Please visit Carrot Ranch Literary Community and read Charli Mills’ beautiful post about the tap-tapping of spring coming forth in the Keweenaw Bay. It’s a beautiful lesson in gratitude even in precarious times. It’s true, that even as this pandemic crashes against us in waves of fear, spring is coming and it’s still beautiful.
My sister shared a post on social media in which the author of the post instructs us to go outside and breathe, plant your feet on the Earth. Ironically before I plunged into the rabbit hole that social media often is, I pet my dog and welcomed my birds to the new day. In doing so I thought about the fact that they – for the most part because no doubt they sense a shift in energy – aren’t aware of this pandemic. They don’t know and aren’t worried about its spread or how best they can practice social-distancing. This made me think about the world outside, nature. Nature always keeps going. It just keeps doing its thing.
Spring will not be cancelled. The birds will not stop singing. The flowers will not remain underground. The trees continue their energetic push to grow buds, flowers, seeds, and leaves. The wildness around us keeps on being wild. As I think about this, what my sister shared, and Charli Mills’ post and her friend in hospice making plans to see fireworks on the 4th of July, I think about keeping on. I think about how Charli’s right, there’s hope in plans. I will still make plans. I will breathe and take in the sun. I will plant my feet and salute the sun.
And I will try my hand at Carrot Ranch’s 99-word flash fiction challenge this week.
March 12, 2020, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story that includes tapping. You can play with the sound, make it an action, or create something unexpected. Tap a story and go where the prompt leads!
https://carrotranch.com/2020/03/13/march-12-flash-fiction-challenge-2/
Get Out of My Head
There was tapping around my house. I could not find it. Upstairs, downstairs, I looked in every room.
“What the hell!” One more sign I did not have control of my life. I collapsed in bed. There was movement behind the blinds. Tap-tap-tap.
I jumped up and twirled the wand, opening the blinds. Away went the red bird. It was vibrant, not the drab of winter. The sun glowed on my face. Green points poked up through the dirt. Birds whistled around my yard.
“Oh Little Cardinal, thank you for enlightening me with your tap-tap-tap.”
Thanks for reading! If you’d like to participate in the Carrot Ranch Literary Community’s flash fiction challenge please click on the link at the top of this post. Inspired by Carrot Ranch to do more flash fiction work myself I’ve also started doing a weekly flash fiction challenge. Please click HERE to read what I’ve been working on. My challenges can be done at any time.
As always Thank You Carrot Ranch for sharing your great post and really cool challenge!
Found it! Well grounded positivity throughout. So glad you are trying your hand at ranching.
Hey D. Avery! Thank you so much for your comment and feedback on my piece. These challenges are a great practice! 😀
I enjoy many birds at my feeders. Cardinals are one of many.
I’ve read a couple of things about Cardinals – that they are lucky, they are the spirits of those we love… They are a welcome sign here all year as I feed mine black oil sunflower seeds all year round. More in the winter though. At the moment they are my only ‘pets’… besides some plants on the window sill 🙂
(note my icon doesn’t go to my open site, my open blog’s id isn’t the name of my current blog… It’s complicated – but it works – thanks for your visit and comment to my Carrot Ranch post.)
Thank you so much for your visit and comment. 😀
I’ve always loved Cardinals, they’re so beautiful. It’s cute that they’re sassy little territorial birds. This story was inspired by the male Cardinal who flies around my partner’s house pecking at the windows he finds his reflection in. Oh how I wish I could relay to him that that is not a competitor. I feel lucky to have regulars around my house. My yard is a bit of a wreck (mid-projects) and my feeder got crushed by a tree that fell but I look forward to getting my feeders back up this spring/summer.
Plants are lovely pets. 😉