I took part in a Zoom writing workshop yesterday. Before p(l)andemic, this always took place in our in-house café. It is sometimes very liberating to use your head creatively while writing. Yesterday there was a task where I was surprised at myself what came out in the end, so I share it with you. The whole theme of the morning was "Lack and Abundance".
The exercise I am talking about here was: Finish the following story.
You drive to the petrol station, put the nozzle in the tank and switch on the automatic pump. The pump no longer stops pumping......
And this is my continuation of the story:
...but I only notice this when I'm already standing in the puddle with my shoes wet with petrol. Before that, my mind wandered and flew off into another world. A brief forced moment of pause. At the petrol pump next to me was another car in which an elderly woman was waiting for her husband to finish filling up. What may these two have experienced in their lives so far. They may be in their 80s. Do they have children? Did they have children? How long do you think they have been together? They look hale and hearty, I wonder if they are? I imagine them in their youth, freshly in love and without knowing what life will ask of them or give them in the future. They simply trust each other. At least that's how I imagine it.
I wonder if it's just wishful thinking. They must have had difficult times, even in their relationship, but they seem to have overcome them, because they are standing here together next to me at the petrol station.
Where do you think they go after filling up? To the shops, to the doctor, to the countryside or simply back home? The answers run through my head one after the other like a cinema film. It's a wonderful idea to spend so many years together. Knowing what the other likes and doesn't like. Knowing what the other person needs and how I can make them happy. Sharing the experiences of the day with each other. I am completely absorbed in the comparison with my own life. Determined to turn this wishful thought into reality. I too have experienced so much, I think everyone has, some more and some less. I don't think you can compare it either, because it is easier or more difficult for one or the other to deal with different things in life. It depends on what experiences one has had or what seeds were sown in childhood.
The man next to me has now finished refuelling and knocks on the passenger door window, which is immediately opened by the woman. She holds out a purse. He lovingly strokes her cheek with the back of his hand and takes it. She smiles lovingly at him. I am still absorbed and happy that I was able to witness this small gesture of love between the two of them. He goes inside, pays and then they drive away.
Somehow it has become cold. My feet feel like icicles. As if I had just waded through a cool mountain stream with my shoes on to get to the other side. But no, what is it? Suddenly not only the wetness but also the smell makes itself felt. Far from cool, fresh mountain air. It's the petrol seeping through my socks and shoes..... Back in the here and now... a pleading look in the direction of the petrol station attendant.He seems to have recognised the situation and rescues me.
After paying, I sit down in my car with a smile on my lips, drive home and give my husband a kiss. He smiles at me in love.... It's the little things in life that make my heart overflow....
The exercise I am talking about here was: Finish the following story.
You drive to the petrol station, put the nozzle in the tank and switch on the automatic pump. The pump no longer stops pumping......
And this is my continuation of the story:
...but I only notice this when I'm already standing in the puddle with my shoes wet with petrol. Before that, my mind wandered and flew off into another world. A brief forced moment of pause. At the petrol pump next to me was another car in which an elderly woman was waiting for her husband to finish filling up. What may these two have experienced in their lives so far. They may be in their 80s. Do they have children? Did they have children? How long do you think they have been together? They look hale and hearty, I wonder if they are? I imagine them in their youth, freshly in love and without knowing what life will ask of them or give them in the future. They simply trust each other. At least that's how I imagine it.
I wonder if it's just wishful thinking. They must have had difficult times, even in their relationship, but they seem to have overcome them, because they are standing here together next to me at the petrol station.
Where do you think they go after filling up? To the shops, to the doctor, to the countryside or simply back home? The answers run through my head one after the other like a cinema film. It's a wonderful idea to spend so many years together. Knowing what the other likes and doesn't like. Knowing what the other person needs and how I can make them happy. Sharing the experiences of the day with each other. I am completely absorbed in the comparison with my own life. Determined to turn this wishful thought into reality. I too have experienced so much, I think everyone has, some more and some less. I don't think you can compare it either, because it is easier or more difficult for one or the other to deal with different things in life. It depends on what experiences one has had or what seeds were sown in childhood.
The man next to me has now finished refuelling and knocks on the passenger door window, which is immediately opened by the woman. She holds out a purse. He lovingly strokes her cheek with the back of his hand and takes it. She smiles lovingly at him. I am still absorbed and happy that I was able to witness this small gesture of love between the two of them. He goes inside, pays and then they drive away.
Somehow it has become cold. My feet feel like icicles. As if I had just waded through a cool mountain stream with my shoes on to get to the other side. But no, what is it? Suddenly not only the wetness but also the smell makes itself felt. Far from cool, fresh mountain air. It's the petrol seeping through my socks and shoes..... Back in the here and now... a pleading look in the direction of the petrol station attendant.He seems to have recognised the situation and rescues me.
After paying, I sit down in my car with a smile on my lips, drive home and give my husband a kiss. He smiles at me in love.... It's the little things in life that make my heart overflow....