Writer´s Block

Have you ever heard the expression writer´s block?  Writer´s Block (n.) Usually temporary condition in which a writer finds it impossible to proceed with the writing of a novel, play, or other work (according to Dictionary.com)

I have been going through this for some time now. I have several ideas which I have started writing about but somehow they are just story starters that I just can´t seem to develop. I carry around a small notebook in my huge handbag to jot them down as I see them happening, for instance, a couple fighting in a paper box on a street corner; the dialogues I hear people say when I am walking in the park , just to mention a few. I have two files on my computer. One that reads: Blog and another: Blog in progress. The first one is filled with stories I have posted since I started sharing them with my followers. Officially I have five followers who receive my stories as soon as I post them. However, ever since I started a Facebook fan page, more people have been reading what I have been posting, which I am grateful for.

I really enjoy writing for it quiets my mind at times when there is a lot going on. I write, revise and still sometimes mistakes go by unseen or a punctuation mark is misused. Nonetheless, I post my stories. Perhaps one day I will have an editor to revise what I have written and help me with these little errors.

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( written October 21, 2013)Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

That Awkward Moment When the Only Thing You Know on a Test is Your Name

It is funny how much a mind can go blank while under pressure. You have been studying for such a long time and then all of a sudden, as if a hammer hit your head, you stare at the test questions in front of you and you can´t make heads or tails of it. All those letters in font size 12 are trying to say something that you cannot decipher. You look at the teacher at the front of the room sitting at her desk and as the sweat pours down your face you slowly raise your hand.

Although the teacher always says that there is no such thing as a stupid question in a classroom because everyone is there to learn, you know that the words that are about to come out of your mouth in the question format is stupid. You suspicion has become reality when the teacher answers `But of course´ and gives you the look that reads `You have the nerve to ask such a stupid question.´

You know that all your classmates are laughing inside, each one their way. Some out of hysteria because like you, they know nothing about the subject on the test; and others, out of spite because they are not alone in their misery.

`I should have studied. Why did I not pay attention in class? I shouldn´t have gone to that party on Saturday and get so wasted that Sunday I ended up sick all day.´ These are just a few thoughts that pop up in your mind to try to make you feel better. Then out of the blue, the teacher says `15 more minutes´. Panic strikes! The sweat increases. You feel as if your heart is going to explode. You look at the questions again and give it a try.

`Your time is up. Drop your pens.´ Up you go to hand in your test. The teacher takes one magnifying look and says `Didn´t study, did you? ´ You are busted. Those few lines were not enough to fool the teacher.  In the end you are pretty much convinced that teachers have this unexplainable power to know what goes on in each and every student's mind. Perhaps it is something they learn at university or a gift they are born with. With that being said, you smile, grab your books and head out the door feeling miserable.  

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(Written November 12, 2013) Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.

Am I Asking Too Much?

I have been questioning myself lately about an aspect that has bothered me for a long time and that now I have decided to change my attitude towards it. The fact is that there are some people that walk by me ( at work, on the streets, at church, and so on) and do not even say hello or make a movement with a wink or nod to acknowledge my presence.

You might be thinking as you read that no one is obliged to greet others when they walk by. I agree, however, I come from a time when saying hello, thank you and excuse me was something that we said all the time; a sign of politeness. Of course we learned how to use them and whenever we didn´t, someone would remind us they existed, mainly parents and teachers. It is a habit that I still practice these days.

I greet strangers in the elevators and even if they cross my path on the street, I tend to say hello. It makes people feel good, I reckon, at least it breaks the tension. To me, all people are the same and deserve the same treatment; more on the lines of “do onto others as you would like them to do to you”.

However, there have been times when these people, who pass by and do not even acknowledge the fact that another human is going by, have come up to me at some time, usually towards the end of the year, to ask me for my help in correcting something that has to do with the language I teach. Then they find a smile, which was inside hiding all this time, and nicely ask for my help.  In the past I have helped them out but nowadays I am having second thoughts. I have done it because I wanted to and not because it is part of my task as a teacher to do so, which it is not. I have done it for free and there were times when not even a simple thank you was given in return as payment.

 It is a very touchy issue nowadays because these people are not used to taking no as an answer. Anyhow, my big dilemma is that when I say no, which I eventually will end up doing due to lack of time and an overhaul of work, why can´t I simply tell them the real reasons behind my no?  What I would like to say to them is “Hey! Wake up and smell the coffee! What goes round comes round! You haven´t greeted me all year long, even turned your head at times, and now because YOU need me YOU expect me to help YOU because of a simple smile. Get real!” But that can´t be said, now can it?

I am also thinking like who am I to try to make these people aware of the fact that they will have a tough life if they do not change their ways? Who do they think they are to treat another human being this way? What makes them think that they are superior or better than the next person? In life one has to give to receive. Giving does not mean material things but a simple greeting is sometimes all a person needs.

We need others in our lives; we were not created to be alone, to live in isolation. People need one another and the sooner you learn this, the easier life can be.

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(Written August 14, 2013)Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.