January is not for me.
I just don’t like this time of year
when weather chases out good cheer.
Layers of clothes make me feel unfree.
Cold and bleak are not my cup of tea.
Continue readingAuthor: cksdays
Other Things I Know
Monday is my grandma Tommie’s 101st birthday. Even though she has been gone for 59 years (long before there was a ck in the works) I still try to remember the day. Out of my four grandparents, her story always seemed the most tragic. Not that any of the others had it easy, mind you, they all experienced their fair share of life’s vicissitudes. But hers just always hit me a little harder. Last month, I shared what little I know about my paternal grandma. Now I’m going to share what I know about my maternal grandma.
Continue readingHappy Half-Birthday to Me!
Happy half-birthday to me!
I know what you are thinking
half-birthdays aren’t really a thing
Continue readingSit with you
Wow! Life took a turn for you, didn’t it? No one saw that coming, not even you. And now there you are, sitting in the middle of all the broken pieces.
Continue readingUnsolicited Advice
I held a seed in my hand
and with that seed I had a plan
to drop it into the ground indeed
I’d plant that magnificent seed
and watch it grow big and grand.
Continue readingThanks for ruining that for me
The other day, the 1982 song ‘Jack and Diane’ came on the radio. The song is what could be referred to as an ‘80’s classic by John Mellancamp (since I actually lived through and remember the ‘80’s I still call him John Cougar Mellancamp). While the song has never been a favorite of mine, the catchy beat and longevity of it used to prompt me to sing along. More out of obligation than anything. If you grew up in the ‘80’s, there are certain anthem like songs that you are required to sing along to. Not that I paid much attention to what I was singing, it was just something I did. That is, until I read Mindy Kaling’s book “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)” (2012). Now, instead of singing along, I listen to it and climb up on some intellectual high ground and tsk-tsk my way through it.
Continue readingWalk Around the Block
The Lesson from the Walk
“How long will it take before this weed stops bouncing back up if I step on it every day?” was my unofficial experiment of the summer. The answer surprised me. But I also likened that weed to us. “How long will it take before we stop bouncing back after someone continually steps on us and knocks us down?”
Continue readingWorse Things
Things I Know
Today is my grandma’s 123rd birthday. No, she is not here to celebrate. She passed away 40 years ago this August. Though I turned 12 just a few days before her passing, I have relatively few memories of her. She was placed in a nursing home when I was about 9 and spent the last few years of her life there. Though the facility was actually within walking distance of my home, I let one traumatic experience keep me from visiting as I should have. I regret that but also acknowledge I did the best I could at the time. This story isn’t really about that though. I have written quite a lot about my grandma – perhaps out a deep sense of guilt for not visiting – I am going to map out a rough sketch of the things I know.
Continue reading
ck's days 