Welcome to the 4th edition of Carnival of the Storytellers.
Spring is around the corner. It’s the time storytellers love. It reloads the story file for another year. No more cold days and nights indoors- instead, its time for barbecues, walks, water, outdoor sports and parties. The things that bring about a higher volume of human contact, and thus, more chances for conversations and observations that provoke learning, new thoughts and ideas, and new stories.
One of those things for me is softball. I coach several girls teams and spring will be spent on various softball fields with friends, parents, and players- precious girls discovering that if they apply themselves they can do great things. Each of the past few years I have head-coached or assisted on three different teams, and played in a co-ed league. This year, with my 5 year old girl starting up, I will be bringing a pup tent and porta-potty with me to the fields.
This carnival is a bit shorter than I had hoped. This is mainly due to people that can’t seem to express themselves without various profanities. I did not include their posts- a surprisingly high number. Creativity and care applied to writing removes almost any need to use profanity except when quoting. And even then, that’s because the speaker being quoted doesn’t care to be purposeful in expressing themselves. It’s a damn shame.
*****C*A*R*N*I*V*A*L***OF***T*H*E***S*T*O*R*Y*T*E*L*L*E*R*S*****
Karen Shanley details one of those precious nighttime conversations with a child- when they seem to be the most open and honest, ready to question, to learn, to understand, ready to pour out what they are really thinking about or what concerns or scares them. Im not sure if they are 100% into the resulting conversations, or just happy to have tricked me into biting the hook and putting off bedtime a few more minutes. In The Steering Wheel posted at Karen Shanley, an incredible past experience is shared between mother and child that is very well written and captivating . A great truth is laid bare in the story- faith, family and life itself is freedom, and treasure can often times weigh down.
Linda Freedman presents Saying Goodbye posted at Everyone needs therapy? Lessons from a family therapist, saying, "Not everyone has the luxury of taking vacations that leave them feeling "vacated." This doc tells about getting more than she bargained for when she went down to Miami in January."
I have always heard that life is fragile. It hangs on a thread inches away from its nemesis- death. There is another side of life though- a squall of will- a burning desire to do everything and anything possible to sustain itself. Barbra Sundquist presents one small example of just that. Growth Happens, Even In Less-Than-Ideal Conditions posted at WelcomeJoy.com shows that even when forgotten and neglected, life goes on, or at least desparately tries to.
Years ago I worked in a womens shoe store as a manager. I don’t think I have ever been presented with so many fascinating and strange people and situations as I did while there. Sometime soon I will document a few of these on my blog now that I sit here and recall them. 100 Words presents Plates of Meat posted at The Centurion Diaries, and describes how he became a funny story that is now, no doubt, told amongst the staff of a shoe store he recently visited.
Tim Frazier thinks he wrote a post about about a funny adventure he had doing what men do best- trying to do things themselves. In 4Fraziers - TimBlog » The Great Capacitor Explosion - er, Explosions posted at TimBlog, what he really wrote about is what men most often hate to admit- their wives have an intuition that can save men time, money, worry, and in some cases, our lives.
Watching children watch the world is one of my favorite pastimes. To see them almost overwhelmed by the wonder and beauty is so much fun- it rekindles a lost excitement and passion for what grown ups often take for granted. Mama Duck presents Where all the fish were Nemo…. posted at Lil Duck Duck, detailing the wonder her little one had in experiencing the vast undersea world.
Not seen this one before- a love affair, and a Valentines Day note to the beloved, all based on an imaginary relationship. Interesting, and a bit unsettling. Reading it, you want it to be about a real woman in love with her man. It turns out to be true in a way- a creepy way. Nneka presents My Not-So-Secret Love Affair posted at Balanced Life Center, saying, "A story about my love affair with blogging."
Brad Bits placed this post in the carnival under the category of “fiction.” After reading it, I sure hope it is. There is something dark and desperate about the story. It’s a long read, but somehow it keeps you hooked- for me, because I kept reading hoping that this wasn’t true. Brad's Bits: I sleepwalk, posted at Brad's Bits: Stories of slacking in corporate America, is descrbed by the writer as a "Sad and weird story about sleepwalking." Let’s hope it’s a story. How could anyone desire to be a mindless unconscious animal over a thinking and conscious human being? It kind of holds your attention the same way roadkill does as you're driving by. No offense Brad.
*****C*A*R*N*I*V*A*L***OF***T*H*E***S*T*O*R*Y*T*E*L*L*E*R*S*****
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of the Storytellers using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
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