Kindred Spirits, Strawberry Shortcake and Frozen Lemonade

Thank you to Stacey, Betsy, Dana, Tara, Beth, & Anna for this amazing platform to write and share writing! What a wonderful community you've created! I'm honored to be part of it. Join us at Two Writing Teachers. 

I left school today to meet a friend for a "grandma dinner".  It's the 4:30 dinner...you know, when grandmas eat. I totally splurged on a yummy steak for dinner and an even yummier strawberry shortcake for dessert! (By the way, strawberry shortcake is the only acceptable dessert with a fruit in it!) 

This friend and I talked and talked and talked. We shared stories about family and work and teaching. There's something about getting to know a new friend over good food. Making new friends can be hard...being vulnerable, feeling insecure, wondering if I'm talking too much, not enough. It can be nerve-wracking. I felt very little, no I felt NONE, of that tonight! Feeling trust like that is such a gift! I thought I'd get home for a bit before my next friend meet...but our dinner took hours!

Back in the car to Panera to meet another friend. TWO friends "dates" on a school night?!?! (I'm living on the edge.) Yummy frozen lemonade and sitting outside in the warm spring air made this visit...perfect. Do you know those people who make you feel happy? Those people who seem to have sunshine radiating from their smiles? That's this friend. We got a long, overdue chance to catch up. This moment in our lives, we are...Content. Happy. Grateful. Joy-filled. We shared about our lives. This friend knows how to ask good questions. And oh, how she listens!

As we were leaving, my friend asked about FLY, my word of the year. I confess that I've been struggling with my explanation for my word this year, but tonight the words came flowing out of me... FLY...I want to stop making decisions from fear. (I am working through an extreme fear of anything that flies.) FLY...when a bird is about to FLY, it has to let go of the branch and go. I am also working on letting go of control...working on believing that there's something BIGGER that controls my life and by FLYing, I will believe that my "wings" will carry me there.

Friends. I am grateful for friends. I feel so FULL tonight...so grate-FULL for these amazing women I call my friends.

Fly

April is poetry month. This month I will be crafting and sharing original poems. Often, these poems will be messy and early drafts. Many of use are sharing our poems on twitter using the hashtag, #digipoetry. We hope you join us!

To begin the month I wrote a poem inspired by my OLW for this year. I have wanted to write a poem using my OLW for a while. This is a very quick draft! I (mostly) like how it came out. 

I stand

on the branch

waiting,

looking,

hoping...

for the 

Perfect conditions:

bright sky

warm air

peaceful silence

and then,

then I will

FLY...

Clouds invade

The chill refuses to leave

Noise...

so much noise!

No FLYing today.

I return 

the next day...

I stand

on the branch

waiting...

Clouds still here

Chill biting and growling

Noise, so loud...

but something's different

I realize

conditions will

Never be perfect

for me to FLY.

Me. 

I 

Decide.

Clouds offer 

protection from the 

hot sun,

Chill invigorates and

cools when things get too hot,

Noise...

I leap

I FLY and the

Noise disappears

it was all in my 

head.

©Michelle Haseltine, 2015 All rights reserved.