Wild Mind Monday #1

Welcome to Wild Mind Monday! This is a virtual writing group in which we are going to be working our way through Natalie Goldberg's Wild Mind. The link each writing assignment will be posted here the first Monday of each month and will remain up for the duration of the month. If you are interested in joining in, leave a comment with your email address and I will send you this month's assignment. I also ask that you go to each linked blog and make comments on each other's work. When critiquing and making comments, please remember there is a person on the other side of the computer and we need to be kind and respectful while helping each other develop our writing skills. So let's have fun! 

This week we are supposed to write for 10 minutes using the prompt "I remember." Walk around for a few minutes without talking then sit back down and write for another 10 minutes using the prompt "I don't remember." Here's mine:

"I remember when things were easier. I remember that life didn't just take over. I remember happiness and playing and just having fun. I remember. I remember. I remember summers at my grandma's house. I remember my older sister. I remember seeing pictures of us just being kids. I remember one picture where we are on my grandma's front porch and we are laughing our butts off because one of us, I think it was me, was barely flipping off the camera. I remember the field across the street with the huge ditch. I remember it was so hot and humid that you could barely stand to be outside. I remember laying in front of the air conditioner in the dining room next to the long formal table that was never used...unless it was a holiday of course. I remember Thanksgiving. I remember all the kids would go into my mom's old room and watch television or play the Nintendo. I remember my mom's room. I remember it was pink. I remember the bedspread was a pink and white quilt that my grandma made. I remember the middle room had this dark furniture in it that was really tall and the room was green. I remember the garage. I remember the garage was always clean. I remember the red rubber ball that hung by a string from the ceiling. I remember my grandma and grandpa always gingerly driving the car into the garage until the red ball touched the windshield of the car. I remember my grandpa's tools. I remember that each tool had its place and that the peg board the tools hung on had each tool outlined in masking tape. That way there could be no confusion as to which tool went where. I remember their dog. I think her name was Susie but I'm not sure. I remember one summer my grandpas introduced me to a little girl. I remember he told me he had met her when she was walking her dog past their yard. I remember we played that summer until she had to go visit her own family. I remember sitting on the steep hill on the side of my grandparent's yard. I remember the hill was on the outside of the fence and it was fun to roll down. I remember sitting on that hill wearing my black Debbie Gibson shirt with the lime green plastic shirt tie thing. I remember those used to be so awesome. I remember we would always buy our t-shirts a size or two too big so we could tie them off to the side with those plastic circles with the line in the middle. I remember the hair wave. I remember trying so hard to get my hair as high as possible. I remember a school picture I took one year. I remember I had a piece of gum in my mouth. I remember thinking that if I just pushed the gum to the side of my mouth no one would notice it and it wouldn't mess up the picture. I remember getting the pictures back and wishing I had spit out the gum. I remember my cheek looked pretty lumpy because of the gum. I remember hating almost every school picture and wishing I didn't have to do them. I remember. I remember. I remember high school. I remember getting someone else to do my homework sometimes. I remember. I remember being with psycho boy."

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"I don't remember. I don't remember much of my childhood. I don't remember feeling loved. I don't remember what it was to live in my house. I don't remember much. I don't remember. I don't remember. How can you write about what you don't remember? I don't remember a lot of what I read and I think it's annoying. I don't remember people's names. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember last year sometimes. I actually sometimes find myself thinking about last year and realizing I was alone the entire year. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember the guy's name in high school that I kissed. I wish I did. But I don't. I don't remember how we started talking. Maybe it was gym? I don't remember why I felt the need to stay with psycho boy after he found out about that kiss and went and jumped the guy. I don't remember. I don't remember. Wow this one is hard. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember most of my friend's names over the years. I don't remember all of the childhood boyfriends I had. I don't remember some of my best friend's names. The only reason I remember the name of my first kiss is because he had the same name as psycho boy. I don't remember seeing the truth of all the crazy stories I hear about my father. I don't remember ever feeling loved. My father recently gave me a scrapbook with a bunch of letters and drawing I had done for him when I was little. I was shocked because I absolutely do NOT remember writing or drawing them. I've always said I don't remember anything (except my grandma's house) up until around the age of twelve or so...but that scrapbook blew me away. Seeing my handwriting and reading those letters and knowing how much I really don't remember scared the crap out of me. I don't know why. I've always thought it was no big deal that I don't remember. But that brought it home. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember how my sisters and I used to be. I don't remember my younger sister as a baby. My mom says I used to want everything my older sister had. Even if it was the exact same toy I would always want hers...I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember where the time goes. I don't remember details of a lot of things. Often, when I would leave a classroom, I didn't remember what the professor had said. I don't remember half of the things I learned while earning my bachelor's degree. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember what happened to The Hubble's car registration. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember. Man this sucks. I don't remember. I don't remember. I may have to write this sentence for another full minute. I don't remember. I don't remember all the friends I had in high school. I honestly figure they don't remember me either. I don't remember. I don't remember. Boo! I don't remember. I don't remember."