It’s Time for a New Course in Life

Ever since I was a little girl books always fascinated me. I remember picking up a book and smelling it before opening it and studying each page with intense interest. It didn’t matter what the book was about, I would just enjoy looking at it and reading the odd word I could understand. As I got older and my reading skills were fully developed my Mum took me to our local library and got me a membership card. That first moment when I stepped in to the library is as vivid in my memory as if it were yesterday…I just felt like I had found my own personal heaven. Every day after school I would rush home to read. On a daily basis I was reading a full Enid Blyton book…The Famous Five or the Secret Seven was the favourite choice. Eventually the library ran out of books in the Enid Blyton series I hadn’t read so they started ordering in more for me. Reading had become like an addiction to me…I just wanted more and more!

I soon came to realise not only did I love to read but I had a lot to say on paper myself. Thoughts and ideas were always churning through my mind. My family all smiled when they looked at me before saying “You are always away in a dream world Arlene.” And they were right.. No matter where or what I was doing there was always thoughts and ideas running through my head. Up in my bedroom I had writing pads covered in various notes, poems, short stories and drawings. Every time I had an idea for a story I would draw the character/scene out too. All the while promising myself that one day I would write something so amazing and inspiring that everyone would want to read it again and again.

Here I am 22 years later…single mum to three children and working as a nanny. Not quite how my 14 year old mind had envisaged my life to be. But at least one thing hasn’t changed over the years and that is my passion for words. I still read and write on a daily basis, even if only a short poem or story. I ‘still’ have words and ideas that are always manifesting in my head and I am always taking notes..…sometimes even in the middle of the night!

Currently I am part way through writing a book I started 5 years ago and after getting positive feedback about it I began to lose momentum and the drive to complete it. It’s almost like all I needed was verification my writing is credible, that was all that seemed to matter to me. Oh sure, it would be amazing to one day have my book published and people to say how much they enjoyed reading it. But ultimately all I really want is for my writing to stimulate emotion in others. When I write anything (even if it’s just an email or a letter) I always do it from the heart and express my feelings and emotions in the words. When people read things I have written I want them to smile or laugh, feel the pain or the sadness…but most of all relate to what I have written.

While searching for inspiration a few weeks ago it occurred to me the one thing I have always wanted to do is get some sort of noted qualification in writing. I woke up a week ago and thought “What the hell are you waiting for Arlene? Do it today!” So I did. And now here I am writing my first activity for my creative writing course and it feels GREAT!

I am supposed to be saying why I want to be a writer and what made me decide to do this particular course but I feel that is something I ‘can’t’ put into words. How I feel about writing is something that is felt from within and can’t be expressed in words very easily. All I know is I am alive inside when I write. And as for my reason for doing this course… let’s just say I feel like I am finally on the right path. This isn’t just a diploma course, it’s my new course in life and I plan on following it all the way.

A Night on the Town

When my creative juices are running dry (behave) I like to give myself little challenges…writing a poem on a certain subject or a short story etc. To find my writing mojo again I wrote this very quick short story last night with a twist. The twist is it contains a number of film titles from various genres. If you’re bored at work it’ll waste 10 minutes looking to see how many you can find. The one who gets the closest number correct won’t win a prize…just my undying admiration for all eternity. (What?!! That is a great prize!!:P)

A Night on the Town

The weekend was finally here and Leon was getting ready to meet up with a few of his mates. It had been a tough week and he was really looking forward to a good old fashioned lad’s night out. There were seven of them going out and as much as he was excited at the thought of a few pints he wished it was only four of them going. Three of them were close friends from college and another 3 idiots that annoyed him…but he would try and get along with them for one night. Just at that there was a car horn sound from outside. He looked out the rear window only to see his taxi had arrived.

From the backseat of the taxi he sat staring up at the city lights and wondered if tonight was going to be as much fun as he hoped. The guys he was drinking with were notorious for being party animals but also for being troublemakers. Leon hated getting into fights and wanted to avoid them at all cost. They were all meeting at a pub called the Beaver which was not very aptly named he thought as he hadn’t pulled once in the place the entire two years he had been drinking there. The drink was cheap though and the music was good so it was the ideal place to kick off their night out.

The taxi driver was a grumpy man and all he seemed to want to do was grunt and drive. Suddenly he spoke, “Oi oi..looks like a bit of trouble going on outside that pub you’re going to” he said before checking in his mirror to wait for a reaction. Leon looked out to see two different groups of football supporters all pushing and shoving each other. Was this the omen to warn him that his night out was going to turn out badly? He wasn’t even out the taxi yet and already he was faced with 12 angry men!!

As Leon pushed his way through the rowdy football supporters all he could think was ‘bet there will be a few broken jaws tonight’. The doors of the pub opened as the sound of U2’s Vertigo blasted out. Over by the bar he spotted the usual suspects harassing the new barmaid, some American beauty that had only just started working there last month. He didn’t know her name but simply referred to her as the girl with the dragon tattoo. Whenever she reached up or bent down behind the bar he always caught a glimpse of a dragon right at the bottom of her back. For some reason he wanted to ask her what it was about but he never had the courage to go talk to her. Maybe tonight he would.

It was Leon’s round and as he got closer to the bar he noticed the tattooed barmaid smile at him. This was his opportunity to talk to her. After he ordered the drinks he waited for her to come and tell him how much he owed. “Hi there, I am sorry to be nosey but I like your tattoo and I was wondering if it was a symbol for anything in particular?” The girl smiled again “No, sorry to be boring but I just loved the design. But thanks for saying you liked it.” As she went to walk away to serve someone else Leon blurted out “I’m Leon by the way, what’s your name?” The girl looked back and shouted over the noise of the music, “Rebecca”

The night was going great. Plenty of laughs and the pints were flowing….plus he was getting lots of smiles from Rebecca. So far so good he thought to himself. Over at the bar he caught sight of a man standing talking to Rebecca. It looked like they were arguing but he wasn’t sure so decided to go over to listen. As he got closer he noticed the man pulling her back every time she tried to walk away from him. When she finally got back behind the bar Leon asked “Are you okay? Is that guy bothering you?” She shook her head as if she didn’t want to reply at first but then said “He’s my ex-boyfriend; we used to work together at the casino till he got us both fired. They accused us of stealing but he was the hustler not me. Now he has no money to keep his gambling habit so he comes to hassle ‘me’ for cash. I just want him to leave me alone.” Leon thought for a moment then said “Do you want me to have a word with him?” but Rebecca shook her head, “No, I don’t want anyone else getting involved…he’s not one to be messed with and you’d only end up in hospital. Thanks anyway.”

Last orders were called and Leon and his friends were about to move on to the night club just down the road. He decided to ask Rebecca to join them. His mates urged him not to as they said they wanted to enjoy the night club without it turning into a fight club but Leon insisted. “Do you want to come on to another bar with us once you’re finished here?” he asked as she was rinsing out glasses behind the bar. Rebecca looked at him like he was an alien, “No sorry…I can’t” He was feeling a bit confused but wondered if it was the alcohol kicking in. Was it him or did she just seem standoffish? “No worries just thought I’d ask anyway. See you around I guess” Rebecca didn’t even respond she just smiled and carried on with cleaning up behind the bar.

The night club was packed and Leon was starting to feel like a big fish in a small pond. The heat was getting to him not to mention the numerous pints he had consumed. He also couldn’t help but think about the barmaid from the pub, why had she gone so weird with him? His friend could see he was a bit thoughtful and put a hand on his shoulder before saying “Look she is a nice looking girl but she seems troublesome…not exactly the type you would bring home to meet the parents.” This angered Leon. He pushed past his friend with a face like a raging bull and made his way outside…he needed some air.

Outside it was chilly but Leon needed to clear his head. In the distance he noticed a man running towards him who was obviously in a hurry. As the running man got closer he tripped over and as he was falling down Leon recognised him as the guy who was arguing with Rebecca at the other bar. Stumbling to his feet he started running again before Leon could even say a word to him. Why was he in such a hurry? Maybe he decided to snatch a purse to feed his gambling habit Leon thought to himself.

An hour later and Leon and his friends were heading to the local kebab shop to soak up all the beers. As they walked down the street they could hear the hustle and bustle of various sirens going off….not unusual for a Friday night in their neighbourhood. They turned a corner only to be faced with 2 police cars and an ambulance. Leon stopped to ask a girl who was standing eating chips and curry watching everything that was going on if she knew what happened. The girl who looked a bit freaked out but continued eating anyway replied “They have found a girl up the alley way over there that has been badly beaten. It was my friend who found her. No idea who she is but all we know is she has a dragon tattoo on her back”

Friendship

The other night after talking to my good friend I came off the phone smiling and feeling happy. It made me think how lucky I am to have so many wonderful friends in my life I can trust and rely on. I take friendship very seriously and cherish each and every one of them I have been lucky enough to make. Good friends are hard to come by so it’s important to keep the ones you have. When I think of my friends this is what comes to mind…

This is for the people who bring joy to my life
The friends who have stuck with me through trouble and strife
I don’t tell them enough how important they are
From the ones who live close to the others a far

Each one of them makes me smile every day
Showing their friendship in all different ways
Always there if I need a good moan
I’m extremely grateful for the kindness they’ve shown

Some of my friends I’ve known forever
A bond between us that no one could sever
They are like sisters to me and always will be
Regardless of how much of each other we see

There are friendships more recent that I value no less
I can’t imagine my life without them; I’d just be a mess
We may not have known each other for that long a time
But they are all great friends who belong in this rhyme

I cherish them all for various reasons
With each passing month, year and season
Hopefully this poem is one way to show
That I appreciate them all more than they know

xxx