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Memories From a Junk Drawer #2

3/15/2015

5 Comments

 
Picture
Today is the almost half-way point of the March slice of life challenge. My biggest fear when I decided to take the plunge was running out of ideas, so I started to scribble thoughts down at the back of my journal whenever something hit me – a safety net of sorts for those days when I could do nothing more than stare at the blank page. When was interesting to me was how reading the posts of other slicers gave me ideas, and when I did begin to write, ideas fueled other ideas. But this morning I found myself facing the blank page. Thankfully, my notebook saved the day. I returned to an exercise I used earlier in the challenge about looking through a junk drawer for ideas, but this time I used a junk drawer in the bathroom.

You are probably thinking that looking through a bathroom junk drawer could be dangerous, but the one I chose held mostly half-used cosmetics, samples from Estee Lauder and Clinique, and some travel-sized bottles of shampoo and toothpaste. But I also found a small gold-plated heart-shaped box engraved with “To Mommy Love Brian.” It was a birthday gift from my son when he was two. I suddenly recalled his chubby-cheeked, toddler face with his fine blonde hair looking up at me with pride and love, and I melted.

Inside the box I found a broken gold bracelet, a pony tail holder, and a small round lapel pin – CEA Volunteer. “What’s this?” I wondered. The image on the pin was an outline of a mother and child. My mind went back and back and I recalled the time I volunteered as a nursing mothers’ counselor, trained by the Childbirth Education Association of Philadelphia.  It seemed to me like a lifetime ago. It was an experience that not only was rewarding, but that gave me the opportunity to meet other young mothers and share ideas as my teaching career took a different path for a time - I coached, counseled, and became a trainer myself.  It was also my first experience of belonging to a volunteer organization, and that has remained a constant in my life. I thought about all the experiences that combine to make us who we are, but that may manifest themselves differently at various points along life’s journey. Deep thoughts for a Sunday morning.


5 Comments
Adrienne link
3/15/2015 01:19:30 am

I love how you returned to a previous strategy - I tend to use these strategies just once and cast them off, but this gives such rich fodder!!
I love how you meander in and out of time in this slice, letting your mind and page collect ideas.

Reply
elsie
3/15/2015 07:29:20 am

Sifting through drawers allows us to sift through the memories that are hidden from every day life, but found once again. A sweet journey to the past.

Reply
Maria Selke
3/15/2015 09:36:30 am

What a great idea for finding posts. I know I have lots of junk drawers and shelves filled with memorabilia.

I've been trying to snap photos and upload them to Flickr. That way I have ideas AND images to use on my posts ;)

Reply
Aileen Hower
3/15/2015 09:36:54 am

I'm so excited you posted a second one of these. I'm so impressed with how diverse your life experiences have been. It's what makes you so well-rounded and wise!

Reply
Jennifer link
3/15/2015 10:56:07 am

Rose, what a great way to find inspiration in the ordinary. Thanks for the idea, I am definitely going to steal this.

Reply



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