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May 13
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Linda Caroll's avatar

Oh that's fun. I edited because I can't seem to leave my writing alone, but kept the context the same. You made me smile with that!

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May 13
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Linda Caroll's avatar

Thank you, Grif, that's a mighty fine compliment! :)

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Sandra Fisher's avatar

Your writing is so good and so natural and visual. Maybe that is your open door to the world

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Linda Caroll's avatar

Thank you, Sandra. I sure hope so.

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Deirdre Palmer's avatar

Just beautiful.

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Linda Caroll's avatar

Thanks, Deirdre, I'm glad you liked this one :)

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JL Tooker's avatar

Weary happens and your words made it resonate at a new depth, an insightful and necessary depth. I think I will head to the diner now...to shake, rattle, and roll. Thank you.

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Linda Caroll's avatar

Omg, I love that you have a diner like that, too. How fun is that?!

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Rooted Wisdom's avatar

Your words have struck like arrows, bullseye in multiple places and left me speechless in both pain and wonder. Thank you for the reminder.

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Linda Caroll's avatar

You are so welcome. Funny isn't it, how what we need sometimes just shows up. I love when life works that way, and thank you :)

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Linda Caroll's avatar

Aww, Julie, that was so sweet. Thank you, too!

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Xerlan Deery's avatar

Wow! I do love your writing, your heart and brain. This fed my soul today. It was a deep breakfast full of beauty and truth. Thank You!

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Linda Caroll's avatar

Thank you, Xerlan, what a nice thing to say. Thank you! :)

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Mackenzie Rivers's avatar

my god. I have no words for this Linda. just keep flying.

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Linda Caroll's avatar

What a truly beautiful compliment Mackenzie, thank you. I will sure try!

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Cynthia Vaughn's avatar

Your writing is so real, beautiful, and visual. I was spellbound reading this. I’ll be thinking about that diner and butterfly often.

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Linda Ann Robinson's avatar

Beautiful!

When she wrote for Newsweek a few decades ago(?)- it was a print weekly then - I always looked forward to reading whatever Anna Quindlan had written. I bought several of her books. One of them was a compendium of stories from women who had abortions. Those stories were so compelling that I changed my very ambivalent feelings about this necessary medical procedure for women.

Your writing is compelling too, but in a different way from Anna's. But the ending of one of her stories (working too much and the monotony of it all, at times) came flashing into my consciousness like a blinking neon light.

It was a homeless man's wisdom, imparted to her while he sat on a beach (or wharf - whatever) staring into the water. He said to her: "but look at the view, look at the view."

Perhaps you need to spend even more time "looking at the view." I know, I do. Water has this restorative quality for me when I sit a spell and just take it all in and breathe.

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Linda Caroll's avatar

That's me, too, Linda, I spend so much time at the river. It's literally minutes from my back door. And, I'm going to look up Anna Quindlan's books because you have good taste I know. : )

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Linda Ann Robinson's avatar

You are blessed that you are so close to a body of water. I have to drive at least 5 miles to go east to the Delaware River; 10 miles where parking is plentiful and I don't have to trespass on private property. 🙃.

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Kira Stoops's avatar

Caterpillars turn to goo inside their cocoons before they turn into butterflies and just, yes.

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Linda Caroll's avatar

Right? They do. Primordial goo and it's the only way to rebuild from the atoms up. I love that you know that, too. Thank you, Kira.

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WiseWomanWickedTongue's avatar

I love the style of this. I can feel what you are saying in my bones. I also love the idea that we all have a little animal inside like the Bluebird. There is a beautiful book called The Boy with a Bird in His Chest. Check it out. And congratulations on this heartfelt piece.

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Linda Caroll's avatar

Thank you so much. Not just for the kind compliments but the book suggestion, too. I love random book shares so much. Just added it to my list. :)

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Dhruba Hazarika's avatar

This is simply super. Prose and verse ambling hand-in-hand. Thoughts and feelings expressed so truly that they feel like gentle creatures sitting beside you.

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Linda Caroll's avatar

Oh, I love that imagery so much, our thoughts and feelings as gentle creatures sitting beside us. Thank you so much for that. Gifts from the heavens, they're everywhere. :)

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Jo-jo's avatar

Sometimes, the most loving thing is to stop pushing and just witness someone where they are...with softness, and without a plan.

And maybe the words in your head... your memories, your thoughts, your truths... are already a cocoon. Not to become something new, but to gently hold all that you are, even in this ending.

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