Imagine the Possibilities

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Story Challenge. Thanks to the co-authors of              Two Writing Teachers for creating this  supportive community.

I keep a small notebook in my purse. It comes in handy when I need a piece of paper or want to jot something down quickly without opening “Notes” on my phone. Once, forgetting to bring my regular notebook with me, I used it to record a revised scene from a story I was working on while waiting for my car to be serviced. Yesterday I found this page as I was rooting in my purse for something.

It brought me back to an Italian restaurant in Boston where I was having dinner with some friends. I can’t recall exactly what we were talking about, but someone mentioned that in her waitressing days she remembered a woman who ordered a bowl of parsley every day for lunch. I jotted that down in my writer’s notebook along with what I discovered about the benefits of eating parsley, and this morning I returned to it to write this character sketch.

Lucy was a regular at the Wayfair Café. Everyday, at precisely 11:43, the bells above the large oak door would sound and in she would stroll. Lucy always wore a hat, and it always matched her outfit – the flowered beret for the boiled wool olive green jacket, the purple pillbox for the double-breasted pink coat or maybe the lilac cardigan, the brown felt hunter’s hat for her soft suede skirt on that first chilly fall day. Lucy always sat in the little table by the window across from the counter where she could observe what was happening on the street. And she always ordered the same thing – a cup of pepper pot soup (snapper if there was no pepper pot), Earl Grey tea…and a bowl of parsley.  She would only eat about half of the parsley, carefully wrapping the rest in her napkin and placing it inside her purse. “I’m taking that home for my cat,” she would explain to her server, Helen. But cats weren’t allowed in the nursing home where Lucy lived…or so Helen thought.

 I have no idea where this is going, but Lucy seems like a character I might want to get to know a little better.

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Story Challenge. Thanks to the co-authors of              Two Writing Teachers for creating this  supportive community.

Excuse me, can we show you something?

 I was working a shift as a volunteer in the Children’s Garden at Longwood Gardens when I was approached by two little boys, about five years old. They led me to an out-of-the-way alcove and pointed to a small door.

What’s that? Who lives in there?

I don’t know. Who do you think lives in there?

Maybe it’s a fairy, or the man who takes care of the garden.

Shhh (ear cupped to door)…I think I hear something. Maybe it’s an animal, maybe a tiger.

I think it’s my girlfriend!            

This last remark was, of course, followed by lots of laughter. The boys then led me to a different part of the garden known as the Grotto Cove where a fog-generated fountain and a spiral staircase create a mysterious atmosphere and the feeling of being in a castle. That area always makes me feel like I have stepped into the pages of Harry Potter.

Where does the smoke come from?

Are there fish in there?

Look! There are ants crawling up the railing, and here’s a spider!

We spent the next few minutes carefully observing the iron railing on the staircase, discovering hidden objects and sharing wonderings about them.

It was a brief encounter, but it was the best part of my day. It’s what this wonderful garden is designed to do – cultivate curiosity in children. As it states on my training manual:

…They [children] will explore the world with all of their senses, play at discovery,

               and communicate their discoveries to those around them. Sharing the wonder and

               magic of a garden with them is a gift to all.

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Story Challenge. Thanks to the co-authors of              Two Writing Teachers for creating this  supportive community.

I’ve read a few posts recently about the importance of space – what it reveals about us as well as how it affects our creativity. Recently I attended a workshop held at a local middle school. The breakout sessions were in various classrooms which gave me the chance to look around and think about the teacher and students who inhabit that space on a daily basis.

As I entered one classroom I first noticed that the desks were arranged in pairs, the middle rows facing forward and the end rows facing inward.

Yes! This is a teacher who values collaboration.

Just as quickly I noticed the rain gutter under the front whiteboard. I always wanted to have one of those!  I scanned the titles and found many familiar friends – Bridge to Terabithia, Wringer, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, Stargirl. There were a few nonfiction titles and at least one poetry book, but not much in the way of more contemporary books. The bookshelves, as far as I could tell, did not house a classroom library. I also caught sight of two folders tacked to the front bulletin boards – one filled with blank book order forms and one labeled “No Name.”

Yes! This teacher wants her students to be familiar with good literature. But, how often do the titles change? Do book talks happen in this space? Can students make suggestions?

I did listen to the presentation, but my thoughts were filled with wonderings about this teacher’s space and what I could learn from it. I kept coming back to the word “reinvent.” To me, this space revealed a veteran teacher who is open to new ideas, who is knowledgeable and willing to try some new strategies to reinvent herself and better serve her students. I wanted to talk with her and discuss what else she might try. I think no matter what role we play in life – teacher, writer, friend, mother, spouse – we need to have the courage to try something new from time to time, to “let go” and “welcome in,” to move forward without forgetting the past, to remain fresh and interesting. That is what keeps life interesting.