Personal Insights from
Creative Prose
Treasure
Treasure the memories of the sweet treats she once shared;
Treasure the memories of her smile;
Treasure the family gatherings and good times;
Treasure the uplifting support shown to each other;
Treasure the memories of wisdom shared;
Treasure the memories of the ones who cared;
Treasure the soul that surrounds us;
No value can be placed upon the true treasure;
Treasure the memories for it is all we have left.
Just an observation:
Recently a comment was made that really got me thinking about people, our society, and basically double standards among my own gender. During this time of race issues and violence that in so many instances are only related to the color of the victim’s skin, it is hard for me to wrap my head around critique of another woman’s professionalism, education, or skill set based on her appearance. Appearances in many cultures even within our own state, neighboring state, and/or country skew the norm for some very close minded individuals. From the psychological angle, the take is an outcry or expression of the aggressor’s own insecurity coupled with possible narcissistic idealization of one’s own superiority or “higher class” / status.
Let me take my opening of this observational study I now find myself submerged into and couple the snobbery with a take as well on financial differences geographically. As a single mother I worked multiple jobs while attending college (18 hours a semester/dean’s list; I share because it makes my mother proud). In today’s economic climate many working women find it a necessity to seek multiple means of providing for their family whether she be single or a couple. It is simply what is necessary. I for one salute those hard working women diving head first into the pool to take care of themselves and their family.
Now allow me to share the single statement I overheard that has fueled this study. I’m quite certain that I am about to open an enormous carton of red wigglers. “She looked like a biker chick.” It is my understanding that this observation/comment came upon the meeting of a realtor that was wearing scrubs, driving a vehicle that advertised a home health company, and had a visible tattoo. Without being there in person I can only rely upon the statement that I overheard and the situation described, so with that being said I too shall dive in head first in the murky waters of this situation…so hold my towel. I’m about to be in the deep end.
Let me begin my narrative with this, “Never judge a book by it’s cover.”. According to the United States Holocaust memorial museum statistical data approximately 90,000 female prisoners were identified with a series of numbers created for female prisoners in March 1942 until May 1944. Each new series of numbers introduced at Auschwitz began with 1. Some Jewish prisoners (but not all) had a triangle tattooed beneath their serial number. Do you think for one minute that these women, the survivors of this tragedy, had a day go by that looking at that tattoo didn’t remind them of just how brave, resilient, tough, and amazing they are/were? Would you call any one of these ladies a biker chick? Would you have the audacity to demean their intelligence because of the mark upon their skin?
Humor me a bit further if you will. Time magazine did an intense article and research into why professional women, women of all walks of life would get a tattoo. Seriously think about the choice folks…it is a commitment. (not for the wimpy chicks) Did those with fingers pointed and noses tilted once stop to ask or think to truly step back before judgement? A high percentage of females committing to being tattooed today are just trying to wear their ideals as a badge of honor (Koal to Motto in Time Magazine) Their badge of honor being to cover scars post breast cancer surgery. Their badge of honor to mark freedom from an abusive situation. Their badge of honor after the loss of fellow service men/women on the team that was lost during service to this great country. Their badge of honor to remind them of their own strength and accomplishments. Their badge of honor in claiming back their own empowerment and ownership of their own bodies.
According to Wikipedia in 2012, tattooed women outnumbered men for the first time in American history according to a Harris poll. In 2013, Miss Kansas, Theresa Vail, became the first Miss America contestant to display a tattoo during the swimsuit competition. (the insignia of the US Army Dental Corps on her left shoulder and the Serenity Prayer on her right torso). She is intelligent, brave, educated, and by the way “Thank you for your service”.
Maybe because it struck such a chord with me in the entire comment because I too have a tattoo that is my badge of honor. It is for me the symbol of strength, overcoming hardships, and conquering a wrong. The other half of that coin “biker chick”, I too take a stand. One of my fondest of memories is riding motorcycles with my father. The freedom of riding with friends enjoying nature and freedom of the wind in my face. Some of my dearest female friends ride. By the way, each is a well educated, professional woman that I would stand with any day, any place. So for one I would say “biker chick” is a compliment for the resilience, strength, and courage to become an equal player on the open road.
So, instead of judging a predisposed and making a judgemental statement why not adjust the crown of another woman by thinking how hard working and dedicated she must be. This woman is a professional realtor that by all standards takes a lot of hard work, education, and dedication simply to become licensed. This woman apparently works at more than one career in that she is making house calls to care for the sick in this time of Covid-19 and the unknown. Why not allow all of us to take a moment in the future to think before we speak. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Just because someone is different doesn’t make you superior. Lead by example ladies it makes for a better life experience.
Old Soul
The fluid sounds of the piano as it soothes the pain of the day;
The fire that flows from the fingertips of the prodigy.
What an old soul to feel such pain and presence.
The connection to the times, the flow of the message, the calm the music brings…
What an old soul to feel with such passion.
From the deaf ear of Beethoven to the brilliance of Don Shirley, brilliance in the message, talent beyond measure…
What an old soul..
Perhaps that soul found the connection in one of equal hardship. The same but different.
Ludwig introduced to the melody of the mind at a young age, yet plagued with failure of but one of the senses.
What an old soul…
The passion in his play beyond his mere digits, Don Shirley the man may just have been the vessel to house an old soul…
Though his plight was quite different in the struggles of culture and racism, fire flowed from his fingertips as he shared his gift..
What an old soul…
In this unequal paying field of man vs woman, race vs race, culture vs culture, does Keiko Matsui not dance the ivories as was once lost?
Her masterful manipulation of her instrument beyond her years…
What an old soul..
Connect the dots for yourself..our cultures are intertwined, our lives shaped, our souls live on long after the flesh is gone. What will your soul share? Will you dare to be a force to be reckoned with along the journey from this world to the next? Open your eyes, fuel your passion, connect with your soul, and above all else share the gift from your past life… what an old soul.
Roots run deep
Our roots run deep in the family as do for this amazing tree.
The trunk so strong with history as is that of the family;
Our roots run deep in many directions seeking their way;
As in our family with members seeking to make their mark.
The roots run deep to strengthen the tree as the branches display the foliage.
The branches reaching to the sun indicative of the sky’s the limit for our next generation.
Our roots run deep…
The crisp bright green of its leaves reminiscent of bright young minds;
Strong roots hold tight the tree and all of its branches on display, as does family values taught; reaching out to new paths of pride and knowledge.
Our roots run deep…
When a bough breaks the leaves will fall but a fresh one comes in its place.
As our members venture out they just may fall, that’s when we lift them back into place.
Our roots run deep…
Even in the fall when the leaves change and drop the memory of their beauty remains.
So true is our remaining memory of loved ones lost as the beauty of their life remains.
Wealth and Wisdom
Should the true meaning of success be measured by the size of your wallet?
Or maybe how you have chosen to learn and rise above life’s hard knocks?
To have lived through hell..crawled in it’s ash and coal;
To have given up on myself only to be granted another chance.
To have dug up from those depths, cleansed the silt from my eyes;
Following the path my soul led me in this journey.
The wherewithal to hold your head high while you grow puts you far above any
tax bracket.
A life wasted is what I had …
A life wasted is what I deserved…
… the light shone brightly but it was not for me.
A life wasted is what I had …
A life wasted is what I deserved…
… the knowledge gained along this journey is etched in my brain ..
A life wasted is what I had …
A life wasted is not what I deserve …
… the awakening of that knowledge is the light that shines brightly..
A life wasted is what I had …
A life wasted is not what I have …
…the light shines within me ..
How many times must one fall?
How many days must pass?
How many roads must one travel in order to find the way?
How many journeys before one is on THE journey?
How many times must one’s heart break before the cure is found?
It’s all in the numbers….
One must fall in order to appreciate the rise…
The continuum of the fall remains until appreciation is achieved.
It’s all in the numbers…
Days are only numbered to keep the order..
The greater the numbered days passed, the greater the successes.
It’s all in the numbers…
GPS coordinates aren’t always the key..
The green lights ahead serve as a gatekeeper.
It’s all in the numbers…
One must never tire from the journey..
The journey may make one weary but only for a moment..
Follow the sunlight to seek enlightenment.
It’s all in the numbers..
The healing begins as the journey never ends.
Only those that seek true happiness will find their own cure.
It’s all in the numbers.
As the evening of June 6, 2020, started to unfold we were reminded that hurricane season is upon us, a full moon is on the calendar, storm surge developing in the Gulf, and rain in the forecast. Party time in Surfside. The flood gates, no pun intended, have been opened as the Covid 19 pandemic trapped citizens are being set free. As the gates opened so came the restless to our home. It is truly a blessing to be able to live in this Texas paradise, the Village of Surfside. From taking our morning walk along the beach drive to feeding birds from the deck of our home, each day we are overwhelmed by the beauty around us.
Though we know how amazing it is to live here, we also are very much aware that we must play nice and share this magnificent place with others. In the short time of calling Surfside our home it has become quite eye opening as to how little others think of our home. When we share the beach with our grandchildren we embrace the opportunity to educate them about nature, the beauty of the water, the sand, and the animals that call it all their home. On a recent outing with our 4 year old granddaughter she kept digging up bottle caps and handing them to us for trash. She asked why there were so many. How do you explain to someone so young that someone was lazy and messy, so they chose to leave their trash for others to clean. Without prompting her reply, “well that isn’t nice. The birds and fish and turtles will not like that”. From the mouths of babes!
On Sunday, June 7, after the full moon, high tide, storm surge fiesta of the Gulf, we walked our usual trek in absolute awe of the amount of trash (plastic bottles, jugs, bags, caps) that were all across the street and up into yards along beach drive. Our take on the site before us, “The Gulf said here you go people take bake your trash. We don’t want it.”.
In researching to answer my curiosity of a realistic statistical picture of the waste spread into the ocean I found a most interesting read originally in Gulf Coast Mariner magazine and run again in the Houston Chronicle per the following link https://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/gray-matters/article/How-microplastics-are-ruining-the-Gulf-of-Mexico-12511165.php The article titled “How plastic pollution is hurting the Gulf of Mexico”. I was floored when reading the estimated eight million metric tons of plastics that have found their way into the world’s oceans each year. Plastics that can take hundreds of years to degrade, while breaking down into even smaller “microplastics” that can be consumed by marine animals and eventually find their way into our food chain. I say again, out of the mouth of babes, “well the birds and the fish and the turtles won’t like that”.
Though a lot of us are learning more about the recycle life as we grew up without a thought to the future because everything was always going to be plentiful, pure, and good; it is up to us all to learn and re-rain ourselves. I’m taking the pledge today as was offered in the article in the link provided and I’ve shared that pledge below.
Take the pledge
McGuire used her citizen-scientist investigation to form the Florida Microplastic Awareness Project. Each volunteer takes a pledge. You can, too.
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1) Read labels on personal care products and avoid those that contain polyethylene.
2) Use paper or re-usable shopping bags.
3) Avoid using plastic drinking straws.
4) Bringing your own water bottle or drinking cup instead of buying single-use plastic beverage bottles.
5) Instead of Styrofoam, bring your own washable hot drink cup.
6) Use foil or a washable container as a to-go box.
7) Recycle as many plastic items as possible.
8) Instead of nylon, acrylic and polyester, choose more natural fabrics.
Come enjoy the beauty of the Gulf. Leave only footprints with us and take away memories made. The amazing tapestry shared where the sky kisses the waters of the Gulf only we can maintain the beauty and preserve natures gift for years to come.
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