Story A Day/Prompt/The List

The Prompt

A LIST EXERCISE

Flash fiction stories are less than 1000 words.

Many are much shorter than that.

Flash invites you to be creative with form.

Today, your task is to make a list. A literary list, that is.

Grocery lists, to-do lists, or goals lists written with the effect of showing a person’s life, their struggles, their failures, etc, are terrific pieces of flash. They test the reader’s inferential powers.

Your challenge: Provide a list of items from a luxurious bedroom, a garage, or a refrigerator.

Use specific concrete details. Reveal a sketch of a person’s life through these items. Imply something.

http://storyaday.org/sept-2018-01/?ck_subscriber_id=211865176

When I first read the story prompt for the day; I went blank. I read down through the comments and thought, I can’t do this; I have no list; I just survive.

Then I thought of the fight that I go through daily from morning to night and I discovered; I do have a list; a Mental list.

My list is a bundle of mental thoughts that I do out of habit, without thinking.

My list contains;

1. Wake-up with a positive attitude

2. Walk to the bathroom without falling down.

3. Take my medications and shots on time.

4. Eat the right foods to  help my sugars stay as low as possible.

5. Use the energy I usually have the most of in the morning to do productive things.

6. Clean or straighten up my apartment. This may include;

      A) Sweeping the floors

       B) Making the bed

       C) Dust; my most hated job

       D) If I have not fallen as yet; I will tackle the bathroom cleaning.

7. I usually consider something to set out of the freezer for supper. I enjoy making home made soups the most. The more time spent out of the kitchen; the less falls.

8.Play games online for memory retainment.

9. Eat a light lunch.

10. Take a nap; a must so that I can re-boost my energy level that has drained.

11. Talk to neighbors, listen for those who need prayers, help the Multiple System Atrophy patients who need help.

12. Fix supper.

13. Clean-up the dishes and kitchen.

14. Use my camera and either write a short story or poem.

15. Get ready to help patients on my Facebook. I am a teacher and advocate for M.S.A.

16. Go to bed

17. Give thanks for all that I have been given. Say thanks for the lack of falls that day.

My name is Terry. I have been a professional caregiver for over 23 years. I am a photographer and publisher of two books. I am a short story and poetry writer.

I have a diagnosis of; Parkinsonism/ Ataxia/Dystonia.

Thank-you for reading my list.