One writing prompt assignment given in my nonfiction writing group was to tell a story using only three-word sentences. My instructor shared that she often used this prompt when writer’s block threatened. I chose a timeline format for these sentence snippets to reflect on a specific decade of my life. This was originally written in 2008.
1998 At a crossroad. Quit stressful job. After six years. Boss was insane. Good money though. Interesting design work. The next move? Another staff job? Try freelancing instead? Hate job hunting. One month respite. Began writing class. Taking pottery class. Back to work. Job at CCI. Cool, fun group. Hands-off managers. Tons of laughs. A child next?
1999 Working crazy hours. Good cash flow. Early pregnancy loss. Adopted fifth cat. Seventeen-pound tiger. Named him Clarence. Saw many movies. Weekend bike trips. Hanging with friends. Coming to terms.
2000 Vacation in Berkshires. Much needed respite. M’s father died. Positive pregnancy test. Hard to believe. Christmas is great. Pants don’t fit. Amnio is fine. Happy New Year!
2001 Sunday, June 17. E has arrived! Soft, beautiful, perfect. Am I dreaming? Joy, fatigue, stress. Can’t do this. Maybe I can. M’s office crisis. Lone employee quits. Left the country. Gave no notice. Business going downhill. Needs to close. M’s job search. E is great. E is tiresome. Happiness is evasive. Should be different.
2002 Doing some freelancing. Relationship under stress. E’s first birthday. Very hot day. Drank too much. Mom staying over. Her unconditional love. My Jaguar died. Miss him terribly.
2003 Working two jobs. In the city. And M’s office. Fighting with him. Office finally closed. Tried starting anew. Begin seeing therapist. Weekend at Nancy’s. Best friend forever. Truce with M. November 10, unthinkable. E has cancer. Hospitalized two weeks. Too many medications. Confusion, disbelief, anger. Started taking Zoloft. Alcohol works better. Moms pitching in. Friends are lifesavers. Found great preschool. E loves it. I love it. Made new friends.
2004 Weekly clinic visits. Too many kids. Chemo, finger sticks. Tears, exhaustion, insomnia. J abandoned me. Long friendship over. Feel sad, bitter. Three cats died. Gus, Jenny, Clarence. Miss writing group. Anna sending work. A good distraction.
2005 Relationship still strained. M’s new job. Steady paycheck finally. Two new cats. Fred and Tree. GingerKitty almost twenty. E doing better. Trip to Disneyworld. Make a Wish.
2006 E starts kindergarten. All those germs. Worried about infections. Almost finished chemo. More neighborhood playdates. Start FIT again. Finally finish Associate? Classes going well. Busy with assignments. Life still consumes. Never enough sleep.
2007 E off treatment. Mediport is removed. Try breathing again? Home repairs mounting. Constant money worries. Relationship a chore. Half step forward. Four steps back. Leaning on friends. Nancy always there. Dots always cheerful. Robyn always willing. Don always available.
2008 FIT almost done. Four more classes. Too many youngsters. Feeling really outdated. Not much freelance. Part time job. E remains healthy. Biking, swimming, soccer. His new anxieties. Fear of alarms. Scared of thunderstorms. Mornings are stressful. Cries about school. Seeing a therapist. Financial pressures remain. Relationship practically void. Still love him? Stay or go? At a crossroad.