A good ice storm will slow you down. Send you walking instead of driving. Make you wait.
I was caught in the thick of the ice this last weekend having flown home to Texas to spend time with loved ones, and in the first few days, I did a lot of waiting. Waiting for the roads to clear, waiting to be told what I could do to help with my grandmother’s funeral, waiting for the inevitable.
Waiting isn’t all bad, though. It pulls at your perspective until you notice less of the big picture and more of what’s right in front of you.
It tethers you to a moment in time.
For the last several days, I’ve sat quiet, looked at old photos, listened to stories. Filled in gaps in my history. I would not have wanted those moments to be rushed.
While I was home, a piece of my fiction was published online, a story that speaks of something similar: slowing down, looking back, finding that lifeline. You can read The Continental on Deep South Magazine HERE.
Terrific post, Christi. And big congrats on your your piece in Deep South Magazine! I’m off to read it right now.
Thanks Beth!