have better seats staked out and still .... not a good view.  A row of small, decorative trees lined the street!!  They've got their nerve trying to beautify the area!

Keep in mind I am still recovering from knee and ankle surgery so I did my best to keep up and not fall down. Three generations of thrill seekers.  A one year old, her mother and grandmother. What a trio!  I kept repeating, "Unbelievable!"  No, my daughter chided, "Believable!!"

We finally found a small break on the horizon and I spent the next few minutes trying to help the baby see the fireworks in between the trees.  She did not quite understand why Nana had spent that time teaching her, "What do the fireworks say?  Boom!"  Yeah, right, Nana! And, we thought this would be a photo op, the baby with the fireworks lighting up the background. Instead, we have pictures of Baby looking at her mom as Nana points to nothing in the distance.

By the time we walked back to the car, we ended up stuck in traffic that lasted over an hour.

Let's just say, my son and son-in-law were grateful they had passed on the experience. And, you can be sure that the next night when I went with some friends to another fireworks show we knew exactly where the fireworks were based before we settled in.

 

Tags: Kaboom Town, fireworks, July 4th, baby

I did it!!

I am now the proud owner of a Nikon D60 SLR with a 18-55 VR and 55-200mm lenses.  Bit of a jump from the WalMart disposables I have been using, huh? 

Big thanks to all of you who left comments or sent emails recommending a digital camera.  Your advice was excellent and it helped me know where to look in my quest.  I did a lot of research on line and then in store searching as well.  Everyone at the stores was very competitive when I told them what price I was prepared to pay and asked what could they do for me for that amount. One sales assistant said, "You found that price on line right? I will meet that price."  Nope, I want you to throw in more or beat the price.  She did not have the authority.  See ya.

So, ultimately, I got the best package deal with a free printer and classroom instruction at Wolf Camera. I took my first pictures that evening of fireworks and was sooo pleased with how they turned out. Now I just have to figure out how to get them from camera to computer.  Details, details.

Tags: Nikon D60, camera, Wolf Camera

One of my short stories

He knew they were in trouble.  He saw the look of fear in her eyes and all he could do was offer encouragement.  “Come on, Mom.  You can do it.  It can’t be much further.”  She was not as confident and the strain was showing.  He had tried earlier to cajole her with humor but the time for levity was long past.

 

She knew her limitations and she struggled to keep pace.  When they had originally set out on that cold December day, neither of them could have anticipated the twist of fate that would alter their plans and bring them to such a test of endurance.  Mother and son, facing the elements of nature – on their own.

 

And so they continued.  He took the lead and around each bend, they faced yet another disappointment.  How had they become so lost?  He had experience in similar circumstances and had led many others through rough terrain, always offering a positive word, a reassuring smile.  This time it was different.  This time it was not planned and neither of them was adequately prepared.  Her shoes did not provide the support she needed and on occasion she had stumbled.  Fortunately, she had not fallen.  They both feared that if she did, the will to stop would be stronger than the will to press forward. 

 

He looked over his shoulder. In spite of the cold, he could see that the effort she was making had caused moisture to form on her forehead and, at her temples, her hair was damp.  The wind whipped dry leaves around their feet and they crackled and crumbled beneath their step.  Her lips were just as dry and parched.  They had begun to crack and he, too, realized he needed water.  Why had they left it in the car?  He berated himself for his failure to plan ahead.  “I can’t let myself dwell on that now!”  It was too late for personal recriminations.  He searched the sky and was relieved to see thick, dark clouds forming with an ominous look of rain.

 

Neither of them had brought adequate provisions.  She clutched a small bag close to her chest as she struggled to keep her coat closed. While the button less coat was stylish, she felt foolish now at the naiveté of her choice.  No water, no food and the charge on the batteries of their respective cellular phones had long since faded.  Why hadn’t they called when there was still a possibility they could guide someone to their location?  It was pride.  Both had been convinced they could walk out of this maze.

 

The son had recognized early they were lost but rather than retrace their steps he had encouraged her to keep moving forward.  Each turn had brought another disappointment when the landscape remained unfamiliar.

 

The mother stayed quiet but she mentally chided herself for the sedentary life she lived.  She did not walk much and now every fiber in her screamed for rest.  What had possessed her to start out on this miscalculated outing?  It all seemed so simple and yet, they were so engrossed in their conversation neither one had recognized the wrong turns they had made along the way. 

 

As they rounded the next bend, her spirit was buoyed.  She saw familiar landscapes and realized that the end of the trail was near.  She hobbled faster and her son, now relieved to see the end in sight, teased her unmercifully.  “Look at you – breathing so hard!  Come on!!”  He laughed and she smiled.  It was almost over.

 

The next time they went shopping at the mall, she would pay attention to where they parked!

 

 

 

Original story by Donna aka Dust Bunny Protector, December 2006

Tags: Mother, son, lost, fear