R is for . . . NO RETURN

Welcome to The Blogging from A-Z Challenge April 2014! This year, I’m offering up a story – each one 100 words or fewer - for each letter of the alphabet.

Some are heartfelt, poignant, sweet. Others are…not. 

I hope you enjoy them.

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NO RETURN

The sleek, blood-red convertible was rented, as was the boy toy behind the wheel, but I had no intention of bringing either of them back.

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King's Speech: R is for REQUIREMENT

Regular readers of The Shellshank Redemption know how much I enjoy a good quote (see Motivational Mondays) and that I’m a huge fan of Stephen King (see the King of All Days Part I and Part II.) So, for the 2013 A-Z Challenge, I decided to combine the two, using some of my favorite King quotes about reading, writing and life in general. Enjoy!

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A little talent is a good thing to have if you want to be a writer. 

But the only real REQUIREMENT is the ability to remember every scar. 

(Stephen King)

I remember moments of being teased when I was a kid - what was said, who said it, and how my stomach lurched and my cheeks burned with embarrassment and shame, even as I tried to pretend it wasn’t happening.

I can tell you when I felt like an outsider even among family and friends. I remember when I felt ugly, when I acted ugly. I can tell you when I was hurt, when I did the hurting. I remember heartbreak.

Scars leave their mark - on the inside and the outside - but they also, in their own way, are a form of healing. Many of my stories are rooted in those scars, but they ultimately grow into something else, something more than the old pain and hurt. They reach higher, see the sunlight, and blossom into a new creation all its own. 

Give Me an R! REMEMBERING

Welcome to The Blogging A-Z Challenge April 2012! Some of the most popular posts here at The Shellshank Redemption are the Motivational Mondays. So, after consulting the tortoises, we decided to make April our Motivational Month! Please join us for this (almost!) daily dose of alphabetical inspiration. We hope you enjoy it! 

* REMEMBERING THAT YOU ARE GOING TO DIE IS THE BEST WAY I KNOW TO AVOID THE TRAP OF THINKING YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO LOSE. (Steve Jobs) *

Let’s think of this quote when…

…there’s a class we want to take but it’s in an area outside of our comfort zone.

…there’s a chance to start something new - a new job, a new business, a new life in another state or country, but everyone says we’re crazy to try.

…there’s a person we want to talk to - for our career or otherwise - but we’re shy, afraid of making ourselves vulnerable to rejection or hurt.

…there’s a chance to have some fun - travel, try a new restaurant, go to a show, tour an art gallery, get your hands dirty in the garden or in pottery class, make a mess with finger paints or paint a mural on the wall, bake a wedding cake or make homemade pasta, make fools of ourselves, play with Legos - but the laundry needs to be done and the dishes need to be washed and… 

Let’s think of this quote when we’re in danger of just existing. I don’t want to just get by, to kill time. I want to live and create and imagine and play. I’ve got a box of Legos downstairs with my name on it.

Who’s with me?