It was a nice evening for slippers. Steve opened the closet door, shuffled through the pile of shoes and finally found the old leather pair that he’s had since Lord knows when. It was the first time this season that it truly felt like fall and the wind ripped through the trees threatening to pull off every last leaf before it was done. Inside, a pot of chili simmered  gently on the stove as it’s typical to have a nice big pot of chili the first cold day of the year. Still a bit too early yet for a fire, but chili sounded really good tonight and Steve was glad Connie obliged him and threw together a big batch. He could smell it throughout the whole house and he certainly felt like the flavors had married enough for it to be delicious.

The grandkids were due to be in town tomorrow morning, and there was an excitement in the air as the last time he saw them was before Kyle and Jenny moved to Lincoln. The phone calls were nice and all, but nothing beats giving those kids a nice big hug from grandpa. It may be too chilly to take them to Centennial Park tomorrow, but he was sure they would find plenty of things to do to fill the time. Plus, there was sure to be plenty of chili leftover, so at least they had dinner covered. Connie was clever like that, and the grandkid’s sure did love her chili. Not wanting to wait another second, Steve urged Connie to give the chili one final taste test, and whenshe gave him that approving nod he hastily got his favorite ceramic chili bowls from the cabinet.

Belong

"Her world collapsed early Sunday morning."

Every once in a while, out of nowhere, Sara would hear these words from an obscure 90's song echoing in her mind.  Belong.  Such a bleak lyric lead her to hope, to dream, and she felt alive and free as she breathed in the crisp spring air. 

The air was singing and the magnolia trees were in full bloom.  Deep pink and white flowers burst forth in the warming sunshine.  Yearning for and basking in the energy from the sun, Sara felt the overwhelming urge to climb the magnolia tree that sprawled to life in front of her as she walked through Heritage Hills Park.  Before she knew it she was entrenched within those branches and the soft petals delicately caressed her cheeks as she climbed. 

There was no late frost for the first time since Sara could remember.  Too often the pedals of the flowering trees were singed by this unwelcome visitor leaving them with gnarled brown edges that withered away in decay.  Not this year, and Sara did not miss the opportunity to embrace the beauty of the season which often can be so easily overlooked.  She let her world collapse into now as she lived for this very moment in time.  She did not look ahead, she did not look behind.  She let every breath be a song.  This breath, this song, belong.

Time in the Shadows

Soon enough a wave of emotion came over him and he felt silly.  He hastily closed the laptop and shuffled back into the living room and collapsed into his recliner.  Time had a way of making him feel insignificant and he allowed fear and doubt to maintain a stronghold on his mind.  He didn't really know who he was anymore; he knew that his best days were behind him, yet he remained hopeful for the future.

Just then there was a knock on his door and he found a sweet young lady on the other side reminding him that it was time to eat.  Her appearance reminded him of his daughter or maybe even his wife, though he couldn't remember the last time he saw either one of them.  There was a distance in her eyes and he suddenly realized she was not who he thought she was.  Maybe she was his sister, did he have a sister?  It didn't matter, he was feeling frustrated but he figured he could just sort it all out later. 

He went back to grab his laptop thinking maybe he could work on his new story at the dinner table, but it was no longer there.  Perplexed, he fell back in his chair and suddenly felt the sensation of being pushed.  Before he knew it he was in the school cafeteria.  Lunch was being served and he found himself sitting with a bunch of guys from his high school swim team.  Chicken and noodles were on the menu today.  His favorite.  The story could wait.  He had a lot of catching up to do.

Brushing off the Dust

"Testing.  Testing.  One, two.  Is this thing on?"
He chuckled to himself as he thought about dusting off the old keyboard.

Would anyone listen?  Would anyone care?

There was an all to easy to ignore void in his life that he had tried to fill with other things.  Important things, no doubt, but there was always a little something missing.  A bit of his freedom, his whimsy, seemed to have been wadded up and thrown into the back of a broom closet, collecting dust and never seeing the light of day.  He had urges to write, little twinges here and there, all too easily snuffed out by the duties of being a husband, a father, and all the general doldrums of adulthood. 

He couldn't help but wonder why now, why couldn't he shake the urge this time, and why was he sitting in front of a white screen with a digital piece of paper glaring at him as his fingers rested gently on the keys?  This could be just another desperate stab at reliving part of his youth, in which he tended to lose motivation as the duties of life became too hard to ignore.  Then again, it could be something more.