T is for . . . TROPHY WIFE

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.

*****

TROPHY WIFE

Paul wanted younger, prettier. Linda never measured up.

Until now.

He buffed her urn then stepped back, admiring how she looked beside his new TV.

*****

King's Speech: T is for TEENAGER

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!

*****

If you liked being a TEENAGER, 

there’s something really wrong with you. I hated being a teenager.

If I could’ve skipped ages 13 through about 18, I would’ve been thrilled. 

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all terrible. 

I had some good friends and some good times, 

but overall, I was miserable inside. 

(Stephen King)

I was constantly filled with angst and confusion and fear. My thoughts and ideas and dreams seemed so different from everyone else’s. I didn’t feel I fit in where I was, but I didn’t know where I would. I clung to the belief that things would be better when I got older, that I would finally feel good in my own skin.

During those times, books and my imagination and my writing helped a lot, and I made it through. Barely. 

Give Me a T! TALENT

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! 

* WHEN I STAND BEFORE GOD AT THE END OF MY LIFE, I WOULD HOPE THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE A SINGLE BIT OF TALENT LEFT, AND COULD SAY, “I USED EVERYTHING YOU GAVE ME.” (Erma Bombeck) *

I believe that everyone has a gift or two. It can be anything and everything - writing, photography, cooking, being a wonderful parent or nurse or teacher or volunteer, playing an instrument, having a great sense of humor, being that shoulder to cry on, being incredibly organized, being a leader or a team player, dancing, swimming, doing magic tricks… You get the idea.

Our job, our purpose, is to open that present, that box, hold up the gift inside and say, “Yes, this is perfect, thank you!” and then use it, use it up, until it’s as shabby and worn and well-loved as a favorite teddy bear or stuffed hippo.

That beats a Thank You card any day.