It’s funny how the mind works. Most days, when I come home from work and try to unlock my front door, I realize I’m using my work key. Sometimes I use the wrong key in the morning as I exit my house and try to lock my door. It never happened the other way around; arriving to or leaving from my job. At least not until the other day. I was walking out of work, and because my mind was thinking about home, I tried to lock the door with my house key.
Continue reading “Key to the Mind”
By Ali Benjamin
Realistic Fiction – Young Adult
My Synopsis
When Susy’s best friend dies, it causes her to undergo a series of grief-induced reactions. She stops talking, hunts for answers, relives all her regrets, deals with loads of guilt, and gets angry at those around her. In her hunt for answers, she becomes oddly obsessed with jellyfish as a possible cause of her friend’s drowning, hence the book title.
Pushing, pulling, dragging- it’s not easy no matter how you do it. I’ve dealt with grief before, more than once. It doesn’t get easier, but it gets familiar.
Like falling, I suppose. As a kid, you fall sometimes. Maybe from your bike, skates, or a tree, and it seems devastating. You think you may never do that activity again. But you have people who care for you, tend to you, and slowly your cuts heal. It does not mean that you won’t feel pain the next time you fall. Or that you don’t mind it. Nope- you still don’t like falling. You still need time to heal. Some falls are worse than others. Some break things while others just bump and bruise.
Continue reading “Pushing Past Grief”
By Christina Baker Kline
Historical Fiction – Adult Fiction
My Synopsis
This story follows the journey of three women in the 1840s who are exiled to Australia from three different places and for three very different reasons. Much of this is based on facts, and some characters are based on actual people. It shows the ugly truths and injustices that were a part of Australia’s early days but also the kindness and resilience required of those who were sent there and became a part of its early society.
My recent return from vacation had me wondering why I ever go on away. I came back to tons of laundry, an avalanche of emails, work hours my now relaxed body was unprepared for, and dirty city air. Not to mention the stress of unnecessary drama I was able to put on hold while away. Worst of all, the dreaded “To-Do” list had morphed into a diabolical monster I could no longer slay.
I became overwhelmed with all the things I had to do. This caused me to get sick. I had nausea and a fever every night for a week. I’m the type of person who can’t seem to find a middle ground. Once things get out of order even a tiny bit, I let them slide into chaos. I either have a place for everything and everything in its place, or I’m shuffling through piles of clutter I can’t seem to tackle. So I used to have a process to help me deal with my task list.
I was once told to write out my to-do list and address one thing at a time. The idea was that I could cross out each item once completed, and that action would cause me great satisfaction. This satisfaction would inspire me to do more and stave off chaos. This worked for a while. The problem was that my to-do list was never empty. While crossing things out was satisfactory, adding on new items or items that repeat (laundry, dishes) became tedious and draining. Depressing.
Continue reading “to-do vs done”
INGRID E FABER 