"Fragments of Her" (StoryADay Challenge/Day 26)

The Prompt: (by Tammy Breitweiser, who is a writer and teacher who is a force of nature, an accidental inspirationalist, the keeper of the little red doors,  and a conjurer of everyday magic who is always busy writing short stories. Her flash fiction has been published in The Ninja Writers Monthly, Spelk, Clover and White, and Elephants Never.)

Make list of 10 things that you noticed about your day already.

Even if you woke up at 4 am there are certainly things you noticed.

Try to be as precise and sensory as possible and try to avoid metaphor.

And then, at the end, connect those pieces together to make a story.

*

“Fragments of Her”

She woke up with a subtle pain in her neck. Did I sleep awkwardly? I don’t think I did. She hit the snooze button on her alarm clock, it was 5:15am. She liked getting up this early. Something about the quiet of the morning that always nourished her soul. She pulled herself out of bed and slipped into her moccasins. She dragged her feet to the kitchen and turned on the kettle to boil water. Early mornings felt the most peaceful to her. It was before the demands of the day encroached on her time and sanity. The calls, the emails, the errands, the daily grind. Her friends called her The Juggler. 

After she made herself lemon zinger tea, she liked to do some morning yoga. Ever since the pandemic took hold of the nation, yoga helped keep her mental intact. The world felt like it was spiraling and burning. And she didn’t want her mind to be torched in the process. She hadn’t been in close proximity to friends in family in almost three months. Whispers of this being the new normal gave her anxiety. She only saw family and friends over web-calls. Those chats made her feel human again. Seeing her niece and nephew always brought tears to her eyes. They would ask her why she was crying, and her answer was always the same: I miss you two so much.

She began thinking that the quarantine was a major reset. A chance to really be still for a while. A chance to put things in proper perspective. A chance to deeply question her motivations and intentions. An opportunity to recollect the fragments of herself that she allowed to drift away unbeknownst to her. She realized that she was a legend at running away from herself. She’d be the first one at a happy hour with friends and co-workers getting drunk.. She’d be the first one suggesting plans for outings or trips out of town or country. She was always racing to the next thrill. The next burst of excitement. Soon she began to realize that she was only trying to run away from herself. And the more she ran, the more she couldn’t escape. Because anywhere she went, she learned, she brought her problems and troubles along with her. 

Stillness began to feel good on her skin. She had no desire to run from the ugly feelings inside. She looked forward to confronting them head-on. Running had gotten her nowhere. Running had only exhausted her to the brink of collapse. Running had nearly caused her to have a mental breakdown. She decided to turn in her running sneakers for good. She no longer had use for them. She devoured books that were on her bookshelf and she began to feel herself evolving. She read poetry that breathed new life into her. She listened to podcasts that encouraged authenticity, peace and self-love. She lit candles that smelled like warm hugs. She created a vision board that challenged her to achieve her goals. She reduced her social media intake for her peace of mind. She opted to no longer watch the news. If it didn’t edify her, she didn’t want to be involved, notified, or remotely aware. 

She went through the phases of a butterfly. She examined and navigated the pain she held onto for years. She let go of everything that didn’t serve her. She forgave those that wronged her. She forgave herself. She saged the negative energy out of her home and life. When her mom called, she noticed a change in how her daughter sounded. This made her blush. And when she looked in the mirror, for the first time in a long time, she saw her inner child smiling radiantly back at her. She vowed to never lose her again.

The End.

**This is a work of fiction. Names. characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.