MONDAYS ARE FREE EXERCISES 151—155

[The Stage is on Fire] is a page-turner in which, much like life, there are no easy answers and yet each step of the journey yields insight and hope. This work of heart must not be missed!

Melanie Faith

Creative Writing Teacher, Essayist & Poet.

Katie Steedly’s first-person piece [The Unspeakable Gift] is a riveting retelling of her participation in a National Institutes of Health study that aided her quest to come to grips with her life of living with a rare genetic disorder. Her writing is superb.

The Society of Professional Journalists

In recognition of receiving the Dateline Award for the Washingtonian Magazine essay, The Unspeakable Gift.

I thank you … It is the authenticity of your “class notes”; and it is the delicacy and skill with which you present the nuances of classroom life and the actuality of your students’ and fellow teachers’ lives.

Maxine Greene

Philosopher and Education Scholar

Enter your email here to receive Weekly Wide-Awake

back

MONDAYS ARE FREE EXERCISES 151—155

Annoy. Embarrass. Focus. Survive.

EXERCISE 151: REFLECT ON YOUR ANNOYING TRAITS

foibly, goofy, endearingly annoying

Write a self-portrait that catalogs as many of the foibly, goofy, endearingly annoying things about yourself as you can. For instance: I for some reason never use the whole onion or the whole pepper when I’m cooking, it’s just impossible for me. For instance: I regularly wash my laundry (and sometimes other people’s laundry) with a pen in my pocket.

Self-Portrait of Endearingly Annoying Things About Me That When I’m Dead You’ll Realize Were Actually Really Sweet

For instance, I have trouble keeping houseplants alive. For instance, I have boxes in storage that have not been opened in 20 years and multiple moves. For instance, I cry most days. For instance, I have hearing aids that I have not worn in years. For instance, I occasionally spread gossip. For instance, I was the worst college roommate, ever. For instance, I am a horrible gift giver. For instance, I binge watch HGTV. For instance, I combine cottage cheese and jelly. For instance, gluten-free noodles disintegrate under my watch. For instance, I love road trips. For instance, I still supinate — when my ankle is tired — even after peroneal tendon surgery. For instance, I watched soap operas with my grandmothers. For instance, I have never learned how to play bridge, or golf, or pickle ball. For instance, I have trouble keeping secrets. For instance, I lose earrings on the regular. For instance, I am a wannabe dancer, scientist, carpenter, gardener, poet, chef, astronomer. For instance, I wear cheap sunglasses. For instance, I love a whale’s song. For instance, I love gel ink pens.

EXERCISE 152: RECLAIM YOUR EMBARRASSMENTS

each beginning

In a long list of your embarrassments, someone deleted 25 of them! Restore each beginning with the phrase, “I’m reclaiming…”

I’m reclaiming

I am reclaiming my hairy toes. I am reclaiming my arthritic fingers. I am reclaiming every job and contract I ever lost. I am reclaiming every wrong turn I ever made. I am reclaiming paying attention. I am reclaiming every credit card I ever maxed out. I am reclaiming every training schedule I have not followed. I am reclaiming every lie I have ever told. I am reclaiming every magnolia blossom I walked by without smelling. I am reclaiming every gift I failed to give. I am reclaiming every compliment I did not share. I am reclaiming every bite of delicious food I did not eat. I am reclaiming every apology I did not make. I am reclaiming every minute lost to despair. I am reclaiming every minute I wasted binge watching Netflix. I am reclaiming the top shelves in grocery stores. I am reclaiming orthopedic shoes. I am reclaiming tasting chocolate every day. I am reclaiming losing touch with dear friends. I am reclaiming periwinkle. I am reclaiming opals. I am reclaiming costume jewelry. I am reclaiming fresh manicures. I am reclaiming massages. I am reclaiming a good night sleep.

EXERCISE 153: VOICE OF THE PORTRAIT

how they think and talk

Part of the power of portraits, often, is how they invite us to imagine who the figures are, what their lives are like, how they think and talk, who and what they love. Find a portrait that moves you because it demands you to imagine the figures in it. Then write a poem in the voice of the figure depicted. If it’s two people, write a poetic dialog. Three? Maybe it’s a short story or a play.

The Man with the Blue Guitar

Things as they are/ Are changed upon the blue guitar./ Upon a blue guitar, morning comes sweetly and evening falls gently./ Things as they are/ Are changed upon the blue guitar./ Upon a blue guitar, truth speaks and peace flows./ Things as they are/ Are changed upon the blue guitar./ Upon a blue guitar, imagination dances and courage prevails./ Things as they are/ Are changed upon the blue guitar./ Upon a blue guitar, empathy builds and light shines./ Things as they are/ Are changed upon the blue guitar./ Upon a blue guitar, today wakes up and tomorrow sings.

EXERCISE 154: FOCUS ON SETTING

in a place they love

Spend a full page describing a person you love in a place they love. Do not identify the person by name, but you can and should name all the things they’re related to in space. There will be heavy use of prepositional phrases (on the white sofa, beside the unswept fireplace, between the baseball book and the dictionary…)!

Surrounded by books, she lives. Everyday, her glasses bend forward as she peers into the stacks at the library around the corner from where she lives. New releases —mainly murder mysteries and thrillers — rotate through her fingers like cards being dealt in the bridge game her mom played for more than 50 years. She was a reader, too. That is where she learned it. That was before she passed reading down to her children and students. She is happiest with a book in her hands, sitting in her reclining chair, underneath a napping cat, next to her husband of more than 60 years, who is a reader, too. They read together and raised their children to be readers.

EXERCISE 155: DECIDE WHAT SURVIVES

retrieve three boxes

History is burning. You have the ability to go back through the flames and retrieve three boxes from your family’s history. Each box contains one object. Open each box and tell us what you see. You must also use your sense of smell.

A Kentucky Derby Glass

Every year my family collects the annual Derby Glass. The glass lists every Derby winner since the first Derby in 1875. Every glass starts with a mint julep and blends history, horses, roses, and the Twin Spires. Overtime, our family’s antique china cabinet filled with Derby glasses. Each glass a year. Each glass a winner. Each glass a dress and hat. Each glass a story. Each glass a connection.

A College Diploma

My family collects diplomas. Too many diplomas to count. Too many friends made. Too many shoulders on which to stand. Too many questions asked. Too many books read. Too many papers written. Too much bureaucracy navigated. Too much money spent. Too much kindness shared. Too much curiosity birthed. Too much learning revealed. Too much inspiration to hide in a box.

A Greek Needlepoint

My parents traveled. School board leadership trips. Alumni group journeys. Group tours to wonderful destinations. One of my favorite artifacts of their travels is a beautiful needlepoint from their Greek adventure —a beautiful snapshot of culture and time. The needlepoint reflects a time of global adventure. The needlepoint reminds of health and possibility. The needlepoint celebrates where our family has been and where we can go.

Thank you for reading MONDAYS ARE FREE. These are my explorations of poetry and language and joy. Subscribe to the Wide-Awakeness Project to share this journey.