I keep on falling...no, literally.

My very first published creative writing post :)
Be kind!




When I was a freshman in college, a man came back into my life. I call him a man because he wasn't the boy I had once known; now they called him Marine. Where he used to be floppy haired, good natured and funny, he was now formal, smooth and decisive. His gait was steady and sure. His body was no longer that of an immature adolescent. His face was smooth, clean shaven and lean where it needed to be. One look at him, and I was falling.....no, literally. He had come into my place of employment where he saw me for the first time in two years, in all my glory- as a cashier at KMart. I was finishing up a double shift (13 hours). My clothes were dingy, my hair was slightly messy and my eyes were glazed over as exhaustion set in. This man showed up with his nice, clean shirt tucked in, a belt around his waist, and a smile on his face. His eyes were confident as he looked at me and I instantly remembered the boy he had been. That's about the time I tripped over my own two feet (I would later claim that an erroneous toy had slid into my path, obstructing my attention to walking). It's okay, you can laugh- it was funny (to him). It wasn't so funny to me when the cart I had been holding on to went flying down the aisle and hit an endcap of newly folded towels, thus making my entrance into this little scene memorable. There would be more times (theoretically and physically) that I would fall in the presence of the man who would later become my husband. While walking in my ball gown on his arm; while trying to climb a hill with our kids; while walking to the bathrooms at the drive in movie on our second date....


The very first time he kissed me, I knew he was my forever. That was it for me. I was in love with someone I had pretty much scorned in high school. I guess that's what karma is. The sad thing is, up until that point,  any karma I had earned would surely not have been good. This man changed me. He changed my life. I changed from someone who thought mostly of herself to someone who would help anyone walking down the road, regardless of race or gender. I changed from someone who had dreams of law school to someone who was content to be a stay at home mom while her husband was deployed. Dreams change; they evolve. They grow with you. That doesn't mean you have to give up on them. Now, 11 years later, I am almost finished with my Bachelor's degree. In a few years, I will start law school. I put my education on hold to follow a Marine and I have never been happier.

I tell you all of that to tell you this: Life has a way of changing. When your plans are definite, set in stone- life will still throw you a curve ball. The trick isn't to hit these curve balls out of the park; the trick is to always, no matter the circumstance, step up to bat.