Prompt a Week

Prompt: I exist in two places at once.

* * *

Clearwater Beach is sugar white with momentary tinges of orange as the sun sets. The sea breeze has piled up cotton ball clouds that sit on the horizon so the progress of the sun can be measured second by second. The beauty of the moment is almost overwhelming. I brush away a nostalgic tear: I’ve done this before on the beaches of Ocean City and Bethany and Rehoboth only then it was sunrise and the promise of the new day.

Sunrise and sunset. Perhaps a metaphor for where I am in life? I exist in two places at once – one foot in now, the other in then. At times it is difficult to tell the difference or which is real. I am happy here, content and thankful for every new day to enjoy this life and paradise found. But there are moments when I feel a longing for that paradise lost, populated by special friends and times and memories. You.
--Jim Van Loozen, RBWG Member

* * *

I exist in two places at once. My body and most of my mind is here in Rehoboth Beach. In fact, I'd say that I have been able to bring more of me here than I've ever been able to bring anywhere else because my "self" has accumulated over time. Still, some corner of my mind remains "on duty" to the beliefs of childhood; still alert to the requirements it absorbed at St. Anthony De Padua grade school. That self is like a pentimento -- in a certain emotional light it shows through the slathered-on experiences of more than fifty years and for a moment I see it fresh and clear.
--Tom Hoyer, RBWG member

* * *

In my world, I exist in two places at once. My reality consists of all the responsibility one person can hold. The daily mother who cares for her children, the professional at work caring for others, and the woman who wants only the very best for herself, her family, and her friends.

But the parallel world I also find myself in everyday is the one that most recently makes me smile....a lot. It is the world of love, laughter, friendship, and hope. It is a world I only dream about since I have yet to experience it. I have yet to have "that special, incredible guy" become a part of my life. And so I dream! And so I will continue to believe that I deserve him....as much as he deserves me. That we are searching for each other, each in our own separate way, and that the dream will be a part of the reality......soon. And so I continue.....to smile.
--Nancy Janssen RBWG member

* * *

Is it possible to be two different people and not be crazy? There’s the me that is a mother and a wife, a loyal friend and caretaker. I often think of it as my outside persona, the person that everyone else knows. And most of the time I suppose that’s where I exist. But sometimes, when I’m alone, I exist in a different way in my head. I become all the things I didn’t chose. The actress, singer, surgeon, author, all still live inside me, even though I chose a different path. I don’t regret my choices, generally, consciously. But I do sometimes find myself truly existing somewhere along those paths that I didn’t choose. What if I hadn’t gotten married, had children, taken jobs to support myself and my family? What if instead I had pursued a different dream? Of course I know that realistically we can never know what would have happened if we’d made different decisions. But the schizophrenic in me knows that this other version of me still exists. I exist in two places at once it seems.
--Michele Setton, Olney, MD

* * *

Shades kept any chance of light away. A shadowy figure slumped in a hard backed chair.

“I exist in two places”, she said. “You can’t imagine how confusing it is.”

“Where are you right now?” I said.

“Why here in this dark hole they keep me in, don’t you know where you are?”

“You said you were in two places, I was wondering if they were far apart.”

“At least I know where the two places are, you might benefit from some therapy yourself.”

I sat on the table my legs dangling and tried to remember what our psych instructor had cautioned.

Reflective listening. Now I remember.

“Tell me about these two places,” I said. “I’ve got lots of time.”
--Eileen Callan RBWG member

* * *

Settling into the upholstered wing chair, Michael squirmed to find just the right position. Once his shoulders and the back of his head were pressing lightly against the suede fabric, Michael allowed his forearms to fall limply across the arms of the chair. A curving line of metallic beading formed a question mark on the front of each of the chair's arms and Michael tapped one bead after another using each of his eight fingertips while he waited for his breathing to settle into a quiet rhythm.
     It took longer than usual, but finally the room around him began to fade. First it was the heavy red draperies that disappeared behind a shimmering haze. Then the Queen Anne desk, the brass floor lamp, and the cherry coffee table were gone as Michael's vision was reduced to a three foot arch in front of his knees.
     The tingling at the very top of his scalp foretold the coming release. Michael struggled to keep his breathing slow and shallow. To give in to his excitement would lead to opportunity slipping away from him. This was the part that always amazed him, the initial separation. The few seconds when he was aware of being in two places at once. His physical senses acknowledging the chair beneath him while his astral body drifted upward.
     Soon, just a few breaths away, Michael knew his only awareness would be that of the surrounding countryside falling away from beneath him.
--Bruce Krug, RBWG member




June 22, 2010 Prompt: I exist in two places at once. * * * Clearwater Beach is sugar white with momentary tinges of orange as the sun sets. The sea breeze has piled up cotton ball clouds that sit on the horizon so the progress of the sun can be measured second by second. The beauty of the moment is almost overwhelming. I brush away a nostalgic tear: I’ve done this before on the beaches of Ocean City and Bethany and Rehoboth only then it was sunrise and the promise of the new day. Sunrise and sunset. Perhaps a metaphor for where I am in life? I exist in two places at once – one foot in now, the other in then. At times it is difficult to tell the difference or which is real. I am happy here, content and thankful for every new day to enjoy this life and paradise found. But there are moments when I feel a longing for that paradise lost, populated by special friends and times and memories. You. --Jim Van Loozen, RBWG Member * * * I exist in two places at once. My body and most of my mind is here in Rehoboth Beach. In fact, I'd say that I have been able to bring more of me here than I've ever been able to bring anywhere else because my "self" has accumulated over time. Still, some corner of my mind remains "on duty" to the beliefs of childhood; still alert to the requirements it absorbed at St. Anthony De Padua grade school. That self is like a pentimento -- in a certain emotional light it shows through the slathered-on experiences of more than fifty years and for a moment I see it fresh and clear. --Tom Hoyer, RBWG member * * * In my world, I exist in two places at once. My reality consists of all the responsibility one person can hold. The daily mother who cares for her children, the professional at work caring for others, and the woman who wants only the very best for herself, her family, and her friends. But the parallel world I also find myself in everyday is the one that most recently makes me smile....a lot. It is the world of love, laughter, friendship, and hope. It is a world I only dream about since I have yet to experience it. I have yet to have "that special, incredible guy" become a part of my life. And so I dream! And so I will continue to believe that I deserve him....as much as he deserves me. That we are searching for each other, each in our own separate way, and that the dream will be a part of the reality......soon. And so I continue.....to smile. --Nancy Janssen RBWG member * * * Is it possible to be two different people and not be crazy? There’s the me that is a mother and a wife, a loyal friend and caretaker. I often think of it as my outside persona, the person that everyone else knows. And most of the time I suppose that’s where I exist. But sometimes, when I’m alone, I exist in a different way in my head. I become all the things I didn’t chose. The actress, singer, surgeon, author, all still live inside me, even though I chose a different path. I don’t regret my choices, generally, consciously. But I do sometimes find myself truly existing somewhere along those paths that I didn’t choose. What if I hadn’t gotten married, had children, taken jobs to support myself and my family? What if instead I had pursued a different dream? Of course I know that realistically we can never know what would have happened if we’d made different decisions. But the schizophrenic in me knows that this other version of me still exists. I exist in two places at once it seems. --Michele Setton, Olney, MD * * * Shades kept any chance of light away. A shadowy figure slumped in a hard backed chair. “I exist in two places”, she said. “You can’t imagine how confusing it is.” “Where are you right now?” I said. “Why here in this dark hole they keep me in, don’t you know where you are?” “You said you were in two places, I was wondering if they were far apart.” “At least I know where the two places are, you might benefit from some therapy yourself.” I sat on the table my legs dangling and tried to remember what our psych instructor had cautioned. Reflective listening. Now I remember. “Tell me about these two places,” I said. “I’ve got lots of time.” --Eileen Callan RBWG member * * * Settling into the upholstered wing chair, Michael squirmed to find just the right position. Once his shoulders and the back of his head were pressing lightly against the suede fabric, Michael allowed his forearms to fall limply across the arms of the chair. A curving line of metallic beading formed a question mark on the front of each of the chair's arms and Michael tapped one bead after another using each of his eight fingertips while he waited for his breathing to settle into a quiet rhythm. It took longer than usual, but finally the room around him began to fade. First it was the heavy red draperies that disappeared behind a shimmering haze. Then the Queen Anne desk, the brass floor lamp, and the cherry coffee table were gone as Michael's vision was reduced to a three foot arch in front of his knees. The tingling at the very top of his scalp foretold the coming release. Michael struggled to keep his breathing slow and shallow. To give in to his excitement would lead to opportunity slipping away from him. This was the part that always amazed him, the initial separation. The few seconds when he was aware of being in two places at once. His physical senses acknowledging the chair beneath him while his astral body drifted upward. Soon, just a few breaths away, Michael knew his only awareness would be that of the surrounding countryside falling away from beneath him. --Bruce Krug, RBWG member * * * Back to the Prompt Page
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June 22, 2010