Tuesday, June 4, 2013

For the Record

I received a call from two old friends last night. One had directly helped with my walks. The other I had seen only once since we were in high school. I have been struggling with how to fashion my tale, so I have been writing down my history of the world from day-one. I had spent the day reliving my past and had reflected how both my friends had, in their way, influenced my walking the world. While plucking stories from days gone by I was trying to capture on paper with pen the line of events, acquaintances and adventures which brought me to be here now. I realized some things directly influenced my journey that did not occur during any of my walks. Recalling a timeline seems simple enough, write out the record of events and be done with it. But those dry happenings ride a stream of feelings and other baggage I had tossed overboard along the way, or added as thread to the fabric of my sails. I asked my friends what I should do to connect my stories to the cause. Sorting through my collection of thoughts, like scraps of cloth and joining them with various colorful threads into a diabetes-themed quilt over a batting of people, places, joy, pain, sunshine and shelter is a challenging patchwork to muster. Talking with my friends gave me some ideas on how I might bring the boat ashore, bind the hem with stitches I had not considered, make a plain blanket into tapestry.


For the record, writing is not so easy sometimes.

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