Getting out of my car, I notice that a woman and I are converging upon the gym doors from opposite ends of the parking lot. She has her arms full and… Blast it! She’s ahead of me.
I increase my pace, my flippy floppies are pitter pattering on the pavement.
She sees me from across the lot.
I am intent on beating her to the doors. Does she know this? Does her pace increase slightly? Is this a game to her!?
I increase my pace almost to a slow jog…
Flip flop. Flip flop. Flip flop.
I am ahead of her! I am just about to reach the door!
I am determined! I will open this door for her if it’s the last thing I do!
When suddenly, without warning, the door opens from the inside and a nice gentleman casually holds it open for her.
She thanks the kind gentleman.
And I am defeated…
But wait!
She turns to me, big smile, and says with sincerity,
“Thanks for almost holding the door for me.“
That’s the best thanks I’ve ever gotten for almost doing something for someone. :)
Commentary:
Lately, I’ve really enjoyed writing these little stories because they practically “write themselves” (Something happens and then I write it down — easy, right?). ;)
But every day I have no idea if anything will happen that will be interesting enough to write about.
I’ve made a habit over the past couple of years of always listening to my surroundings and watching people — hoping to find a story or watch one unfold, but I never know if I have a story worth telling until I have one of two things:
- A “hook”. Or…
- An ending.
In a way, it’s actually a lot like photography. I go places with a camera, but never really know what I’m going to find when I get there. I just hope that I’ll be able to make the most of whatever it is I discover.
Trying to reach a door in time to hold it for someone else is not a particularly interesting story. But the moment the woman smiled and thanked me (and I always try to write dialogue as verbatim as possible), I was like, “There it is — my ending!”
And then I immediately zipped into the locker room to write it down on my phone.
I’ve only just begun writing these shorter stories — these brief moments in time — and I’ve discovered they’re a lot easier to write than my longer blog posts because I can generally formulate the entire story (or scene) in my head before — or as I start to — write it.
And since these shorter stories are usually written at the scene of the event (or nearby) — and in one-pass on my phone (if you are familiar with how I usually write, this is unheard of) — it makes a big difference in writing them.
Again, after not knowing if I’d even have a story for today, I’m thrilled so many people enjoyed this one.