Gen X

Why write?

~ MaryG ~ 2 Comments

What do you enjoy most about writing?

My earliest journal

I think I like to write mostly because it’s therapeutic. Getting some thoughts out of my head and onto “paper” helps me let them go and move on. I originally started this blog when I turned 50. Here’s a post I did then called “Why Blog?” Reading it now (8 years later), it still seems about right.

Also, I’ve always been a reader. I love fiction and memoirs. It seems that many people who really like to read also enjoy writing. The difference between me and a real writer is the discipline and dedication to craft. I’ve found some real writers here on WordPress using the “Discover” button on Jetpack. I loved this post by Jodi Lee Reifer. I’m not ready to tackle an essay like this about my own sister, but Jodi’s thoughts (so beautifully expressed) truly resonated.

The first entry: an account of my New Year’s Day, 1974

I feel safe

~ MaryG
Daily writing prompt
What positive emotion do you feel most often?
View all responses

Have you noticed how you get asked: “Do you feel safe at home?” at every medical appointment these days? It’s like a law or something. Without a second thought, I always answer yes. I never worry about being hurt by someone in my home.

Sadly, millions of people, especially women and children, cannot truthfully answer yes to that question. In my town, a beautful, promising high school senior was murdered by her father in 2010, when my daughter was a freshman at the same school. It was surreal, almost unfathomable.

It’s easy to take safety for granted, but it’s not a given. Men especially should think about that every time they want to complain about things like “safe spaces” or “trigger warnings.” The reality is that many, many people don’t feel safe in their own homes or relationships and can’t easily get out. If there’s a gun in the home, that makes everything worse. If you haven’t seen it, the series Maid on Netflix is great.

One last thing, I had a male colleague give me a hard time because I complained about female staff members being expected to walk to a remote parking lot (under an expressway in Boston) after an event that we were all required to attend. He just coudn’t understand how I could bring up PARKING, when he was dealing with so many important and stressful details! Maybe if he’d ever felt afraid enough to lace his keys between his fingers on a dark or deserted street, he’d have understood a bit better.

Apparently this way is better and safer for your hand

Get in the water at the beach

~ MaryG ~ 1 Comment

What brings you peace?

I feel peace in the ocean. There’s something about floating on the waves that gives me a sense of perspective. You literally become part of the earth’s surface and know that you and your problems are but a tiny speck in a much bigger universe.

Living in New England, it can be hard to find ocean water warm enough to bring you peace. This website is good for checking ocean temperatures.

My children and me enjoying warm Rhode Island waters, August 2010

“I want to be a teacher” was everyone’s answer

~ MaryG ~ 3 Comments

What profession do you admire most and why?

As a girl growing up in suburban America in the 70s, I wanted to be a public school teacher and so did all my friends. We LOVED Mrs. Murphy, our first grade teacher, so much that she accidentally got called “mom” several times a day. We played school outside of school all the time.

My grandmother was a kindergarten teacher in Worcester for decades and she would bring me into her class for a day about once per school year. Her classroom, like many, was a magical world unto itself. I’m pretty sure that parents back then would never have dreamed of intervening with the teachers’ plans.

My daughter also dreamed of being a teacher for many years and frequently conducted “school” for her stuffed animals. My mother was briefly a teacher in the 60s, before getting pregnant and losing her job because teachers couldn’t be pregnant then.

It’s so sad to read how horribly teachers are mistreated and bullied by far-right conservative parents and politicians in many US states now. It really is the most important job in the world.

PS: I highly recommend watching ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” created by Quinta Brunson. In my opinion, it’s the best show on network TV now.

At my age, I wouldn’t open a shop, BUT

~ MaryG ~ 1 Comment

If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?

Weren’t the old “penny candy” stores great? You could go in with a buck and get a paper bag full of sugar in various forms. From rolled bubblegum cigarettes, to candy bead bracelets, giant wax lips, wafer saucers with crunchy sprinkles inside or multi-colored candy dots stuck to something resembling cash register tape, the choices were thrilling!

You could pretend many things with with your candy props – from wearing fancy jewelry or taking communion, to smoking or making out. And the adults couldn’t have cared less.

I asked AI to respond to this prompt and it’s brilliant

~ MaryG ~ 1 Comment

List 10 things you know to be absolutely certain.

Here are 10 things I know to be absolutely certain:
1. The universe exists. I am writing this, so I know that something exists. I can also see, hear, smell, taste, and touch things, which tells me that there is a physical world outside of my mind.
2. I exist. I am the one who is writing this, and I am experiencing the world through my senses. I am also capable of thought, feeling, and choice.
3. Change is the only constant. Nothing stays the same forever. The universe is constantly evolving, and so are we.
4. There is no such thing as absolute certainty. We can never be 100% sure of anything. However, we can still have a high degree of certainty about some things, based on our knowledge and experience.
5. The future is not predetermined. We have the freedom to make choices that shape our own future. However, our choices are also limited by the circumstances we find ourselves in.
6. There is good and evil in the world. We all have the capacity for both good and evil. The choices we make determine which side we will ultimately align ourselves with.
7. Love is real. Love is a powerful emotion that can bring us great joy and happiness. It can also be a source of great pain and suffering.
8. Death is inevitable. Everyone dies eventually. However, death does not have to be the end. Our souls may continue to exist in some form after our bodies die.
9. There is something more to life than this. The universe is a vast and mysterious place. There is much that we do not understand about it. However, I believe that there is something more to life than what we can see and touch.
10. We are all connected. We are all part of a larger whole. We are all connected to each other and to the universe.

Semester Abroad

~ MaryG ~ 7 Comments

Describe a decision you made in the past that helped you learn or grow.

In college, I made the decision to study abroad for the fall semester of my junior year. I can’t remember exactly when or how I decided to go to Italy, but I think it was because my small New England liberal arts college strongly encouraged everyone to GO AWAY and the easiest choice was to just go to their campus in Rome. This was fall of 1985 and there were no cell phones or laptops. We were like…really…ABROAD. Travelers checks, passports, guidebooks and one landline for the entire floor. It wasn’t always easy. I had bad allergies from some kind of pollen there and had to take a lot of antihistamines. And the first time I brought my clothes to a lavanderia, they put the bag in the dryer with my clothes and the plastic lining melted and ruined every single thing I brought.

But I’m so glad I went. It was a major growth experience for me. I learned that I actually could speak, even think and dream, in a foreign language. I developed my love of art and museums. And most of all, I gained confidence and a sense adventure. There’s nothing quite like the excitement of cities, foreign cities, explored with other young friends and travelers. Everything and anything seemed possible then.

Semester abroad pals and me (far left) in a Paris hotel in the fall of 1985