Last January I joined a number of other writers in a month-long Mindful Writing Challenge hosted by Writing Our Way Home, where each day participants wrote a Small Stone – that is, “a short piece of writing that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment” – and shared it with the group (and, in my case, here on Alphabet Salad).
I really appreciated and enjoyed the opportunity, so since the challenge didn’t take place again this year (so disappointing!) I thought I’d gather the Small Stones I wrote last January and offer them here once again. Hope you find (or rediscover, if you saw them the first time!) a few that you enjoy.
Day 1
Monochrome sky in soft silken grey
Filigree of black-lace branches
Plush white cape of velvet snow draped
Day 2
Pan sizzles, silverware tinkles, dishes clatter
He sings silly songs and chatters at the cats
And dinner is served.
Day 3
Angel’s hair, purest white
Pink-padded paws, softest touch
Love-lit eyes, sweetest heart
Day 4
Two sparkling glass Mason jars,
shiny screw-top lids,
handfuls of small polished pebbles.
One cradles nurtured hope…
the other, celebrated progress.
Day 5
Stark dark roughness transformed
Softened, brightened
Spiky branches blunted, festooned with plump cottonball clumps
Day 6
crystalline feathers
fairy-etched with a brush of ice-tipped bristles
a chill breath of frost to freeze them in place
Day 7
cocooned in fragrant comfort
warm silken water, coconut-and-lime-scented steam
then
stop
curtain harshly yanked
chilled onrush of ice-cold air
shiver
Day 8
metal stack puffing white smoke dissipates merging with baby blue sky
Day 9
December air
moisture-depleted, electricity-drenched
every touch a spark
Day 10
splotches of caramel and butterscotch
chocolate brown edged with marshmallow white
sweet mama cat
Day 11
icicles, grip loosened, liquescent
dripping, dropping
puddle-forming
thaw
Day 12
Sunday afternoon
soft somnolent hush
dream-beckoning couch, warm blanket, curled-up cats
naptime
Day 13
featureless, nothing-coloured sky
dirty mounds of melting snow exposes limp, winter-dead grass
even the birds look depressed
Day 14
crunchy peanut butter
stash of baking sundries in snap-top glass jars
flour-smudged nose, warm oven, parchment-lined baking sheets
and the sweet promise of cookies
Day 15
Who would think that a small cardboard box
left between screen and door after hurried rap of notification
could contain so much joy?
Day 16
try to squeeze and twist and wring that stone
the only blood that drips will be your own
Day 17
fresh snowfall, or
sun-sparkling fairy glitter?
Day 18
Shopping mall, busy Saturday
Harried parents trailed by small beings
crying, whining, coat-tugging, foot-stomping
“Buy me one!”
“Why can’t I?”
“You never let me have anything!”
And I smile to myself, utterly content
As I walk back to my car
Alone
Day 19
pinned in place, warm beneath the bedcovers
held by three furry four-legged hostage-takers
a welcome imprisonment
Day 20
not sure what I expected
when the well-weathered mailbox lid
creaks open with a rusty grind
and nothing of import is revealed
Day 21
rooftops like so many iced cakes
frosted with a layer of snow crystals
but the days have lengthened
five pm, sun-pinked clouds in a newborn blue sky
Spring can’t be far away
Day 22
early morning wakeup call
jingle bell rolls melodically across the bamboo floor
as two kittens play
Day 23
a memory:
sharp-bladed, white leather skates
frigid rink, breath visible as puffs of steam
hot chocolate, creamy-sweet, scalding my tongue
Day 24
from my window
bland winter palette of grey, brown, white
punctuated by the pop of a cheery orange door.
Day 25
Snow-reflected winter sun beam through the skylight
Bathes my closed, drowsy eyes in soft warmth
Turns the dreamy world behind my vision to radiant red-gold.
Day 26
thoughts and words scatter and swirl
like pink spring blossoms that fall and spiral in a playful wind
and cannot be collected or contained
Day 27
blue skies
blue eyes
blue mood
blue moon
Day 28
let’s eat a bowlful of summer:
cherry tomatoes cut into juicy halves
torn leaves of green lettuce
crisp yellow peppers, thinly sliced
let’s eat a bowlful of summer,
close our eyes,
and pretend
it’s not January.
Day 29
every morning, clockwork ritual
vertical blinds fly open with a dramatic whoosh
three cats converge, jockey for position on the sofa back
the perfect spot to watch the world go by
Day 30
three wise monkeys
elbow to elbow, knee to knee, tails entwined
speaking, hearing, seeing no evil
Day 31
mind-heart-thought snippets
gathered, shaped, polished
a humble handful:
thirty-one small stones
Did you find a favourite Small Stone?
Please share!
Twitter: EllaHalliganRN
January 10, 2015
I enjoyed these. I particularly liked number 18. Been there, you know? LOL
Elisabeth recently posted… Letting Go Of The Past Year
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 11, 2015
LOL, I’ll bet! Thank you. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: writercat
January 10, 2015
Those are so beautiful! Loved those images from last January, snippets of time frozen in moments and preserved in your lovely words. I enjoyed those very much.
Cathy Graham recently posted… It’s Peculiar People Day!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 11, 2015
Thank you so much, Cathy. I’d actually forgotten all about them, so it was fun to revisit each one.
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: dramamamafive
January 10, 2015
Laurel,
This is so nice. Each one of these is an exquisite little word picture. Well done!
Amy recently posted… Links I Love, January edition
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 11, 2015
Thank you so much, Amy!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: MyGlobalSoul
January 10, 2015
Love #23! Reminds me of my skating days. What a great challenge, would love to participate if they do it again..!
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 11, 2015
Thank you, Pauliina! I do hope they do it again.
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: a
January 10, 2015
You are wonderfully, skillfully gifted in painting these stones.
I loved this picturesque language! Just a few words but I could envision your mood and the scene. Lovely!
I especially liked, December Air, Squeezing the Stone, The Icicles, the cookies one … so many!
Definitely submit to a magazine if you haven’t!
Amy
Amy Bovaird recently posted… 5 Tips for Vision-Impaired Caregivers
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 11, 2015
Thank you so much for your kind words, Amy – I appreciate them! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: shyvish
January 10, 2015
Such a fabulous idea for a post and month-long challenge. You, clearly, have done complete justice to the same <3 I love the one about kids whining and you walking back alone 😉
Shailaja/ The Moving Quill recently posted… If God exists and other dilemmas
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 11, 2015
Thank you very much! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: ajaybpai123
January 10, 2015
I am amazed reading and seeing your power of creativity !
Ajay Pai recently posted… The tea leaves told the story
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 11, 2015
Thank you so much! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: vinodini
January 11, 2015
These words would roll so well if you recite them loud! Beautiful. I particularly loved the imagery of #7: warm silken water, coconut-and-lime-scented steam…interesting!
Vinodini Iyer recently posted… Care for a cuppa?
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 11, 2015
Thank you very much! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: nabanita21
January 11, 2015
Loved all of them Laurel…I think #18, #2 are some of my favourites though
nabanita recently posted… When memories reach out in strange ways
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 11, 2015
Thank you! 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: SusanF_mt
January 11, 2015
What a beautiful collection of writing. Day 12’s description was so perfect I actually yawned. Would love to head for the couch, where my cat is already curled up!
Susan – ofeverymoment recently posted… Saturday Spotlight Series: Rules for Life
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 12, 2015
Thank you! Naps with cats are the best. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
These are lovely. I feel like I lived through the month with you. The Day 2 one was especially evocative for me–put me right there in the moment. This is such a nice idea–I might try it just for myself.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 12, 2015
Thank you – I really enjoyed that month of writing. 🙂
Laurel Regan recently posted… Today’s Gratitude List + January 2015 Gratitude Linkup
Twitter: samsrappaz
January 12, 2015
This was very beautiful: the way you transform a tiny stone, something we consider insignificant, into a moment of beauty is remarkable. Thank you for sharing.
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 13, 2015
Thank you for your kind words!
Laurel Regan recently posted… #MicroblogMondays 20 – Randomness
Twitter: ellytreehugger
January 16, 2015
I love this idea of small stones: brilliant! I especially love #17 as I do see “sun-sparkling fairy glitter” and am curious, do you?! 😉 Also, #18 as I too walk alone, gladly! 😉 <3
elly stornebrink recently posted… Birthday Tribute: Letter to My Dead Twin (Part 3)
Twitter: alphabetsalad
January 16, 2015
I wish they’d done the challenge again this year – I had such fun writing my small stones!
Laurel Regan recently posted… Photo Friday: Sunrise
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