Reena’s poetry challenge this week is During the time travel process, pictures among other things tend to get distorted.
You can join in here: https://reinventionsreena.wordpress.com/2023/08/10/reenas-xploration-challenge-292/
Colourful albums
The photograph albums
Lined up in a neat row
Colourful covers
Designed to charm
Relics from a shared past
Theirs, interwoven with mine
A family history
I open the first book
Onto a new mother’s pride
Two pages of 3D scans
“Your baby’s heartbeat is very fast”
The gynae’s weekly observation
“You are to stressed;
Must try to calm down”
Ah yes, that stress
The international IPO
Of a construction company
Numerous lawyers
With numerous demands
Long nights, longer weekends
And then,
A bridge collapsed
People died
Potential investors fled
“You’re baby’s heartbeat is very fast”
Oh yes,
I know why
Flipping the page
Exposing recollections of the birth
Happy smiling faces
Moments of incredible joy
No baby blues for me
No recordings of medical issues
A baby’s relentless screams
Or the pain of mastitis
Those records kept elsewhere
In brown paper envelopes
Stuffed with x-rays, sonars
And radiology reports
“You have terrible scaring
in your left breast. It looks
like you’ve been in an accident”
The women’s doctor says.
Time travel continues
Birthday parties
My first decorative cake
for a Pooh Bear celebration
Holidays
Swimming parties
Family gatherings
Christmas
Easter …
SNAP!
I close the book
Shut off the memories
Only happy times here
The best of our recollections
Stashed away neatly
With dusty birthday cards
And bent ticket stubs
A time before digitalization
I look at my cell phone
Admire its three large cameras
Gloat over its 15 times zoom
Time to venture forth
Continue the timeline
More happy faces
Records of good times
By Robbie Cheadle
This Is How We Grow: Stories and Poems for Perspective Taking
I am part of a new anthology called This is how we grow. It includes my story, There’s No Return to Sender, which shares a short piece of my personal history dealing with my sons chronic illness.
You can purchase This Is How We Grow here: https://www.amazon.com/This-How-We-Grow-Perspective/dp/B0CCCNBNWV
Blurb
Stories have allowed people to transmit ideas, beliefs, and behaviors throughout history. The underlying premise of this book is that humans can grow by understanding the perspective of someone else. Perspective-taking can help humans develop compassion and concern for others.. One way to attain a deeper understanding of people is by learning about different viewpoints and this book offers material for perspective taking,
Sherri let us feel some California and English culture fusion, with reminders about how close, and connected, we all are in this big ol’ world. Let’s remember this when we feel a spirit of division. Can we put aside what divides and remember that we have more in common than we might not initially see?
Miriam Hurdle shared about going from having no grandkids, to getting the joyful news, to then having the pandemic limit travel to see this growing family. Her chapter left us with uplifting familial warmth.
Yvette Prior shared about the challenges and silver linings that came with a recent move while noting that lessons learned are a gift because it can lead to humility and strength.
Ana Linden shared about perspective changes through the story about her aunt, who had the middle name of Dragonfly. Ana showed the components of perspective and empathy are intertwined and complex, just like Ana’s Aunt Dragonfly was.
Marsha Ingrao shared about her blogging experience that led to soft skill development, friendship, life fuel, and a way to offer customized outreach. She reminded us that when storms come, we do the best we can to respond, cope, stay stable, and grow.
Lauren Scott explored body image while reminding us that empathy consists of both affective and cognitive components. Lauren also reminded us that we cannot keep doing the same thing and expect different results.
Mabel Kwong gained a deeper perspective by stopping writing, which made a huge difference in her affect and outlook. Life is not always easy and the obstacles with her writing journey remind us to stay the course and find what we need.
Robbie Cheadle shared her growth over six years as she dealt with illnesses with both of her children. The vulnerable health challenges also came with joy and growth. The beauty is there if we put forth the effort to see it.
Jeffrey D. Simmons used poetry to describe the cadence of his life as he has adapted to different living arrangements. Jeff chooses to adapt and find joy whether he has to anchor or move around.
Trent McDonald used fiction to show us that we humans not only tend to have wrong assumptions, but assumptions are often negative. Maybe we can start assuming the best and clarify sooner to minimize distorted thinking.
Mahesh Nair talked about words and accents with an example of how he once perceived a behavior as snobby to later see that it was not. He also explored how the current digital world is something many of us take for granted but it had to grow, evolve, and mature over many years. Humans are similar in how we advance and grow.
Mike’s chapter offered tips and advice for thriving while in caregiver mode. The physical exhaustion and mental drain can be mitigated and he also let us into his personal life as he shared about how it took time to understand relationship dynamics and then live out what he advised about in a clinical setting.
Cade reminded us that our mental filters will change as the way we view right and wrong will change too. As we learn more about individual bias and faulty thinking, we need to pay attention to other people’s viewpoints.
There is a gap between what is and what we know or think something is. We hope the stories and poems in this book help readers learn about how others see the world and gain a deeper understanding to open the heart and enhance empathy.
Dan Antion from No Facilities blog shared a lovely review of this book here: https://nofacilities.com/2023/08/02/this-is-how-we-grow-1linerweds/
roberta-writes.com 