March 7 , 2010
Prompt: I have been careful my whole life.
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I have been careful my whole life. I cared deeply for my parents and grandparents when they were living. I care that my brothers and sisters are too distant in too many ways. I care intensely about my wife and children and grandchildren. I care about my friends. I care about my religion. I care about my country, my community, and, yes, myself. So tell me why you would think I could break the pattern and just this once be careless with you as though I did not really care at all.
--Jim Van Loozen, RBWG Member
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She was told to be careful her whole life. She was to keep the secrets. If not, severe punishments would be given and everything would end up worse. Why try to tell? She was just a child. Adults never believed children. They told children to be quiet, to not tattle and sent the complainers off to play.
Jamie did not trust adults. They seemed to be in cahoots with one another, especially men. Jamie wanted to know why men were so important, why TV shows claimed that men "always knew best?" Jamie was eight and didn't understand. She thought women were as good as men, girls as good as boys.
She thought about the girls in her class at school. Many were very smart. Often the girls got the highest grades. They didn’t act up as much either. Sometimes girls were the fastest runners and could hit the ball far into the field. They caught high flies on the run and slid into home without being tagged, even in a dress. Still, for some strange reason, girls were laughed at and called sissies. Boys got back at other boys by calling them girls. Jamie thought being called a girl should be a compliment but she carefully kept that idea to herself.
--Alice Morris, RBWG member
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I have been careful my whole life. I looked for steady work, eschewed the idea I might be an artist or a writer, never even considered a year to go off and "find myself," never seriously considering that my skull was a geode full of crystals waiting to see the light of day. I never had a convertible to drive at madcap speeds down narrow lanes. Now, long since, I'm vested and settled and safe and comfortable and I can barely remember those intense moments when, in the presence of one who dared, I was weak with envy. One lives to tell the tale, of course, but what sort of tale is it?
--Tom Hoyer, RBWG member
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She had been careful her whole life. Always sure that she pleased her mother, her father, her teachers, her friends. Now it was time to please herself. With her husband gone--not that she was glad that he had died, but he was--she had only herself to take care of. The children were all on their own. At last. Thank goodness. Dick had left her more money than she had anticipated, so if she sold the big house, took a small apartment, scaled down seriously--she had yearned to for years-- She didn't eat much. She had enough clothes to last a long time since she had always dressed to please him. She could sell the extra cars and the pickup, too. And the grand piano. She'd better go slow. The children might want some things and they might be upset if she moved too quickly. But she could plan. Oh, lovely--plan, plan, plan.
--Sharon Hoover, RBWG member
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The freight train rattled the windows as it rumbled through town. Jessie noticed the way it swayed and twisted around the curves. One of these days I’m going to get on a train and get as far away from here as I can. The chance came sooner than she expected, a letter from her aunt in
--Eileen Callan RBWG member
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I have been careful my whole life and for what? Trying my best has gotten me headaches, time alone, and an up-hill battle the whole way! So now I wonder was it worth it all? Did it make a difference to mine or anyone’s life? I am at a loss for an answer.
Do miracles really exist and I am just one of the forgotten? My faith is shaken, my confidence in God and life withering, and my future questionable. I am alone today in my soul, the echo of my thoughts reverberating in an empty shell of a person. I feel faceless as I look in the mirror, clueless about a tomorrow, and yet for some reason beyond my comprehension......I remain hopeful.
--Nancy Janssen (RBWG member)
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When you have a family like mine, you have to be careful all your life. Individually they are lovable and their quirks could be tolerated, even appreciated. In the pack of 7, which is how I thought of us, I had to be really careful. Everyone else was a giant of a person. Doctors estimated growth patterns in the upper 3%. I never knew I was short until my father took a shot with his new Polaroid camera and before my eyes I saw the truth. I was a midget, and my 6 brothers would always be able to do with me what they wanted. They carried me on their shoulders. After mom caught them, they did stop using me as their indoor football. They were coordinated, so there wasn't really any danger, but you couldn't convince my mother of that. So I have been careful my whole life, until today. I decided to board the bus and run away. I did not look at anyone after I told the bus driver to take me into Port Authority. I'd decide from there.
--Mary Pauer, RBWG member
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I have been careful my whole life. Though I grew up during the great depression, my family were farmers and tradesmen. I escaped WWII by one month. Served in the Navy for 3 years. Over all I have had an easy life. I inherited nothing but good genes. I have invested a little money in stocks; I have relocated my family, I in time bought investment real estate. But none of these were risks as such. I have been cautious and understood the odds. I would like to say that I made brilliant choices, but that would be inaccurate. I can only claim that I have not made any bad choices. I was married for 48 years had 3 daughters. My wife died and I married another. Both women gave more that I feel I gave in return. My life has been a succession of good fortunes and propitious timing. I admire the successful risk taker for he can stand tall. I am humbled by having survived for 82 years and it has been easy.
--Harry Coss, RBWG member
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