Five Minute Friday - "Race"

So - as if biting off this whole new #31Days thing (on BOTH of my blogs) wasn't big enough of a stretch... I somehow (amongst all the amazing bloggers doing 31 Days) came across Lisa-Jo Baker and her Five Minute Fridays where she gives a Topic and you are invited to write - Just write... for Five minutes flat.  No worries of editing or spell check or pondering how to word things better. Simply write... flow... let the words come spilling out in free form and just see what happens! I thought of tying it in to my 31 Days but decided to just let this one unfold on it's own... we'll see about next week!

I - being on the West Coast - get to cheat a bit... she posts the Topic at midnight - but that means I get to write on Thursday night (and spend much of Friday reading all the amazing FMF posts!)  Before I spend a Friday doing that, I decided to jump in and give this a shot... otherwise I would end up comparing and shrinking away from claiming the title "Writer" (or "Artist"... both of which I am trying to step up into lately!)

So - here goes... the Topic is "RACE"...

{START}

Why is it lately that I feel so 'behind'?  I feel like I should have been doing things - SEVERAL things - already and yet I'm clueless as to what those vague see-through 'things' would be!  My baby girl... my one and only - is a senior in high school this year! Surely this means that we are behind! We should have been doing 50 things by now... college aps, scholarship stuff, essays, studying for the SATs... OK - see, this is where the reality part comes in! We HAVE been doing some of that.  However, it feels like we are running in a race... and while we're pushing forward, instead of WANTING to cross that finish line - we're sort of slowing down, not wanting to deal with what is beyond the ribbon and applause and the rush of finishing well.  It's the unknown of what is next and the knowing that everything - at least in part - will be different that catches our breath and heaves at our lungs!

She came home and shared that in class today most of her friends were cheering about 2013 and graduation and all the New that is coming.  She, however, was in tears - not able to fully embrace the foggy future that seems to be looming closer and closer.  I attempted to stir up excitement and anticipation but instead ended up sharing a good cry and some great ice cream - straight from the carton.  And then... coincidentally - I actually used these words:  "Your life is not a Race... and you are not coming to the END.  Change is scary - but your life will be full of them and in the midst of all Rush and Racing through to the Next... don't forget to embrace the Here and Now and Breathe!  So we sat and we picked out her Cap & Gown & we laughed and we wimpered a little and we cuddled like when she was 3.

...and I am thankful for the Here and Now... and the slowing down... (and the ice cream!)

{STOP}
~Karrilee~

(This feels scary to not edit or re-write... but here goes...)

You can read the other Five Minute Friday writers: