Free Write - The Rock

This week's Free Write was delayed between guests and life. Next week we should be on track.

Julia's Free Write

“The Rocks in my Life”

Up yet another mountain, another field, another path; looking, always looking for signs that specialists had told him about; that formation, that type of apparently innocent-seeming rock, which, when split would reveal crystals. Over the years there had been some breathtaking moments.

Then there were the purposeless hikes, often with eyes glued to the ground, unconsciously looking for that perfect round, that whiter than white stone.

It wasn’t until he returned home from being abroad that he realized where he had gotten his fascination: his mother lifted his backpack – heavy – and laughed when she realized what he had drug across the oceans.

Then he looked around the house…everywhere small piles. But the best rock of all was the year he had no present for his father for Christmas.

He went down to the lake below their house – brrr – it was December 24^th – dove and found the perfect smooth rock.

We won’t mention the other rocks in my life – too numerous to count.

D-L Free Write

Think girl!

Solid as a rock

Rock solid

Rock and roll.

Don't rock the boat

Get your rocks off

Rocky mountain (s) (high)

None fit the prompt. 

Could the white lines on the prompt be pain? Maybe some mineral. What is the type of stone?

Two minutes gone. Eight to go.

Rocks can be made into cairns. I learned about those in Iceland. My husband has built a small cairn on our patio. 

Four minutes to go.

What about skipping stones into a pond, tiny rocks. Three people by the water, each holding a flat stone. 

Make it a story. With boys.

Tom throws his. And it skips. He's not that well co-ordinated like his big brother Jason who skips his skips twice.

Jenny steps up. "Watch out boys for the champion. She winds up her arm theatrically and lets it rip. Four skips.¨

"How did she do that?" Tom asks. Jason just shrugs.

Thank goodness. Free Write time is up. 

Rick's Free Write

The rocks in my life. Literal rocks or metaphorical?

I have a cairn that I built on the outdoor patio from interesting rocks I have collected in various places, such as the beach. And re-built and re-built when moving it around to powerwash the patio floor.

There are rocks in the large flower pots along the front of the apartment. The flowers and plants are intended for privacy. The rocks are intended to prevent the street cats from shitting in the pots.

My dad used to use a phrase, “He’s got rocks in his head,” to indicate someone he thought was particularly slow-witted.

But in a sense we all have “rocks in our heads” – mental challenges that we carry around and weigh us down as we trudge through the day. Health issues, financial, family, societal…

I suppose a cairn is an attempt to create an order from the rocks in our life. Large stones on the bottom, perilously supporting the medium and small stones above. Brightly coloured or shiny rocks that highlight pleasant memories. Sometimes re-arranging the order of the rocks for better balance. Adding a new rock and trying to find a place for it.

We took Sherlock to the beach the other day – his favourite place to run. I thought about it but didn’t pick up any new rocks for the cairn… or my head.

Rick Adams is an aviation journalist and publisher of www.aviationvoices.com, a weekly newsletter reporting the airline industry  top stories . He is the author of The Robot in the Simulator. AI in Aviation Training.  

Visit D-L.'s website  https://dlnelsonwriter.com, She is the author of 15 fiction and three non fiction books. Her 300 Unsung Women, bios of women who battled gender limitations, can be purchased  at https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/300-unsung-women-d-l-nelson/1147305797?ean=9798990385504 

Visit Julia's blog. She has written and taken photos and loves syncing up with friends.  Her blog can be found: https://viewsfromeverywhere.blogspot.com/