Getting to Know You
Up-close and Personal
At one moment in time, you embarked on an adventure that has remained etched in your memory. An encounter has changed the course of your days and given you a new way of looking at the world around you. A person you met expanded your vision and appreciation of that other's world and diversity. You encountered a creative work of art that made you question a circumstance. You had an adventure worth noting, not merely for your sake, but as a legacy.
Write about this memory and re-create the details to underline the value of that experience. Approach the story with a new objectivity, recalling how it has impacted you emotionally. The same impact could resonate with the readers through your creative expression, either in fiction, poetry, or a personal essay.
While still discovering a style for writing, allow yourself the freedom of expression. Up close and personal, your writing will reach out to the readers of your age and generation. What may result is a single, unique encounter that can impact the life of another.
You belong in a community. Your interactions are not limited to your family members and even extend beyond the nearest neighborhood. Your gait, fluidity, mobility, and fixations are influenced by the surrounding local perimeter Your unique characteristics are also a product of your everyday connections and relationships. You have formed habits and norms which are adjustments to the people around you.
You live within the confines and freedoms your community allows. There is nothing imagined here, every interaction is a dynamic result of how you perceive and appreciate your environment.
Share your everyday encounters with the people in your community. Observe communal relationships and record your discoveries. Engagement with the community is not easy since we have become comfortable swiping our phones in search of connections. But who knows, you may have a gripping tale or two about what it means to be a true neighbor.
In Community and Environment
