RIP RUNNIN & ROARIN

This is just an outlet for me, to be able to get my thoughts out! I am a Woman, Wife and Mommy that also works outside the home! Just me trying to make it all work for the best for my family and myself! Just my journey!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Couches

The white couch, in front of the big picture window. We have two wing back chairs, one on either side of the couch and two round tables covered in mauve table cloths! I can see my neighbors bi level across the way, just to the right of our big tree in our front yard!

Start the assignment:

My first couch that we purchased for our new home, after we were married. I picked it out at Wards, in the clearance section, and then called hubby and he approved it and we loaded it up and took it home! Our home seemed so large. We put it in our living room, where we only entertain once-in-a-while guests and there's no TV in the room. The couch is white and I love it and I only sit on it when company visits. I watch Papaw come over and hold Adam until he falls asleep or they both fall asleep sitting on the white couch, Adam sprawled over Papaw's belly. A small break from a colicky baby.
Later, I am at a women's retreat and hear a poem about eating popcorn on a white couch and it changed my thoughts immediately. I couldn't wait to get home to share.....

My 3 minutes are up.

I performed this writing exercise with pen and paper, to ensure no "backspace" editing. I set a timer and then just wrote. I transferred it word for word here.]

The Assignment:
Here's how it goes: With pen and paper, make a list of ten couches you've known in your lifetime. (This also works with other words, but couches are my favorite because they are central to many moments in your memory.)

When you've made your list, take a deep relaxing breath and find the couch that has the most powerful emotional charge for you. Then begin writing about it in the present tense. Describe the scene.

What's behind you? In front of you? To your left? To your right? Above you? Below you?

Who is there? What are they saying? How does the scene unfold?

Keep writing for three minutes until you've reached the end of the vignette. Keep the pen moving. Three minutes will seem like a long time. But don't stop. If you run out of words, doodle a little till they come again.

Don't edit! Keep the memory and emotion there in all its raw glory!"

This was neat assignment, I could go on! It really got me thinking! Thanks Stephanie for the challenge!

9 comments:

  1. I know- didn't it go so fast? Like I could have just kept on and on!!!

    Steph

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  2. Oh no, white couch! I was never good with white stuff... I freak out at even the smallest smudge because with white, it's always so obvious. Hats off to you for being a brave momma and going for white ;)

    -Rach

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  3. Steph, thanks, I did enjoy this exercise and yes the 3 min went by far too fast!
    Miss Clippy: The white couch came before children! Before I was even pregnant, but it lasted through two of mine! The "being a brave Momma" isn't so true! But thanks!

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  4. Your words flooded me with memories of my first "married" couch! Mine was white with very soft, baby blues swirling about it. My husband and I took my mother-in-law along to the furniture store and she LOVED the couch. I didn't! I began to fret about that couch the instant we left the store and continued to do so for 6 years. 6 years of babies and jelly and cookies and crayons! When it was time to replace it, I picked out a NAVY blue couch that lasted through the college years! Today would have been my mother-in-law's 91st birthday, and I think she's coming to me through your post! Flo was a marvelous, loving, beautiful mother-in-law... oh, and strong and opinionated!... but do I miss her every single day. Thanks for a wonderful post!

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  5. 3 minutes goes by SO fast. You should've seen my chicken-scratch from trying to get it all down as fast as I can type - it's hard!

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  6. I love that your entertaining room has no TV!

    stephanie@metropolitanmama.net

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  7. Yours reminds me of a story that my husband told me about a table on Antique's Roadshow.

    Great work!

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  8. i love these couch stories - it's amazing how different they all are. what a fun & creative way to recall precious memories!

    and thank you for your sweet words on my blog. it's nice to know that people are actually enjoying what they read. (& nice to make new blog "friends"!)

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