Since my last flash fiction post on the 15th, I've moved my blog. From now on, I will be posting at my new home:
almostaverageblog.wordpress.com.
I invite you to follow me there. I'm hoping it will be a seamless transition and will help grow my blog and bring new visitors to share with. Thanks for reading along and I look forward to seeing you at my new place!
Thanks for everything,
-Jason
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Flickr Story 5: Vacation
It's the 15th and time for another Flickr Story. This month, the picture which inspired this story didn't come from Flickr. It's from the Twitter account @ThatsEarth. The stairs reminded me of going to the Caribbean and the clear blue waters there. I actually enjoy going on vacation and the Caribbean is a wonderful place to go. Read on for one couple and their experience in this beautiful paradise.
__________
Vacation
Jim stood at the top of the wooden stairs looking out over the clear blue sea below. The sight was magnificent. The stairs led down a rocky incline and ended on the white beach below. He stood maybe fifty feet above the sea. Breathing deeply, Jim inhaled the warm salty air. He closed his eyes and let the sun warm him.
Recently his wife Meagan insisted they go to the sea. Insisted may have been too kind a word for Jim. She practically threw a tantrum demanding she be taken to an island resort…or else. They had a huge fight over it. Jim had no desire to go on vacation and he wanted no part of a beach. This was the busiest time of year for him at work, the last thing he needed was to be gone on vacation. But, after Meagan badgered him for weeks, he finally gave in and asked off. He grumbled about it to her yet she didn’t listen to a word he said. Her mind was on the beach, the sun, and drinks.
Before he knew it, Jim was paying for a trip to the Bahamas at a four star all-inclusive resort. He hated to fly. He’d rather drive across the country for days instead of fly. Meagan knew it, but her heart was set on the Caribbean and the Bahamas called her like a long lost love.
“Jim,” she said as they booked their trip, “this is wonderful! I’m so glad we decided to take this vacation. I love the beach! I love the ocean. I can’t wait to get there.” Jim grunted. He thought about the sales he’d miss, about the commission he’d lose all because Meagan wanted to sun herself. She only smiled at him and let her mind wander to the sun and sand she’d soon be enjoying. Her smile annoyed Jim.
***
Jim stood at the stairs smiling. Meagan was right, this was a great idea. He let the stress of his job float away on the warm ocean breeze.
Reaching down, Jim lifted his heavy suitcase and cautiously walked down the weathered stairs, careful to balance himself against its weight. He reached the first landing and rested. Jim leaned against the wooden hand rail and watched a sailboat in the distance. The crystal blue waters spread out before him like a welcoming blanket, ready to comfort and warm him. He looked down in the water and noticed a large dark grey manta ray swim by. The water was so clear he could see every detail on the back of the creature. He laughed to himself thinking how wrong he was for doubting Meagan.
Just then an employee of the resort walked up the stairs and approached Jim.
“Can I help you with the bag sir?” he asked. He was dark skinned and wearing a white linen shirt and matching shorts. He was cheerful and his name badge said “Tim.” Jim smiled warmly.
“No thanks, I’ve got this. Just admiring the view. It’s wonderful out here.” Tim looked to the ocean and nodded.
“Yeah, it is heaven on Earth. Well, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. We’re here to make your stay as pleasant as possible.” He shook Jim’s hand and walked back down the steps towards the resort.
Jim watched Tim walk back to the resort and sighed. He should’ve done this a long time ago. The sales would still be there. He had an assistant that took care of things while he was out and he did a great job of handling customers. The commission would still be there as well. So…what took you so long? he thought to himself. Shaking his head, he picked up the heavy suitcase and walked gingerly down the last flight of steps, each board creaking under his weight.
When he reached the bottom, glorious white sand greeted him. He removed his shoes, stuffed them in a side pocket of the suitcase, and let the warm sensation of the sand envelop his toes. He wiggled them in the sand, covering his feet. He smiled at himself, more for not doing this sooner than anything else.
The resort was to his left but the beach extended far to his right where it curved to a point. It looked inviting and relaxing, so he picked up his heavy suitcase and trudged off down the beach. Check-in could wait.
Walking down the beach, the rhythmic sounds of the waves gently crashing soothed him. He found a quiet spot near the tip of the beach where he sat down on the sand, breathing a little heavy from carrying the suitcase. The closest person to him was just going up the stairs from the beach.
“I love it here!” he said to the waves. They answered by crashing down on the sand in front of him.
Looking to his suitcase, Jim unzipped the main compartment. He smiled lovingly as he reached in the black bag. With a soft, delicate touch, he lifted out Meagan’s head. He sat it down on the sand, leaning it against the suitcase, facing the ocean.
“We did it Meagan,” he said, “we’re on vacation!”
***
Recently his wife Meagan insisted they go to the sea. Insisted may have been too kind a word for Jim. She practically threw a tantrum demanding she be taken to an island resort…or else. They had a huge fight over it. Jim had no desire to go on vacation and he wanted no part of a beach. This was the busiest time of year for him at work, the last thing he needed was to be gone on vacation. But, after Meagan badgered him for weeks, he finally gave in and asked off. He grumbled about it to her yet she didn’t listen to a word he said. Her mind was on the beach, the sun, and drinks.
Before he knew it, Jim was paying for a trip to the Bahamas at a four star all-inclusive resort. He hated to fly. He’d rather drive across the country for days instead of fly. Meagan knew it, but her heart was set on the Caribbean and the Bahamas called her like a long lost love.
“Jim,” she said as they booked their trip, “this is wonderful! I’m so glad we decided to take this vacation. I love the beach! I love the ocean. I can’t wait to get there.” Jim grunted. He thought about the sales he’d miss, about the commission he’d lose all because Meagan wanted to sun herself. She only smiled at him and let her mind wander to the sun and sand she’d soon be enjoying. Her smile annoyed Jim.
***
Jim stood at the stairs smiling. Meagan was right, this was a great idea. He let the stress of his job float away on the warm ocean breeze.
Reaching down, Jim lifted his heavy suitcase and cautiously walked down the weathered stairs, careful to balance himself against its weight. He reached the first landing and rested. Jim leaned against the wooden hand rail and watched a sailboat in the distance. The crystal blue waters spread out before him like a welcoming blanket, ready to comfort and warm him. He looked down in the water and noticed a large dark grey manta ray swim by. The water was so clear he could see every detail on the back of the creature. He laughed to himself thinking how wrong he was for doubting Meagan.
Just then an employee of the resort walked up the stairs and approached Jim.
“Can I help you with the bag sir?” he asked. He was dark skinned and wearing a white linen shirt and matching shorts. He was cheerful and his name badge said “Tim.” Jim smiled warmly.
“No thanks, I’ve got this. Just admiring the view. It’s wonderful out here.” Tim looked to the ocean and nodded.
“Yeah, it is heaven on Earth. Well, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. We’re here to make your stay as pleasant as possible.” He shook Jim’s hand and walked back down the steps towards the resort.
Jim watched Tim walk back to the resort and sighed. He should’ve done this a long time ago. The sales would still be there. He had an assistant that took care of things while he was out and he did a great job of handling customers. The commission would still be there as well. So…what took you so long? he thought to himself. Shaking his head, he picked up the heavy suitcase and walked gingerly down the last flight of steps, each board creaking under his weight.
When he reached the bottom, glorious white sand greeted him. He removed his shoes, stuffed them in a side pocket of the suitcase, and let the warm sensation of the sand envelop his toes. He wiggled them in the sand, covering his feet. He smiled at himself, more for not doing this sooner than anything else.
The resort was to his left but the beach extended far to his right where it curved to a point. It looked inviting and relaxing, so he picked up his heavy suitcase and trudged off down the beach. Check-in could wait.
Walking down the beach, the rhythmic sounds of the waves gently crashing soothed him. He found a quiet spot near the tip of the beach where he sat down on the sand, breathing a little heavy from carrying the suitcase. The closest person to him was just going up the stairs from the beach.
“I love it here!” he said to the waves. They answered by crashing down on the sand in front of him.
Looking to his suitcase, Jim unzipped the main compartment. He smiled lovingly as he reached in the black bag. With a soft, delicate touch, he lifted out Meagan’s head. He sat it down on the sand, leaning it against the suitcase, facing the ocean.
“We did it Meagan,” he said, “we’re on vacation!”
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Steal From Work (It's OK)
But instead of punching the clock just to get a paycheck, I say use your situation to your benefit.
For the last fourteen years, I’ve worked in sales at a screen-printing/embroidery/promotional products company (need some t-shirts?) When I started, I had no real sales experience. I’d worked at a fast food restaurant for eight years before my current job and had a Master’s Degree in Medieval History. To be honest, I felt the same way towards sales people as you might; they were rude, pushy, obnoxious, and worthless scum of the Earth. I had to push past that and make sure I was none of those things to be successful and feel good about myself.
Over time, I embraced my job and what I am. It’s not an easy transition going from dreams of teaching to selling material things, but once I discovered I was offering solutions for problems, it made a difference in how I went about my work.
I’ve learned a couple things over my time selling which apply to writing.
The first thing I learned was patience. Every day I went to work expecting the big sale. I’d anticipate large orders so I’d hit my sales goals. That didn’t happen. I knew the sales were there, but my customers weren’t ready to pull the trigger. Often they would, but not on my timing. I learned that the sale would come when it was time. I moved on to the next project or customer while I continued to wait on my customers.
For writing, aren’t we all doing the same thing? We write, we submit, and we wait. And wait. And…wait some more. Acceptance does not come easy. I know one day I will break through, but in the meantime I have to move on to more projects and continue to fine tune my writing. If we as writers continue like this, we’ll have an abundance of material to draw from when we finally get that glorious email or letter of phone call that we are accepted.
Persistence is another trait I learned from sales. If I wanted to succeed, I had to keep at it. Every day, all day long. I’m not a pest to my customers, but I have to be available to them and stay proactivee to make sure their needs are met. That persistence has paid off over time as my sales increased and my customers keep coming back.
Writing follows the same pattern. I have to be relentless when it comes to putting words on paper or on a screen. I have to work hard at it and write a lot. Every day if I can, but if not, just keep at it. Eventually all that time spent writing will pay off. The quality of my work will improve and my dreams of succeeding will get closer with every word written.
No matter what your job is, try to find the qualities that help you succeed and use those for your writing. Once you tap into that behavior of success and accomplishment in your job and break apart what makes it work, it’s easy to translate that to your passion for writing.
So go ahead and steal from work, it’s ok.
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