That Place You Love: Real People. Real Stories.
Round-Up on Image; Next-Up Space. Welcome new Subscribers & Heart-ers!!
Where there is destruction…
Back in June I wrote a two-part series on the theme of HOME PT 1 and HOME PT 2. The stories covered the process of buying the bank-owned, foreclosed house attached to our home.
When the paperwork was finally approved and the keys were handed over, and even though the price of the purchase was low, there was a story of loss attached to the repossessed property.
Former neighbors, with big plans that fell apart, had fled the country with a remaining balance on their mortgage. Before that, two brothers who had inherited the property argued & divided it crudely down the middle
I could feel past discord in the space.
We weren’t in the market to renovate & flip. We were increasing our footprint, making space for our friends & family ready to fly the North American coop.
Once we paid for the houses, the process of renovation began…. slowly. The cost of materials has tripled in the past three years and tax is 21%.
We figured we should wait, but then…
What’s the point of having space and not inhabiting it?
We’re taking a room-by-room approach rather than doing one big reno.
The decision to destroy parts of the house that were poorly conceived in the first place is exciting.
We’re working with a small, self-owned construction team who are efficient & communicative. We source materials from local businesses and strike deals, solve problems, and plan future projects together.
The destruction has made space for creation.
It’s like an act of rebellion in times of indiscriminate demolition in the name of war….
They don’t even consider peace anymore.
Round Up on Image. New Theme: Space - below!
If you’ve missed a week or you’re starting to feel like you might have a story to contribute, click on a THEME LINK to write 150 - 200 words on:
I always include new posts with unique links in the Round-Up.
5 Contributors weighed in on Image:
I wrote about why I thought smoking was cool and then why I didn’t and how in the process of creating a website forced me to use SEO-friendly words as image.
Carole D flashes back to the teenaged mirror dance, the Me Me Me that was never seen, and admits when she quit worrying, she could see others much better.
Melissa S questions the image she projects and would pose a survey to get a fuller picture, knowing that sometimes acting the part is part of the act of being.
Zig tracks the reality-defining choices of image that are at the same time fluid, changing over time & age and the acceptance of truth being in the body.
Intact Animal recalls a too-youthful marriage where he didn’t fit the image of husband until he did, 22-years later, with the right person & the ring to prove it.
Tabitha B went down a FB rabbit hole covering a decade of her life, memories forgotten but captured in images, and wondered if she should’ve kept it active.
READ & HEART this week’s writers & SHARE your own story in the comments.
Melissa S went back to PRAISE to write about a traumatic period of recovery from an accident and how a few words of praise nearly broke & confounded her.
Zig went back to DRAMA to write about the introvert’s exhilaration from performing on stage and how the show - snags & all - is rewarding.
(Click on the unique theme hyperlinks above to read their stories).
If you’re reading this for the first time…
And want to know more about the ZINE’s mission, go to ABOUT or FORUM on the Substack platform or read the introductory post I WAS AN EASY LIAR.
Next Up: SPACE
I was listening to Brian Eno’s The Ship when I came up with this week’s theme. His music is expansive, spacious. I love his timeless (1978) album Music for Airports.
When I listen to it…
My mind opens. My face relaxes. I imagine space.
Of course, space is also physical.
How much do we take up with our bodies? The size of space we live in: a shoebox-sized “studio” apartment or the sprawling Kansas prairie.
Our fascination with space and its potential “life forms”.
All of the space a big personality takes up at an intimate gathering.
Where does SPACE take you?
Read & Share on Monday in 150 - 200 words!
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More to come on Monday….
Have a great weekend.
Sincerely, for real.
Michelle