She sat at her desk shaking her head. Ugly office sounds everywhere. Here she was a fish out of water. Closing her eyes, she transported herself to a breathtaking view. Butterflies land on wildflowers nearby to the tune of insects buzzing in the breeze. Droplets of rain create reflections of tiny orbs. The pungent aroma of wet leaves and moistened dirt penetrated the crisp clear breathing space. The place she connected with. The calm it brought. A place she longed to be, away from the voices and clatter. Somewhere to wander trails, listen to her heart beat with nature.
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99 WORDS...AND A LITTLE BIT MORE
Various thoughts of being a fish out of water were spawned (no pun intended) with this week’s prompt from CRLC. Some I put pencil to paper, only to unceremoniously draw a line through them before moving onto the next. My preliminary creations required that I step further outside my comfort zone than what was normally accepted. But alas, my heart knows me better than anyone and those snippets of words will be kept for another day of writing.
I kept going back the words I might be heard to say, “It is where I am from that takes me on a journey to where I go.” And, truth be known, even that can take me beyond the walls of comfort; but not on this day.
Growing up, it was a given that our parents were okay with the options our future might present to us. Post-secondary education, marriage, children, travel, etc., all fell under the heading of our choice, with their support. I don’t mean support in terms of finance, I mean support in, “If that’s what you think you need to do, we’ll have your back as best as we can.”
Believe it or not, that help often as not came from being able to visit home, and participate in things we took for granted in our growing up years. For me, saddling a horse to ride for hours through the bush, sitting in the hayloft just listening to the sounds, enjoying the smells or wandering my parent’s property on foot, visiting favourite spots, some grown over and lost in childhood memories. My time on these excursions gave me a huge gift - sending me back into my adult life with a feeling of calm, rejuvenation, and ready to tackle the next chapter of where I would journey.
Now my connection comes from hours of gravel travel, wandering trails, and surrounding myself with friends who are like family to me. They, like me, understand and maybe live that life I speak of. Embracing this journey of where I am from that keeps me grounded on this amazing adventure to wherever it is I might be going.
I kept going back the words I might be heard to say, “It is where I am from that takes me on a journey to where I go.” And, truth be known, even that can take me beyond the walls of comfort; but not on this day.
Growing up, it was a given that our parents were okay with the options our future might present to us. Post-secondary education, marriage, children, travel, etc., all fell under the heading of our choice, with their support. I don’t mean support in terms of finance, I mean support in, “If that’s what you think you need to do, we’ll have your back as best as we can.”
Believe it or not, that help often as not came from being able to visit home, and participate in things we took for granted in our growing up years. For me, saddling a horse to ride for hours through the bush, sitting in the hayloft just listening to the sounds, enjoying the smells or wandering my parent’s property on foot, visiting favourite spots, some grown over and lost in childhood memories. My time on these excursions gave me a huge gift - sending me back into my adult life with a feeling of calm, rejuvenation, and ready to tackle the next chapter of where I would journey.
Now my connection comes from hours of gravel travel, wandering trails, and surrounding myself with friends who are like family to me. They, like me, understand and maybe live that life I speak of. Embracing this journey of where I am from that keeps me grounded on this amazing adventure to wherever it is I might be going.
| Ann Edall-Robson Author, Photographer, Lover of Life "Capturing moments others may never get to experience.” | Be the first to get all our latest news and updates. Join our mailing list. |
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January 23, 2024, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a fish out of water. What is the source of the tension? The characters, the action, the setting? Or, is it literally a story about fish, real or metaphorical? Go where the prompt leads!
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