This is a story that I wrote when I was about 15 years old. I had been reading a lot of mystery stories and a contest came up about writing a story for an illustration they supplied. This is what I came up with, very dark, but I think it’s appropriate because I won 2nd Place. They said if I had been over 18, I would have won 1st Place. I have kept these handwritten pages throughout my adulthood and wanted to keep it somehow archived. I have recently been learning to paint and I created a painting, with the help of a wonderful man who joins me on my journey, of the illustration that they wanted a story about. The painting was a collaborative effort and a very fun one. I am putting the handwritten piece I did so many years ago in the back of the frame so someone, many years from now, can find it and wonder how it get there.

An original story from me…..

The man waited at the end of the stairs to the bridge. His thoughts were on the past, the future, anything but the here and now. Standing in the encroaching darkness, he felt a tenseness as he waited for the one sound that would release him from his own private hell.  His thoughts drifted to the time when she had first entered his life. There had been only light, only goodness. These had slowly been replaced by darkness and bitterness as her true self had emerged.

His soul, the money, the possessions had been enough at first. Then she wanted more, not just from him but from others. Most recently from just one other.

Soon he could no longer turn a blind eye to the events which had finally forced him to the darkness where he now stood. The time was approaching, the future was being formed now and was no longer in his control. Soon she would read the letter he had sent to her signed with the other one’s name. Soon, he would know the truth. With that one sound, or the omission of it, he would know what his future would bring.

The shot rang out across the water. As it echoed around the lake, the man smiled sadly for what once had been light and goodness was now forever just a brief monent of his past.

My sister and I went to a trail nearby on Thanksgiving weekend called Painted Desert Trail. It was very interesting and very beautiful. It felt so good to just hike along a fairly easy trail and I began wondering what retirement is going to look like. Will I be able to find new trails and go whenever I feel the urge? Will I be so used to the workday structure that I find myself waiting for the weekend to actually go do something? Whatever will happen is going to happen soon. I’m so close to retirement, I can smell the creosote bushes along the trail. I vow to explore as many new things as possible and go on many adventures. Hopefully with a friend or loved one, but if I have to, I’ll just go on my own and delight in what I find. I can’t wait!

Susan Cannon, Painted Desert Trail, Southern Arizona

I went on vacation last week to Missouri. It always feels like stepping back in time when I’m there. No computers, no work related phone calls, no stresses. Idyllic views with fresh air and warm breezes as I sat on the front porch watching the clouds float across the sky. I was a little surprised on how happy I was to be away from my day-to-day life, which made me realize even more that I want to change things up when I retire in a few months. Start living a simpler life with less stuff, less stress, and more happiness. I don’t think I’m ready to live in that small town in the Midwest just yet but I do know that I would like to spend more time with the people I care about who make me happy and get away from the people who don’t. Changes can be difficult but they usually turn out for the best when you have a goal like mine. I might need a riding lawnmower though, I don’t want things to get too simple. lol

I’ve always been a little bit of a risk taker, going in-the-out door, sometimes eating food a few days past the expiration date, only cleaning out the lint trap every other load…you get the idea. But lately I have been playing Russian roulette with my gas gauge.

The other day I had driven the Charger to work and heard the telltale ding of the “gas is low” alarm as I pulled into the parking lot. I had no way of knowing how much longer I had to go before It ran out because this car doesn’t have the wonderful, albeit unreliable, digital readout that my Fiesta has.

Shrugging that worry off, I parked the car and I went into work and spent the day creating deliciously fun graphic designs. When the day was finally over, I happily went out to the car to head home. I had a few stops to make so I took care of those and then noticed that “Gas is Low” light again. Hmm, what should I do? Take a chance and get on the freeway or be prudent and put some gas in while I was still in town? So, being me, I headed toward the freeway and hit the gas.

I  merrily merged into the left lane, listening to Kane Brown on Pandora with my phone placed on my lap, and set the cruise control to 72 mph, settling in for the 14 mile ride home.

I was singing along poorly to a song when it happened. All of a sudden, an alarm went off. Rapidly and loudly repeating that dreaded ding ding sound. I felt a moment of panic then my emergency response mode set in. Since the car was obviously setting itself up for eminent engine failure due to lack of fuel, I switched to damage control mode and assessed the situation.

First step, turn off the air conditioning. Check. Next, roll down the window (not exactly sure why I thought this was important). Check. Disengage cruise control. Check. Tried to turn off the loud music so I could concentrate but fumbled with the phone and dropped it on the floor under my feet. Next, I turned my focus on getting into the right hand lane so I would be ready to pull into the emergency lane when the car stopped running.

I began to slow down and went to engage the emergency lights when I noticed it. My left turn blinker was on. How long had it been on? Did I accidentally hit the switch during my emergency preparedness? Wait…that wasn’t the gas level alarm. Shit. The alarm was sounding because I had been driving for 6 miles with my blinker on. Then it hit me, I had slipped into the demographic where I needed to be told to turn off my blinker! My spirit thoroughly crushed at this point, I rolled the window back up, turned on the air conditioning, turned off my blinker and tried to retrieve my pride.

By the time I pulled into my driveway, I had mulled it over enough that I felt better knowing that if this situation should really happen, I’m gonna be totally ready! I may never again remember to turn off my blinker, but I know I can handle running out of gas if it ever happens.

Next stop, the gas station to fill up.

 

An airport is a place like none other. So much activity. So much to observe. So much of everything happening quickly. A world of structured chaos.

While waiting for a connecting flight at the airport, I sat at my gate and settled in to watch the activity all around me.  At first glance, it seemed like a never ending procession of humanity flowing by. Blonds, brunettes, redheads, grey hair, white hair, thin hair, full hair, brushed hair, tangled hair. Backpacks, luggage, strollers, purses, bags. Coats, shorts, hats, tees, sweaters, dresses, pants, parkas.  Dressed up, dressed down, dressed wrong, dressed just right. All in a transitional state of motion to their next destination.

Focusing in, I watched a little girl in pigtails dance happy circles around her mother while she looked frantically at the departure board to find their gate. An older couple holding hands and resting in their chairs while clutching their luggage and their tickets. A younger couple sitting together but not together. A mother with three children trying to keep them fed and happy and contained in a small space.  A teen on his phone seemingly oblivious to the world around him. People with joys, troubles, hearts full, hearts broken. All these people with a story, a dream, a past, a future.

Every person is different, but we are also so much the same. People need to respect each other more for the individuality that makes us who we are. For without that, the world would certainly be a much less wonderful place to live in.

A friend recently asked me about my life, my habits, and my likes and dislikes. It was interesting to summarize my life in a few short bullet points. So, here I am. 

• My favorite color is black. It’s just a cool color for everything.
• I fall off my bike more than I should.
• I thought I was a rebel in High School until someone recently pointed out that I looked just like Marsha Brady.
• Had a couple of near death experiences, like being crushed between two cars, but came through it with no noticeable issues, just a scar on my leg that’s hard to see.
• Good music brings tears to my eyes. James Taylor always, Kane Brown most recently. Sometimes at work listening to Pandora I have to turn away from people until it passes.
• My best friends in life have always been male. I just really don’t understand females. Men are more honest.
• I can cuss like a sailor if provoked. I know ALL the sentence enhancers there are. My son was in the navy and I worked with pressmen most of my life so I have heard it all.
• I worked as a stripper in my previous jobs…. Not what is sounds like, it was just an antiquated title that they called people who set up print publications. Light tables, darkrooms, etc. I was actually only one of 2 females in the Phoenix area. All the other strippers were men. It’s always been fun to shock people with that.
• I’m not sure of myself in life.
• I love my son, my granddaughter and my grandsons more than anything in the world.
• I worry constantly.
• I wanted to be a psychologist and studied it in college but life stopped me. However I seem to act as a therapist for most people that I meet. I guess I’m easy to talk to and I work for free.
• I’m not religious but I do believe in angels.
• I avoid negative people.
• Alcoholic beverage preferences, wine and the occasional shot of Tequila.
• When it’s all over and I’m out, I just want to be able to say “Damn, I had a good time!”

In 2016, I had a big birthday. One of those that pushes you over the top into another bracket. I was dreading it but decided that turning older on the day after a historic election where a women was finally elected as President, was ok. I was determined to write about the experience so that my Granddaughter could experience it with me when she got older. But, as the history books will show,  that didn’t happen. I got older but with no historical moment to ride into the next chapter of my life with. Depression,  confusion, fear, and disappointment were my feelings that day.

It has been several months since then and my attitude has changed. I have realized that there was indeed a historical moment that day. Though it wasn’t a world event, I became “Of a Certain Age” and I am determined to make the best of it until the next decade comes along.

Though it would have been nice to celebrate both events at the same time, I will still look forward to the day when a women is elected President of the United States as well as other milestones along the way. We have a long way to go as a country and I will do my best to help make things great for future generations.

What does it mean when you have a plant growing out from your bathroom sink drain?

1. That you have an incredible green thumb and a knack for growing anything anywhere?
2. You’re such a ray of sunshine that plants just naturally gravitate to get close to you?
3. It’s a sign that you need to change careers to become a botanist?
4. Or, a new family of plant life has begun and you are the first person to see it. Of course, then you get to name it after yourself.

What do you think?