8 Random Things About Me

by Karen D. Swim

A few weeks ago I was tagged by Joanna Young at Confident Writing to write on the topic "Eight random things about me." Never having participated in a meme I was both excited and petrified! Luckily for me it is a meme with loose rules, and no deadlines so I randomly selected today as the day to tackle the topic.

Joanna Young frequently writes these great ordered lists. As much as Joanna loves order, I love order and then disorder. Which leads me to my list:

1. I like organizing and creating order and then changing the whole thing. You could say I'm fond of order and then reorder.
2. My favorite color is red, no blue, no red but all of my clothes are black. Bright clothes make my head spin. Bright flowers, good, bright clothes make me feel like I'm on acid.
3. One of my favorite movies is "Woo" with Jada Pinkett. It was not super popular and it's actually a little cheesy but it never fails to put me in a great mood. I've also seen Animal House more than 25 times. Oops does that count as 3 and 4?
4. My mother remains my greatest hero and source of inspiration. She was smart, funny, honest, compassionate and my greatest supporter.
5. I don't own a camera, any camera. When I want to take pictures, I just buy the disposable kind. I know, totally absurd.
6. I am a natural born cheerleader. I love celebrating and encouraging others. Got a problem? I've got pom poms.
   
7. I sat next to Nicholas Cage in high school journalism. He had a wry sense of humor and his pithy banter always drew a raised eyebrow from Mr. Chesterton.
   
8. My favorite song as a kid was Teddy Bears on Parade. I marched and sang to it until the record broke.

So there's my list and here are the rules.

Eight random things "rules"

1. Each blogger must post these rules first.
2. Each blogger starts with eight random facts/habits about him/herself.
3. Bloggers who are tagged must write a post on their own blog about their eight things and must also include these rules in that post.
4. Tagged bloggers need to select eight other bloggers, whom they tag to keep the meme going, and they must list the names of the chosen bloggers at the end of their blog posts.
5. They then must leave each blogger a comment telling them that they’ve been tagged and that they should read the tagger's blog to learn more about the meme.

Photo Credit: MobileBurn, Flickr

My Love Affair

My lover calls to me in the light of the early morning as the moon drifts higher in the sky and the smoke from nearby chimneys drifts gently into the clouds. I curl my toes in glee as I sink into his familiar warmth knowing he will always be there.

I cannot recall a time when my lover was not present. At the age of two when I picked up a book desperate to untangle the mysteries of the dark and structured letters, he was there. At five when I could not put crayon to page in my coloring book without first telling the story behind the pictures, he was there.

Throughout the angst of my terrible teens, my lover was a gentle presence allowing me to express my anger, frustration and uncertainty as he guided me on a voyage of self-discovery. When the hospital called to say that Daddy was gone, my lover took my hand and helped me to say Good Bye as he gently recalled the man who had so wonderfully sparked the fire that birthed our love.

First love, first dance, and first heartbreak – he was there. Year after year, he listened as I questioned, reasoned, wondered and chronicled love, loss and life. He was sometimes quiet with an air of mystery, and other times bold, aggressive demanding to be heard but always, he was there.

When I lost my mom, my best friend, and had to be reminded to fill my air with lungs, my lover wrapped his arms around me and carried me through the dark days. He was there when I once again felt the sunlight on my face and the joy return to my spirit.

When my husband was dying of cancer, he was there in the middle of the night, attentive to my tear stained prayers and declarations of love. And when my husband died and my pen went silent, my lover waited patiently for my return.

My love affair with writing has been a constant in my life. Writing has allowed me to express my deepest thoughts, sorrows and joys without censure or fear of recrimination. Pen and paper beckon me and as I unite them, I am still awed by the power and passion they produce. I am mesmerized by words that unite and pulsate to a rhythmic beat unaware of their magnetic beauty as they wind across the page challenging me to follow their lead to places unknown.

Karen

This post is a contribution to the Group Writing Project sponsored by Confident Writing. Joanna Young’s theme this month is Leaps and Bounds. The deadline for this project is February 28th so it’s not too late for you to take part!