The Positives Are Coming.....

The month has been drifting by and I haven't been posting my positives, so..... here goes!

Over the past month I have met some new people, learned how to follow a simple knitting pattern, found my way to the grocery store without having to rely on my GPS, made some fabulous red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, found a new groomer for my Westies (the transformation from shaggy to cute was amazing!), went out to dinner and dancing with Paul, made friends with my computer again, and moved out of my post-holiday writing slump.  Even more positive, I sold my CT house!  The list of things that I am responsible for has been pruned and seems more manageable.  Life is good.  Yes, life is good....

The ChapStick Chronicles.....

The ChapStick Chronicles

By Amy Soscia Paloski

A guy and a girl, high school seniors, sit in a coffee shop, bantering loudly about the things in life that suck ….

Stray locks of long auburn hair drape across her face.  “My family only goes camping at places where you can buy ChapStick,” she says. 

He shifts around in his seat and then looks down at the mug of coffee he’s pressing between his hands. 

“Do you have any ChapStick?  I think I forgot mine at school,” she asks, her voice rich and sweet as the sugar and cream that flavor her coffee.  

He searches through his pockets until he locates a barely used cherry flavored ChapStick.  His long fingers reach out to her in a gesture that if left unguided, would touch the delicate features of her face.   Sorrow engulfs him as he surrenders the lip balm without connection.  She takes the ChapStick and all that he has to offer, before returning to her teenage world of philosophy laced with prickly self deprecation. He retracts his hand as if he’s touched a brightly burning flame once again.

“You are such a great friend.  You feed me.  You give me money.   And you give me your ChapStick,” she croons.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to see you suffer.  Can you imagine life without ChapStick?  You’d be lying in the gutter dying from chapped lips,” he adds as he shelters his humor.  

“Oh you’re so right.  You saved my life.  ChapStick to the rescue.  I’m a total mess.  Where would I be without you to rescue me?  You make sure I’m okay.  You even offer your new ChapStick.”

He moves as far back into his chair as he can.  Her references to their friendship paint his discomfort.  Perhaps he wants more than to rescue her.  Perhaps he wants to prevent life’s cracks from causing her pain.  Perhaps he wants to soften the harshness of the world around her.  Perhaps life only sucks if you are the one who offers your ChapStick, but never gets to feel the softness of the lips of the girl who owns your heart.

She swirls her coffee.  The spoon clinks against the rim of the thick white mug.  The tension walls itself between them until she can’t stand it.

“I heard from everyone that last year’s Sadie Hawkins dance sucked.  I may still go though.  When will I have another opportunity to ask someone out to the Sadie Hawkins dance?”

He straightens up and dons a serious façade before offering her unsolicited and veiled advice.

“Two points.  Don’t wait until the last minute and don’t sit on your ass all night.”

“I might even wear a tuxedo,” she says, ignoring his availability.

He gathers a deep breath and holds it.  Perhaps he’s wondering if she’ll ask him to the dance.

“That could be cool.  Where else but at Sadie Hawkins can you wear a tux and not look like a complete freak?”  He exhales.

She powers up her iphone, reaches across the table to show him a photo.

“That’s me and my little brother.  He loved wearing his suits.  He was like the little kid that gets made fun of because he was forced to dress up, but he didn’t care.  He just loved those suits.”

He glances at the picture of the two of them and then focuses on her image. 

“I think I look kinda weird in that picture.”

“I think you look pretty,” he reassures her. 

To be continued…….

© Amy Soscia Paloski 2012 

All rights reserved.  Reprints with author’s permission only.

Turn Your Dissolving Resolve into a Positive

Welcome to 2012!  A new year advertises the need for change and growth. We are inundated by the media touting the limitless possibilities that are within our grasp, if only we stick to our goals, if only we make small changes, if only we develop some willpower.  Many of us struggle through week one and then miss a step.  The unconsciously missed step sends us back to our old, comfortable ways.  And then the resolution dissolves, not to be seen again until next December when we’re in the same fix.

I have not made outlandish resolutions this year, given my weak track record from past years.  I have resolved only to make the most of each day.  Of course I’d like to read the classics, eat healthier, get more exercise, and get my novel off the ground, but as I look at each goal, it’s like climbing an ice covered mountain. 

So, I’m going to journal my positives.  I will post them at weekly, more often if time permits.  Seeing my positives in print may improve the overall quality of my life.  It may also propel me forward in my quest for greater life balance.   Sharing life’s little triumphs can help to keep us all uplifted; thus, I invite you to share the positives from your day or your life.