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Called, Not Served by
200
(361 Stories)

Prompted By Jury Duty

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Over my many years as a Massachusetts resident, I’ve been called for jury duty three times. The first time, after waiting for hours with all people called that day (including a cousin of my husband’s), my pool was called into the courtroom. The judge asked if there was any reason why any of us couldn’t…
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Alone But Not Lonely by
200
(361 Stories)

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I first heard this old Irving Berlin song (which you can hear below) during our 8th week Operetta concert at the end of camp, in August, 1969. The concert was devoted to his songs. It seems to perfectly sum up this week’s prompt, though, as I will explain, it does not apply to me. Berlin…
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Pippa’s Song by
200
(361 Stories)

Prompted By Dawn

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My senior year in high school I took voice lessons from a former opera singer. One of the songs I worked on was “Pippa’s Song”, a Robert Browning poem set to music by British composer Ned Rorem. It is short but very difficult and VERY high in the soprano range. If you click on the…
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How a Marriage Failed by
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(361 Stories)

Prompted By Divorce

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My parents barely knew one another when they married. They were coming out of WWII, both living with older sisters who were friends with each other, both aged 32. My father had dated a lot of women, but promised his now-deceased father that he would marry a Jewish woman. My mother, who had low self-esteem,…
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A Tale of Two Betsys by
200
(361 Stories)

Prompted By Question Authority

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Something one must remember about me is the environment in which I was raised. My mother had serious mental health issues. My father didn’t want to upset her and instructed us to do the same. We all took a lot from her and that became the norm, until I blew up and fought back, screaming…
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Xfinity Triple Play by
200
(361 Stories)

Prompted By Cutting the Cord

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Neither of my children has a landline, nor network TV. One doesn’t own a TV. If he wants to watch a streaming service, he has a projection system hooked up to his computer. He projects the image on a wall or screen opposite the projector. My other child uses her TV for gaming, watching movies…
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Take the Best, Discard the Rest by
200
(361 Stories)

Prompted By Imitation

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Remember the old movie, “The Crying Game”, where one of the lead characters passes as a different gender until the big reveal toward the end of the movie? The audience was admonished to not give away the secret so it wasn’t ruined for those who hadn’t seen the film yet. That came to mind when…
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Aging Ain’t for Sissies by
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(361 Stories)

Prompted By Aging

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On my 70th birthday my brother welcomed me to my eighth decade! While he was accurate, that declaration gave me pause. The summer after my senior year in high school I was in a local show, written, directed and produced by friends (including two who went on to conceive MyRetrospect decades later). There was some…
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Alone on Mother’s Day by
200
(361 Stories)

Prompted By Mother’s Day

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Mothers are dead. Children are far away, one overseas who celebrates mothers in March, so may not know when Mother’s Day occurs here in the United States. Husband is on Martha’s Vineyard. I am alone with my thoughts. It doesn’t matter, but there is no one to fêtê me, no one with whom to celebrate.…
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What Was the Dream Job? by
200
(361 Stories)

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My senior year in college I had dinner at Dan’s parents (still living in Newton, MA) every Sunday night. Gladys might help me with my lesson plans first semester, as I was a student teacher and she was a seasoned one. Second semester, after Dan and I became engaged, we talked about the future. She…
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