7:36 a.m. — Atlanta
listening to Chapel of Love by the Dixie Cups
Hi, all. The problem with not taking a computer on holiday is the surprising amount one can fall behind, in five days. To the group who wonders whether I again fell off the planet: later today, as soon as I get through the college essays I’m editing, I’ll be around to respond to comments. NaNoWriMers, almost done! Congratulations for still being in the game.
I am shifting today’s focus, as I signed up for Fiona Robyn’s blogsplash to celebrate the one year anniversary of the publication of her novel Small Kindnesses. We’ll have art next week.
I knew about the blogsplash some time ago and had signed up tentatively right up to the moment a few days ago when Fiona wrote to see if I wanted my blog on the list. I still didn’t know, because the topic seemed overwhelming: pick a [as in one] small kindness done to you and relate it. Choose one? Just one? Fiona wrote back and said she would put my blog on the list anyway, whether or no I joined in. And, there, ladies and gentlemen, is my small kindness.
I have known Fiona since the inception of the community Writing Our Way Home. Throughout the past two years, Fiona has shown other small kindnesses to me, like checking to make sure I have not fallen off the planet. An act of kindness is one that does not have to be done, but is anyway, with thought only for the recipient. My husband is a man whose core is kindness and I watch as he performs small kindnesses every day, both to me and to strangers.
Watching a kindness done is an easy thing for the mind to absorb. I know that when I see a small kindness done, I carry it with me for a while. When the kindness is done to me, I feel cherished and acknowledged.
I looked the word up, as I am always curious about word origins. I found a fascinating essay on the word kind. I enjoyed it so much, I am giving you the link, should you care to investigate.
Fiona’s small kindness for all of us, is to make available for free, for one day, her novel. Head on over to her post on Writing Our Way Home and check it out.
What’s that? Yes, I am including a writing prompt, a true prompt rather than an exercise. Would you like to guess the theme? Too obvious? Go on. List as many small kindnesses as you remember witnessing. That will get the brain focused on the topic. Then list as many small kindnesses as you can remember being done to you.
You can go in a number of directions. A list poem might work. Or, you might want to pull together like kindnesses. Or, you might want to focus on one. It depends on what you want the poem to do. If you want the poem to say something about kindness that goes beyond a list, you might have to tweak details. That’s okay.
I shall see you Friday for the week’s roundup; and next Tuesday for the image prompt.
Enjoy your day. Happy writing, everyone.
