[Critique Group 1] February Submission For Group 1

[bonnie blose]

Time For A Change

 Bonnie Blose





Glancing at the clock on the wall above her desk, Maggie was shocked to discover it was already 1-30 in the afternoon. “I can’t believe half the day is gone. It seems like all I do any more is sit at this  damn computer.”  Maybe I should get a laptop.  , Maggie thought. At least I could take it outside and do some of my work at the picnic table when the weather is good. 

The morning had begun with the usual  chores. How can one person spend so much time doing dishes,gathering the laundry together, and preparing a simple breakfast she wondered.   Lingering over a second,  or was it a third cup of coffee, she checked voice mail and knew the rest of the morning would be spent answering urgent  questions from people in the office. “it seemed everyone needed   something,”  Maggie muttered.  I don’t even have time for me any more. 

Maggie remembered how it used to be. She remembered spending days filled with the joy of a good book. Shaking herself free from melancholy thoughts which threatened to engulf her, She looked at the maple tree and realized most of its leaves had already fallen. Somehow, she had missed the beauty of the changing colors as they turned  gold and orange with the approach of autumn.

Maggie couldn’t remember the last time she had walked just for the pleasure of  it. She thought  of the stream just down the road and remembered  the music of the water as it  lapped the rocks as it flowed around her.   She remembered willow trees, crisp autumn air, and the music of birdsong as she had   walked along. How had she allowed this quiet beauty to leave? Could she get it back? If she tried, could she turn off her mind filled with its lists of all she must do. Would nature accept her  with welcoming sights and sounds? She had to find out. It was time for a change. 

Hurrying to the closet, Maggie  grabbed her coat and headed for the door. Outside, the  world waited.  filled with glorious colors and sounds, Maggie couldn’t wait to become a part of it. 

As she  headed toward the stream, Maggie  passed the houses of neighbors she hadn’t seen for a long time. How long has it been? she wondered. 

   How I have missed talking to  them,  Maggie thought.

When she arrived at the stream, she  saw the rock warm from the sun and remembered  the many hours she had spent sitting there. Like a good friend, it was still their, waiting for her.  Maggie  sat down ready to give her heart, mind, and soul to the music of nature she had missed so much. 

AS she sat listening to a story without words, she thought about future plans and of how important it was to embrace and cherish  friends and  nature. As she reveled in the joy of being alive, she started making plans for a fall picnic with the people she loved that lived close by. If I am lucky,  we will catch up on the big and little important things in life. If our luck holds and we make the choice, we will share nature as its beauty unfolds. 

Walking home in a peaceful state of mind, she planned the picnic  and thought about all who would come. When our meal is finished, I will suggest a walk in beauty. If I know them like I think I do, they need what nature has to offer as much as I do. Maggie smiled as she opened her front door. Life would be different now. Sometimes, it is truly time for a change.


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