Quote of the Week

"I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library."
Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Kittens, Birds and Other Falling Things

I know, it's been forever since I have posted anything. I've been trying to write in the midst of finals and finding a new job. Needless to say, writing hasn't really been the priority. However, now that I'm no longer employed, I find myself writing again! Life has a funny way of working itself out, even if you don't think you're ready for it. There's just something that I was missing while I was working where I was and this is someone's way of saying, "You're not doing your job, so let me help you."

My yoga instructor also said something the other day that really hit home for me. She said that she was afraid to start teaching yoga because she felt like she wasn't good enough, or that she didn't have enough to offer. But, somewhere inside her she knew she had something to offer and knew that she just had to go for it. That's exactly how I felt about writing, and now I know that I just have to go for it! Ready or not! I have a lot to learn, but learning is achieved through practice, success and failure.

This is a story that I started working on as my final project for my literature class and I grew kind of fond of it and I'm excited to expand and keep working on it.

Here's a small sample titled: Kittens, Birds and Other Falling Things.

Once I dropped a kitten in the water just to see if it could swim. When it sank, I knew. Another time I climbed a tree to see a nest of baby birds. They didn't see me, so I picked one up just to let them know I was there. I heard once that baby birds don't always know when they're ready to fly, mama just makes them. Well, mama wasn't there so I assumed the role and let it go. The tiny shrill cry only lasted a couple of seconds. Baby birds aren't always ready to fly.

You can call me heartless all you want. I won't care. The only reason you would say this is if you didn't know my story. Sure, I could've been better, and yeah, I could've done worse. I settle for the middle. Call it fence-sitting, indecisive, numb… whatever. Most of the time it's better not to think about something too much before you do it. In all of these examples I've provided, a mere thought entered my head and I did it. I don't weigh consequences. Nothing turns out how you think it will anyway.

When I tested the kitten I was just curious. My friend's cat just had kittens and one of them wandered into my back yard. I sat on the swing set looking out over the pond wondering about fish and how they swim. People swim, ducks swim. Along comes kitty. You know the rest. No one ever asked me what happened, and if they did, I would've told them. There's no point in lying.

The birds? There isn't much to explain there. A few weeks after the kitten and the day before seventh grade, I climbed a tree by the same pond to see the birds. Baby bird jumped, I jumped off the other side. Dad mowed the lawn.

6 comments:

Launa said...

Ok, I love love love this story and you ABSOLUTELY have to keep going with it! Now that I know you have a blog, I'm totally going to blogstalk you and see what you're working on. You are such a talented writer! Seriously.

Mallary said...

Launa, I love you! I will try to keep things interesting for your blogstalking.

Anonymous said...

Was it you or whats-her-name Bushman ( it's driving me nuts I can't remember her first name! ) who wrote that trippy story of the little girl that killed her psychiatrist in our fall 2008 class? Sounds reminiscent of that. I guess I must lack that particular creative side because I have a hard time thinking of this kind of stuff.

Mallary said...

Ha ha! Yeah, it was that cute Bushman girl. Her story still haunts me sometimes too because it was so good and scary!

Anonymous said...

Um, okay. You absolutely need to post more of this brilliance. Please. Or else...
"Or else what", you ask?
"I'm not sure..." I respond.
But I love this. Keep it up!

Shaylee said...

Mal, you are awesome! I love how you write. Keep it up girl!