Stories from my Mind

If Taking Care of the Planet was a Job, Everyone Would be Millionaires Suggested by: Joselle Blyth For most of us, from the outset of life, we have had to scratch and scrape for everything that we have to help us survive. With everything around us changing constantly, creating convenience for some, but destroying life around the rest, there will come a point where the advantages that we have created will be our downfall. This applies to both the rich and poor alike. As jobs disappear and the sickness starts to take over our cities, it might be time for us to start looking elsewhere to ensure that our future will remain intact. As more folk are quarantined to their homes and social distancing becomes the new practice for survival, those of us that are able should be looking towards nature as something to invest in for our future, to help aide in our salvation. Hydroponics to solar paneling, cleaning up our properties, gutters, and, eventually, the rest of our neighborhoods,...

A Man Wakes Up in a Small Rowboat in the Middle of the Ocean Suggested by: Cathy Beasley Where am I? Oh... I’m still here  . He has lost track of time. How long would be remain afloat upon this vast, desolate body? Time could no longer tell.. He picked up his oars again and continued on. To where, he had no clue. That didn’t matter anymore. Somewhere... anywhere. It surely had to be better than this hellish isolation. As he rowed toward the unknown, his eyes caught the stains of blood on the handle of his oar. Memories quickly fading into the darkness of the struggle he’s had up until now. His whole life, it seems, has been a struggle. He keeps pushing, and pushing. Pushing through the pain; the agony. One stroke after another, he keeps pushing, until he can no longer move his arms. He collapses again, like so many other times before, in extreme exhaustion. I’ve never given up before. I’m not going to stop now. Slowly, he gathers himself, and rises. This is not t...

Traffic Lights Suggested by: Lizzie Bourne You turn out of your driveway, readying to go on your first adventure. You are too new to this and don't necessarily know where you are going, yet you start down the road anyway. These early days will become a lost memory as time goes by, so, for now, you just enjoy your time on the road. After a while, you reach the first main intersection. Green Light. You continue your journey, innocently enough, eager to keep the trip alive.The traffic starts to thicken as you travel further, some cars passing by in a flash of color, blaring their horns, as if saying "Look at me go!" There's no love for the other drivers, just their own interests being put forth for everyone to take notice. Some cars pass by gently, kindly, always with a blinker when changing lanes, just so everyone knows where they are heading. A small wave, they almost become your friend as you travel down the road, staying with you for a spell before ine...

Joy Suggested by: Lizzie Bourne I live too much in my own thoughts. The negativity sneaking it's way in to the odd corners of my mind, strategically releasing it's toxins in the most inconvenient of moments. That invisible monster, rear itself back and delivering its mighty roar, disrupting me mid-thought, and throwing my life off balance. I stop what I'm doing. Why am I even here? A pinprick of light flashes out of the corner of my eye. I turn, searching for the source of the distraction, but am cut off. The monster grumbles from deep within me, wriggling now to get back into a comfortable position. I turn back around, the light all but forgotten. I shelter myself from it, doing whatever I can to quell the monster inside, soothing it back into a lull. 'It's not worth it,' I tell myself, and I put my head down, living with the weight of grievance and pain that I feel that I deserve; the monster doing whatever it can to keep it balanced on top of me.  ...

Coffee-Stained Pages Suggested by: Grace Heimerl Water. Grounds. Brew. Pour. Cream. Sugar. Stir. Sip. How many times have I gone through this routine? As the nights wears on and I wear out, any little boost of energy will help. A moment to myself, letting the words formulate in my head, readying to dance their way across my fingers. How many times have I gone through this routine? I sit at my desk, ready to dive back in to the sea of ink, only to falter at the end of the pier. My goggles filling with steam; the lamp light blistering on my skin; the vastness of the paper ocean an overwhelming sight to behold. I push myself back from the edge and grab hold of my glass and take a sip, and another, and another. I calm. I drink in the smell of the sea before me, willing my nerves to allow me to set sail without the fear of tipping or losing course as I have so many times already.  How many times have I gone through this routine? The amount of time I have spent adrift ...

My First Love Suggested by: McKensie Bartz "I love you." Oh God, did I just say that? Definitely did not mean to say that our loud. For days I have been dreaming of the perfect way to go about professing my love for them and to just blurt it out like that...there is no rhyme nor reason for me to be here. I don't deserve this. Why am I such a moron? I'm not sure why I did that.  Am I crazy? I might be, I don't know! Oh God, it's too silent. What are they thinking? Why the stuttering? Is that a good thing? Do they not love me? Do they even like me? This was such a mistake. I'm really good at making mistakes. Was this one of them? Did I blow my shot at finding love? True love. I thought that was what this was, but I'm not sure. I love them, but do I really love them? If I am having these feelings too, they have to be in a much more confused state. Why is it taking so long for them to respond? How long has it been? It feels like an eternity....

The Construction of a Dream Suggested by: Myself (I can have one once in a while, yeah?) As the sun begins to descend behind the distant mountains, and the inky blackness of night begins it's march across the sky, a mass of clouds start to gather on the western horizon. The change in pressure and the dropping temperatures ignite the clouds en masse into quite an affair, as more and more converge. Their chattiness can be heard for miles, softly at first, but soon will blossom into a full chorus of brash and bold sound. You lie in your bed, blankets strewn about as you struggle to drift into that peaceful pool of wondrous sleep. Your head sinks deeper into your pillow as you hope to coax your imagination from it's hiding place, from deep in the recesses of your mind. You finally begin to feel that lull before you fade entirely in to sleep and await to take the plunge into peace. Your mind begin wonder and wander; a soft dripping raps out at your window as the chorus of...