Tag Archives for life

InkTober: Day 10 – Jump

The first thing that popped into my head this morning when I saw today’s Inktober prompt was a poem I wrote a lifetime ago. When I was in university, I spent a lot of time studying in the campus library. It was a massive intimidating space. Whether I was studying alone or with a group of people, some of whom are cherished friends today, I always sat in an area on the top floor. I remember looking down to the main floor one day and suddenly wondering if I’d survive the jump. No need to fret, I wasn’t suicidal. It was just a momentary flash of a thought, which I suppose was stirred by the invincibility we feel when we’re young. That thought eventually became a poem that I’m sharing along with my illustration of today’s prompt.

InkTober - Day 10 - Jump

Here are my musings from that long-ago day in the library…

If I Jump

 

InkTober: Day 8 – Rock

It was hard deciding what to write about today. I could tell the story of how I was hit in the head with a rock when I was a little girl, or how much I envy the beautiful art I see people make using rocks and other materials but those things seem too easy. Especially after the day I’ve had.

Today I went to visit a teacher who taught me many years ago – when I was in junior high school to be exact. He retired years ago and has suffered from poor health for many years. I promised many times in the past that I would visit him but never made the trip, until today. He and his wife are no longer living in their own home. They now live in a full-care retirement home about an hour outside my city. When I saw this teacher today, it was hard not to cry. The man who taught me so much and motivated me to be the best version of myself when I was entering my teenage years is barely able to stand on his own. Even so, he’s a happy person. He faces every day of his life with optimism and humour, regardless of his pain and many struggles.

Seeing him today, made me realize that he had a large part to play in building a strong foundation for me to create my life. I know that I’m not the only former student of his that feels this way because when I chat with him – in our frequent phone conversations – he tells me about the messages he receives from students who seek him out on social media; and many of my friends from all those years ago have similar thoughts and feelings about him. For so many of us he was a cornerstone. He taught us to excel, have self-respect, and never give up on anything – most importantly ourselves.

I know the prompt today is rock, but what is a cornerstone other than a rock, cut to fit certain specifications in a building’s foundation.

InkTober - Day 8 - Rock

 

InkTober: Day 7 – Lost

We all get lost from time to time, and asking for directions is an easy thing to do. Although, now that so many of us have GPS devices it is becoming less necessary to interact with other people to get ourselves pointed in the right direction. But what’s a person to do when they feel lost in the figurative sense? I think at some point in each of our lives we feel like we’ve taken a wrong turn or made a bad choice, and it can be hard to right ourselves. Unfortunately, there’s no map or device that can easily fix things, but I know from experience that doing the work to make meaningful connections with the people in our lives is a good place to start.

InkTober - Day 7 - Lost