I got a new book for Christmas from my niece. It is the perfect book for a writer. It is called 642 Things to Write About. Inside, the pages have one line of text written on them and the rest of the page is blank. They are like story starters. Some pages have 1 and lots of room, others have 2 and still others have 4 on them which divides the page into quadrants. I can tell you already that the varying space on each page is going to be my greatest challenge. Writing by hand will be my second. However, despite my ever present problem with being two wordy, and my lack of legible handwriting, I am intrigued by this book. To write a bit each day, on random topics seems like a fun activity. To fit my thoughts into boxes and in set spaces seems a good exercise in word selection. I have decided it would be even more fun to share what I write with you. Feel free to create your own response and post it under mine. I probably will not share all 642 things, but you never know. 😉
1. A houseplant is dying. Tell it why it needs to live.
(In my younger days I used to have a Wandering Jew plant…I named him Moses. This conversation is in memory of him.)
Moses you have lived such a productive life. I remember when you were just a sprout…a few leaves and a stem. I wondered then if you could ever survive my care or lack thereof. But you have been a hardy friend who has never taken offense at my scattered, intermittent ability to remember that water is vital to your survival. Wilting has always been your subtle way to remind me. However, this time you seem withdrawn and your refusal to bounce back has me worried. Moses, I need you in my life to remind me of what overcoming hardship and neglect looks like. I need your fresh leaves that now spill out over the sides of your basket, to show me that growth is imperative to life.
Yikes out of space already…this will be harder than I thought.