In the early 1990′s, my husband, Tim, was the PGA Club Professional at a small, private club in Indianapolis. It wasn’t one of the ritzy clubs where you had to show your w-2 to be admitted but that also didn’t mean there weren’t some well-to-do members . They were varied in backgrounds but all...
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Back in January, we had a memoir prompt titled “It’s a Wrap” — encouraging everyone to write about an embarrassing moment or a “boner”. I had a blast reading and writing a response to that prompt and wanted to repeat something along the same lines this week. I know it may be rough for...
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I know we are all busy this time of year — getting outdoors, gardens, riding and such, so I am extending last weeks memoir prompt another week. It’s not a difficult prompt. Most of us remember that time in our lives pretty vividly. Dig into that memory bank and tell us a story! Click...
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The old saying is: “graduation is not an end but a beginning”. My daughter is graduating high school in about a month. We’re dealing with prom, Grad Bash, end of the year award programs, graduation announcements, relatives traveling to the festivities and party plans. We spent the other evening picking out her announcements and...
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Standing behind the register, smile duly painted on my mouth, greeting and making small talk with the customers — that’s my job. This couple is buying a pair of Merrells, a six pack of athletic socks and a dozen golf balls. I remember what it was like to be able to buy something I...
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Following up last weeks memoir prompt is this week’s “Part II”. We have arrived and you have introduced us to your destination — the reasons it holds a place in your memory. This week give us a specific memory, a story from that destination. It may be fleeting vision of a view you will...
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It’s the same feeling I used to get; staring down the main drag of town. The buildings are still standing at attention on either side of the street, their windows decked out invitingly to passersby in attempt to persuade you to patronize their establishment. The aromas from the eateries dancing on the wind, enticing...
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For some reason, spring brings along with it a longing for adventure. After being cooped up all winter we want to get out and do something – Alex’s answer to last week’s memoir prompt is evidence of that. So, this week let’s write about travel destinations. I have been working on some travel related...
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I am short on time this week, (meaning I have to work my real job more days than normal – ugh) so I am borrowing a memoir prompt from an awesome writer, mentor and teacher of memoir — Natalie Goldberg. It is a fun prompt with only one rule. It will help you exercise...
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That pungent but addictive smell — each time I get a whiff, I am taken back to the same memory. I may not smell it for months on end but then, one blast is all it takes – diesel. After 5 days of riding busses, switching busses, layovers, running through terminals, living off vending...
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Thanks to Alex and all those supporting me throughout my recent ordeal with my dad. After a little more than 3 weeks in the hospital and then, pulmonary rehabilitation, he is home now and on the road to recovery — thank God. It’s been a while since my last memoir prompt, so I would...
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I arrived with a driving need to see him. Would he know I was there? It didn’t matter… I knew. The tubes and wires seemed endless — poking in and out of every orifice. Though his eyes were closed, he was restless — twisting and turning, trying to reach his lifelines but the restraints...
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In her book, “Old Friend from Far Away”, Natalie Goldberg tells us to say the phrase “I remember” and let our minds go — recording it with pen and paper or keystrokes — whichever you prefer. “Go, 10 minutes” is one of her catch phrases. She introduces one or two word prompts, tells you...
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It’s hard to write about yourself and your accomplishments. It feels like bragging — and it probably is — but it is just as much a part of our lives as the disappointments. So here goes… Writing. I adore it, I need it. It’s cleansing, helps me to understand or figure things out. I...
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Chapter 14 of Lou Willett Staneks book — Writing Your Life — is called “Accomplishments”. Yes, no matter how big or small, we all have them. Writing your life means including acheivements. She says: “Don’t fret if you have been elected to office since you were the treasurer of the eighth grade chess club,...
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Let’s prime the pump to the well of your memories with music. We’ve all had a song come on the radio that reminds us of a certain time or event in our lives. I can be shopping at TJ Maxx and hear Rod Stewarts “Tonight I’m Yours” song come over the Muzak and immediately...
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This is my answer to the prompt “It Happened When…”. A day I will always remember is December 10th, 1980. My family was just finishing our first year on the island of Guam in the Pacific ocean. My dad was stationed at the Naval Hospital but we lived on “Big Navy”, the largest of...
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I was nervous. It was time for us to leave for the annual New Years Eve Dinner at the club. Tim was his usual laidback self sitting on the bench at the end of our bed. He was chortling as I struggled with the nearly impossible task of fanagling my 6 month pregnant self...
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I have been enjoying re-reading Lou Willett Stanek’s book “Writing Your Life – Putting your Past on Paper” to come up with weekly memoir prompts. This week I was reading Chapter 13 titled Shame, Embarrassment and Confusion. Ms. Stanek opens the chapter talking about how actors, ad agencies, editors and professors all get to...
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I went to Cocoa Beach this Summer. It was the first time I got to really sit and get lost in the movement of the ocean in years. My family splashed in the waves and built sand castles at the edge of the water and I sat there with my beer, daydreaming as the...
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