Every Monday, my mind begins to sift through the happenings of the past week to pluck that just right snippet of life to become my “slice of life” on Tuesday. All week long, I am collecting bits and pieces in my mind (and photos on my phone), but none jump out and say, “I’m the one you want to bring to life with words.
I could write about what’s growing in my backyard sanctuary.
I could write about the strange shape and color of clouds that appeared after dinner.
The next day, I learned about a tornado that touched down within twenty miles of us about the same time I watched the clouds.
Just as I was thinking there was nothing interesting to write about, I saw my slice, but it happened too fast to get a photo.
My husband and I were on the way to my mother’s apartment. There’s a long stretch of road that has fields on both sides. One field usually has horses. Recently, I wondered where the horses had gone because the field was empty and the grass was long.
All of a sudden, two horses came running from the top of the field. Manes and tails flying, as they ran along the fence. I started to make a comment on how frisky they were when I my gaze swept across the road. A young deer bounded across the road and disappeared into the wild brush. The horses came to a stop when they reached the fence parallel to the road. A possible new friend disappeared, they seemed disappointed as they stood there, eyes glued to the spot where the deer vanished.
On our return trip, the horses were back at the top of the field. I imagine they were discussing the stranger who didn’t stay to play.
Sometimes, a slice just runs right in front of you and all you can do is catch it with words.
Be sure to visit Two Writing Teachers for more slices of life.
Sometimes I must leave home in the dark, before the sun thinks about coming out for the day. I may have been grumbling to myself about the early hour as I turned out of my subdivision street.
