Humble Beginnings: or found micro stories written during the early days of the DWA writers’ salon
On this #throwbackthursday, I’m shouting out some of my salon co-founders and the prompts that inspired the following…
A stranger is luring you into their car. What would they lure you with?
A stranger did lure me into her car when I was living in Boston and working two jobs. The second one ended at 11 pm, and I had to wait at a bus stop that late at night in the freezing cold to make it to another stop, catch another bus, and then walk like fifteen minutes from that stop to the home I was living in. And so, when this lady stopped with her two adult children and asked if I wanted a ride because she was heading that way anyway, I didn’t hesitate in saying yes. I was freezing, tired, and just wanted to get home. So, I briefly said a silent prayer, “Lord, do not let me die tonight,” and hopped right in.
An Angel lured me into her car and got me home safely.
***
You found out only after drinking two cups that your coffee was laced with ____.
“If you want to keep him, you’ll have to lace his coffee with period blood. Just add a few drops to his cup and let him drink,” said Monica La Bruja, who was reading my cards umpteen years ago. I thought to myself, I don’t want the dude that bad. He can go about his merry way. It’s not that serious:
1. I couldn’t bring myself to do such a disgusting act, &
2. I’m glad I didn’t because it was tough enough to get rid of his ass without the actual hocus pocus.
(Host: Liana Rivas)
Transitions:
The gifts of summer include two sweet boys who were prancing around my insides for exactly 9 months. The gifts of my summer include two suns that arrived three years and two months apart. July and September remind me every year that my body creates miracles. That I have been blessed beyond words; that I have teachers who are much younger and wiser than I am. That life is no longer just about me.
***
Beauty Hunting:
Every time I step on my mat. I notice the change within. I also notice the physical changes. Every time I notice the all-around growth that yoga brings, I just feel so proud. For many years, I believed that I was unable to work out at home. “It’s not for me,” or “I need to be in an actual class” to get the full effect, but the way motherhood and budgets are set up, you work with what you can and how you can. Now I get creative with my yoga sessions. I have different locations throughout the house. I even set up shop in the backyard. That’s my favorite one of all.
I notice how my breathing and body yearn for the poses after a couple of days. I notice I can better balance my body. How I can breathe like the ocean when I am overwhelmed, how I can take a step before reacting negatively. That’s the shift within. And the way my belly has toned and my butt has grown…yeah, all that’s part of the vinyasa flow. There have been shifts within every crevice of me. I am getting better at life. I am getting better at trusting the process. I am getting better at flowing on and off the mat.
***
You’re walking in the forest when all of a sudden, a tree starts talking to you. Write about the advice the tree gives you on the following: resilience, change, and growth
“Hello, beautiful. Chin all the way up so you can hear me. So, the sound of my voice is crisp and clear. As the fall leaves you adore so much. You can do this, you know. You’re tough as nails. Have you not seen how far you’ve come? The adversities you’ve overcome? Count your blessings if you must be reminded. You belong to us. The forest, the earth, the universe. There’s nothing you will not be able to overcome. Even when it seems like you’re trudging through mud, you’re still moving along. Even when it seems like you’re inching along at a snail’s pace…from where I am standing, it all goes by at hummingbird speed. Time does not exist. Don’t allow the pressures of this planet to keep you from flowing freely. You’ll get there eventually. Nature will not be rushed. You will not be rushed; you will bloom at the exact moment you are meant to.”
(Host: Juviza Rodriguez )
One word to describe your writing process, then turn it into a character:
Her process was as spontaneous and mysterious as she was. Sometimes it needed to be accompanied by lo-fi music, sometimes not. It all depended on her mood for the day. She is noticing that images that remained plastered on her brain help her thought process. She includes those in her writing when she can. Lately, family, friends, childhood, and home have been on her mind. She wants to write about all her relatives and the people who helped her grow.
All of it is sporadic and spontaneous unless she’s on a deadline. Unless she has a specific topic in mind. Sometimes, when she’s WUI- Writing Under the Influence- it’s when her brain likes to vomit. All these ideas come to mind. All the thoughts come rushing in, and she could never write fast enough to catch them. Sometimes she forgets what idea came to mind because it all happens in the blink of an eye. If she didn’t catch it, she’ll have to work hard at bringing it back. Sometimes it comes and sometimes not. Spontaneous like her. Sometimes she writes in journals or on phones or laptops. Whenever the inspiration strikes, she must lasso it like a cowgirl of the countryside.
(Host: Yaddy Valerio )
I have come to the realization that I absolutely need:
Therapy to continue surviving this pandemic. To survive motherhood. And to survive myself. To save me from me. I need coffee. And nature. And books. And yoga. And community. I need my friends and their crazy ways. I need things like CBD and THC. And for the husband to take over when there’s no more left of me.
Hope:
The one thing that has given me hope…the one thing that has helped me survive and helps me escape is the act of ink on a page. It’s the click of a key in repetitive ways.
(Host: Paola Cespedes)
These are wonderful.
I love these! 💕💕