That Place You Love: Real People. Real Stories.
Round-Up on Closure; Next-Up Promise. Hitting high temperatures & surviving.
Things are heating up here…
The inside of my nose is baked.
My eyes feel drained of all liquid.
I pump aloe vera & marine salt spray and use gel drops in my eyes.
Arnica and coconut oil on my skin. Rose water & mint mists.
Along with drinking water,
These are tools to protect my body.
I used to panic under extreme conditions.
Fantasize about an escape.
But for some reason, I’m present.
Why the change?
We once tried to escape the heat by going north to Belgium when they had their hottest week of summer on record, and no one was prepared for it.
We live in a 100-year old house designed to withstand summer.
We don’t need air conditioning.
Only patience.
I’m writing at night after the sun has gone down, when it feels like a window of respite from the heat has opened.
The escape is home.
Round Up on Closure & New Prompt - Promise - below!
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6 Contributors weighed in on CLOSURE:
I wrote about my aunt’s death and the unintended damage that occurs over time when issues are left unresolved.
(in order of appearance)
Carole D files an unintended Part II to her TRIBUTE story where it’s understood that closure can also be left open, like an empty space meant for remembrance.
Melissa S shares a tale of closure in the form of recovering the wedding band off of her dead Ex’s finger to then give it to their son in honor of his life.
Amelia recalls a time when cherished outfits were given away by her mother as part of a quiet battle. 50-years later she invites her to take her place as stylist.
Intact Animal credits an LAPD raid as closing out his tenure as a late-night DJ, giving him the break he needed from a lifestyle that didn’t serve him anymore.
Karen E writes about ‘grief quakes’ that interrupt a perception of closure after losing a loved one and the stages of love that allow the sun to shine again.
Tabitha B’s brother knew their father needed to finish the last book in a series before he died, bridging a logistical gap and closing the family distance.
READ & HEART this week’s writers & SHARE your own story in the comments.
Contributor Pascale went back to ROMANCE to write about places of shared moments with her partner that have become benchmarks in a larger event.
(Click on the unique theme hyperlink above to connect to Pascale’s story).
Next Up: PROMISE
On Monday, I’ll write about PROMISE, which reminded me of a Bruce E. Kaplan cartoon.
A patient is in a hospital bed waiting for the results of some tests.
The doctors stand in front of the patient with clipboards in their hands.
The caption:
“We did find a creative bone in your body, but, unfortunately, it was very untalented.”
Where does PROMISE take you?
Have you made some promises you wish you didn’t?
Broken some? Lived up to some?
Been told you have a lot of promise?
Read & Share on Monday!
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More to come on Monday….
Have a great weekend.
Sincerely, for real.
Michelle