I was in a writing group last night…
It’s an interesting and relatively new to me kind of activity…Until about two years ago, my writing only consisted of “purposeful” writing. Like grant writing, public health scientific journal writing, health education materials, and some coaching blog type pieces- oh and I also would do some personal journaling when I needed to sort through something…
So when I was inspired to try out this “creative” writing workshop about two years ago, with eye-rolling in tact, my brain resolved to the “purpose” of “being curious”… And guess what, I liked it!
But when an old childhood friend called to ask me how it went, she asked: “so what did you learn?”
And for once I was speechless. Even though I felt excited, my thoughts went to my brain for an answer and I could not think of anything tangible that I learned! I sort of stuttered something back, like, “well you know I learned…Umm actually I don’t know what I learned…”
My friend tried to help with answers: “well did you learn some new marketing advice, like how to write engaging material?” “Did you learn some new writing technique or something?” And I responded, “no, not really…” My friend, recognizing the downturn in my voice, said, “well that’s okay. It sounds like you had fun anyway.”
After a pause, my brain pondered: was having “fun” something that could qualify as also learning something?…And then I said it out loud to my friend, “I guess I learned that this type of writing is fun for me. And I really had NO idea that I would like it!” My friend still didn’t quite get it even as my own brain was absorbing this new perspective. But she was still encouraging and offered, “great, see where it takes you!”
So here we are…
And- there I was last night, and the writing group leader gave the prompt: “a time when you cooked up something…” And here’s what I wrote…
My grandma Rose would often cook up some baked potatoes. Except she didn’t exactly “bake” them. She would lean about 3 of them on this old metal framed thingy, (that I don’t really know how else to describe- I just have the image in my head) and set it over the gas flame on the stove.
…I love this feeling of remembering my grandma in her happy place in the kitchen cooking up very basic but nutritious food in the 6 family apartment building she lived in, in Brooklyn…But really, right now I feel like writing about, “when I had cooked up a plan.” There’s something that sounds really exciting and fun about that! Cooking up a plan!
I’ve always been pretty “straight-edged” as some would say. As a child I didn’t really want to get into trouble. My younger brother was already often getting into things and causing my parents angst even when he wasn’t really “cooking up a plan.” …Although now as I write this, there was that time…
My parents and I were playing monopoly. I think I was about 8 or 9, so my brother was 6 or 7. I’m not sure why my brother wasn’t playing with us. I think he had been for a while and then got bored. And so after some time he had gone to his room. And about 10-15 minutes later, we heard the fire alarm go off!
My brother had gone to his room and decided to light some fireworks, as we later found out!
In the moment of the fire alarm going off, my parents and I raced to the back of apartment where his bedroom was and we saw his mattress on fire!
Without thinking, my dad grabbed the mattress, dragged it through the long hallway of the apartment and out of the front door! We lived on the first floor- otherwise I can’t imagine the sight of having thrown the mattress down the stairwell of the building!
Well, once the firetruck had come and there was what seemed to be a troupe of astronauts in their masks, and oversized uniforms and boots, most of the danger of the fire had been removed. My dad had escaped with only some minor burns on his forearm.
Before the fire folks left, my parents asked my brother what had happened. And as they recovered from the shock of the story, they insisted that my brother tell the firemen what had happened. In his sheepishness he obliged and the firemen seemed to forgive him, nodding in bewilderment how this cute little blond haired blue eyed, seemingly innocent looking, boy had cooked up such a plan!
After they left, and closed the door, we all sighed in relief that the fire wasn’t any worse, and decided to end the unfinished monopoly game…