Writing Exercises - H.O.W. to Better Yourself and the World - Part Two

I found Billybuc’s hub offering exercises to better our writing skillsa challenge I wanted to meet. The more I wrote, the more I discovered this is a good exercise for all of Mankind, regardless of whether or not you are a writer. In working these challenges, relief and clarity come forth as a result. This could be a step towards more harmony in the world as people learn to lose their baggage by setting it free to dissipate in the winds of change.

In part one, I left off with five of the ten traumatic experiences we are asked to list and expound upon. I begin today by finishing that list.

Write a list of 10 traumatic experiences in your lifetime. Why is each one meaningful?

• Ashley dying – Ashley was a Seal Point Himalayan and the love of my life. We spent 17 years together. She and I had been through some rough times and some awesome times as well. She was the coolest cat I’ve ever had. Although she was declawed, she was fearless. I’ve seen her chase dogs – big dogs, at that – out of our yard. She once chased a Springer Spaniel away from my neighbor’s toy poodle by jumping on its back and growling at it. The dog was petrified and would not come around when he saw Ashley! She died of old age at 17 ½ and it broke my heart. My neighbor made a coffin for her and I’ve got her buried in my back yard where I planted a garden around her. I was always chasing her out of my gardens (Ashley Lynn, get out of the garden!). It was only befitting I give her her own special resting place. I mourned her death for well over a year. That was over 13 years ago. To this day when I feel blue, I sit by her garden and talk to her. She was the best!
• Wreck on I-4 – Eleven years ago I was travelling I-4 headed to see my boyfriend. My left rear tire blew out at 80 mph. I panicked and did what you’re told not to do: I put my foot on the break. My car spiraled out of control, crossed over three lanes, went down the decline off the highway and sped backwards along a chain link fence. I remember thinking over and over again I’m going to die! I’m going to die and Christopher’s with his dad. He’ll never see me again! Miraculously the car came to a stop ten feet from the swamp. I was unhurt but badly shaken and the car was totaled. To this day, I cannot drive on any highway. I fall into a sheer state of panic. Now, if I can’t get from point A to point B via back roads, I stay home.
• My son’s father’s death –Montana was diagnosed with bladder cancer when my son was 13. He was offered experimental surgery by a training hospital in Maryland where they removed his bladder and fabricated a new one out of his large intestine. Two years later during one of his weekends with Christopher, he called me and asked me to take him to the hospital; he couldn’t stand the pain. Eleven days later he died. Although I was remarried, the pain of losing him was unbearable. The pain in my son’s heart was even more unbearable. I no longer remember the bad times, only the good. I remember the love we shared and it was awesome. My son and I became closer when his dad died, but my heart still bleeds for both of them.
• My son being arrested – Two years ago I got a call in the middle of the night. My son had been arrested for possession of marijuana. I wasn’t even aware he’d left the house! I went outside to smoke a much needed cigarette and discovered Christopher had stolen my car! Thank God the cops didn’t know that. You see, he had a rather loud car at the time. He figured I wouldn’t hear him leave the house if he took my PT Cruiser. Needless to say, I let him sit in jail until his arraignment the next morning. He has paid his penance and is back on track. Oh, in case you’re wondering… no, he no longer smokes pot.
• My brother’s brush with death – My brother became very ill a couple of years ago and had to be hospitalized. He had lost a tremendous amount of weight and was jaundiced. His organs were shutting down on top of it. At one point, a priest was called into my brother’s hospital room. That is never a good sign my friends! Somehow Dana became stronger and was released. Today he is healthy as a horse, with the exception of needing hip surgery. His doctors are amazed at his recovery. It just wasn’t his time. Thank you Lord!

This concludes the second exercise suggested by Billybuc and this hub for today. My word count is nearing 1,000 so I’ll close for now. The series will continue on another day, as there are four more challenges left to share.

Conduct this exercise for yourselves. You will find it very cleansing. You’ll also find that you are much stronger than you think!