That Place You Love: Real People. Real Stories.
Round-Up on Risk; Next-Up Closure. Welcome new Contributors & Subscribers!
A day late…
I grew up with uncertainty & inconsistency.
My father was always late.
My mom moved us around.
People were part of my life and then gone.
Over the years, I’ve become driven by consistency, reliability, accountability.
It’s my “thing”.
And I let you down.
I took a risk by keeping the Substack going this week.
It’s the one time in the year I’m away from my laptop, putting out multiple fires, and running on few hours of sleep.
But I didn’t want to break the consistency.
I wanted to write 52 stories in a year
& to read your stories without interruption.
I’m so glad I did it… the Contributor stories on RISK were worth it.
Even if I’m 9-hours late on publishing the round up.
Thank you for making me accountable.
Round Up on Risk & New Prompt - Closure - below!
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.
7 Contributors weighed in on RISK:
I wrote about RISK in the form of intentional challenges that strip away a lifetime of pain to encounter the true self, the uncorrupted child inside.
(in order of appearance)
Carole D confronts & refuses the lure of self-pity when taking the risk of sharing oneself as a writer and possibly inviting negative feedback or sore feelings.
Karen E considers the risk of knocking twice on a family member’s door to bring them out of their funk & into the fun of the shared memory of playing Risk.
Melissa S recalls the free-wheeling risks of youth in comparison to the risks we take as adults with much more on the line… even when love is the pay-off.
New Contributor Christina takes the risk of falling in love with someone she met in the middle of nowhere, following her instincts on a whim that pays off.
Tabitha B enacts a childhood game of backyard stunts that could have had great consequences if not for her confidence in taking a risk.
Intact Animal shares the cumulative effect of taking on risk to protect others in the act of risk-taking & reaching their goals.
New Contributor Judith A risks everything she has to win back what was callously taken from her: family, legacy, respect, and home.
READ & HEART this week’s writers & SHARE your own story in the comments.
Contributor Pascale went back to TRIBUTE to write about a parent’s struggle to remember herself. In HOME PT. 1 Pascale shared the first installment of a restless quest for Home and followed it up in HOME PT. 2 with a gripping floral metaphor for uprooting every time she leaves that home.
(Click on the unique theme hyperlinks above to connect to the stories).
Next Up: CLOSURE
On Monday, I’ll write about CLOSURE. It’s particularly meaningful to me right now, as I’ve made some strong changes in my career path recently. Saying goodbye to toxic relationships and bad practices without bitterness requires closure.
Where does CLOSURE take you?
Read & Share on Monday!
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More to come on Monday….
Have a great weekend.
Sincerely, for real.
Michelle