Each Day Already is a Challenge

Just some scribbling

At that other site...the one where I spend more time now, there was a picture prompt. It was a beautiful picture of a small bridge over sparkling water. Weeping willows surrounded the bridge and reached down to touch the travelers who crossed the bridge. The photographer asked that everyone close their eyes and imagine a paragraph or two to go with the picture.

Here's what came to my mind:

Her father told her that girls didn't need any "book learnin'" so she had to sneak out of the house to read. She strolled along reading and not paying attention to her surroundings. Something brushed her face, and as she looked up she realized she was on the bridge - her bridge - where the weeping willows reached out to touch or embrace. During the day it wasn't too frightening. But at night? Those tree fingers seemed to come to life. Now, though, it was safe. Safe and beautiful. And she stopped to listen to the water gurgling below, the birds singing and the small animals chattering. All was right with the world. Except that she really did like book learnin' and wondered how she could make her father understand.

Hmmm. I wonder if I was thinking about my own father as I wrote those words. Back when I was a teen, he made it perfectly clear that he would not pay for college. Girls just didn't need to go. I had to take out loans or work my way through. That's what I did. You know...I have about 225 college credits strewn amongst 7 colleges in 4 states. I started going to college in 1970 and took my last classes in 1993. More than enough for a degree, but with no degree. Because of the different colleges, different states, different times. That's why I figure one day I'll get it together and get some college that rewards for life experiences to allow me to gather those credits (Many of which were so long ago now that they don't really count...I never could understand that. Some things never change! Those credits should count.) and put together a life portfolio and see how much credit I can get for the whole lot of it.

I once worked for a woman who received an associate degree for her life experience portfolio - without ever attending one single college course. I helped her type up and organize that portfolio. What an awesome project it was!

Perhaps once my disability comes through and I no longer have the stress of not being able to afford anything, I'll be able to focus on a serious project. Perhaps...

When my next sister - 6 years younger - came along, he had not really changed his mind much. Fortunately for her, she received a full college scholarship. She and my parents only had to come up with $800 a year, I think, the whole time she was in school. Her scholarship was with one of the car companies. They provided her education and employed her every summer. Her only obligation to them was she was finished with college and had interviewed and collected a few job offers, she had to allow that car company to make their own offer. They promised to meet or exceed any offer she had. They did. And she turned them down and went to work for a chemical company. That was in 1980, and she has worked for that same chemical company ever since. Today she is a sr. vice president. For years, my sister only had her bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and was supervising folks (mostly guys, still, of course in that industry) with master's and PhD's. She finally did get a master's degree herself. Not sure of the emphasis. Business, most likely.

By the time my baby sister got to college age (she's 13 years younger) my dad was okay with paying for college. But baby sister chose to get married and start having kids at only 18.

Now she's 42 and about to be a grandma. She'll be the first grandparent in our family.

And all of this came from a picture prompt...