Sammy was my first love (and my first heartbreak). I had just turned 14 and was in the ninth grade at a small coed school where I was not popular with boys. Sammy, the cousin of a classmate, went to a different (all boys) school. Our mutual infatuation was quick and intense. We were inseparable,…
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Suprise Me
First Love
Prompted By Teenager in Love
/ Stories
Sammy was my first love (and my first heartbreak). I had just turned 14 and was in the ninth grade at a small coed school where I was not popular with boys. Sammy, the cousin of a classmate, went to a different (all boys) school. Our mutual infatuation was quick and intense. We were inseparable,…
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Yellow Gingham
Prompted By In My Mother's Closet
/ Stories
This prompt brought back powerful memories of a yellow gingham skirt my mother made in the 70s. She and my father took square-dancing lessons for a while, the outfits were wild. He had western style shirts with ruffles and mother-of-pearl buttons. She made skirts and wore them with ruffled blouses. She also made very puffy…
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In Praise of Invisible and Brave Women
Prompted By Ageism
/ Stories
We were aware that it was bound to happen someday, but it sneaked up on us unexpectedly.
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Supernova
Prompted By Ex-Friends
/ Stories
“You will always be friends” the counselor told us. We were too entwined and besides, she had seen it repeatedly in the women’s community, a fluidity of friends and lovers staying connected despite everything. I said nothing but promised myself, “Oh no, we won’t”.
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Thanks Mom!
Prompted By Riding a Bicycle
/ Stories
I learned the freedom of flying the day my mom let go of the bike.
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Breathe in… Breathe out: Buddha and the Time-Space Continuum
Prompted By Ceremony
/ Stories
Be here now, baby.
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One Day on Broadway
Prompted By Pills
/ Stories
Later, she claimed that while she remembered being on Broadway, she had no idea why she had suddenly felt disconnected and isolated...
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Enuf o’ this Shit
Prompted By Quick Take: How Is This Still a Thing?
/ Stories
Duck and cover seemed the height of folly, and I'd never felt immortal.
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American Idol
Prompted By Guilty Pleasures
/ Stories
Really? Says every cultured person I know. You watch THAT show…or, you STILL watch that show? Short answer: yes. My father-in-law (who has been gone more than 20 years) introduced us at the end of the first season. Kelly and Justin. Kelly Clarkson won. She did OK for herself. As have Jennifer Hudson and Carrie…
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Rock Concert
Prompted By Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll
/ Stories
Rock Concert When our son was 12 we took him to New Jersey’s Meadowlands Arena to his first rock concert – a stop on Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet Tour. Later he told us Bon Jovi wasn’t really a cool band, and going to a rock concert with your folks wasn’t cool at all. …
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