Mental Meanderings

On Your Page: Exercise 10

Just going to do the exercise tonight. My mind is preoccupied and while I want to be here to maintain my streak I don't want to spend too much time doing it.

Exercise 10:
This exercise focuses on capturing a snapshot moment of your real life on the page. rite for 15 minutes but cover only the happenings of a couple of actual minutes. Pick and event that happened today or yesterday. Heather recommends writing slowly and by hand.

***

His little legs streaked across the soft green grass. His blue and red sports shorts dropped just below the knee and a bright orange jumper covered him from neck to thigh. His wrists were hidden in the folds. Blonde hair fluttered in the wind and his cheeks were flushed with a mixture of chill and exersion. He curved toward the trees, towering in the distance. The gusts caught in their leaves and the grey/brown branches shivered.

"Hey!" A woman shouted, she was walking with sure strides about six meters behind the young child. He stopped running and turned, tilting his head up to look back, "That way!" She raised an arm, pointing to the carpark in the distance on the their left.

He grinned with an impish smile then turned and started running for the parked cars. He covered the ground in baby steps. The woman moved faster. She reached a hand and went to call him, anxiety clenched for a moment. Just as she was about to call out he stopped, standing on the edge of the curb between wooden pickets, looking at the cars beyond. He turned to face her, waiting as she, full of smiles, joined in. He took her outreached hand and walked with her as she checked for cars then crossed the carpark to the building beyond.

***

My inner critique is ripping me apart at the moment so forgive me for the rather lame and miserable snippet. This is real life. Yesterday in fact. My baby boy was running ahead of me and he's been taught to stop on command and not to go into a carpark or road unless he's holding an adults hand. He's ALWAYS good but there is always this moment of hesitation in me wondering if this occasion he'll forget and not stop. A churning of fear in the pit of my stomach.

It's the same fear I get when I drop my seven year old off at the school gate instead of walking her to glass. This inner worry that she just might't make it to class, that something terrible will happen and no one will know until I go pick her up in the afternoon and discover she's not there. *sighs* But really, we have to have faith don't we? Trust that they'll be ok because clinging too tightly just smothers their independance and self-esteem. My daughter feels very grown up because I let her walk herself to class. My baby boy loves the freedom I give him to run. They follow the rules because doing so allows me the freedom to give them this leeway. But it doesn't stop my motherly concern. *chuckles* I'm lame, I know.

Anyway, I did a miserable effort with the exercise but at least it's done. Now onward to 500 words min of FoT. Hope you're all having a fantastic day!