The Lists that Govern my Life

An Ode to the Ones The one does a lot.  Known or not.  Comforts, nurtures, shares Creates laughter, smiles, tears, thoughts and love. This is an ode to the ones the ones who do it all. Day by day, moment by moment. Those gone and still here. To the ones who laughed the ones who stood by        as I repeatedly tried to launch whip cream into my mouth the ones who teased       as I tried to put on a dress over a T-shirt and leggings the ones who empathetically smiled       as I drafted message after message              figuring out how to use the prison of language the ones who wore handmade neon tank tops to go skating             and always sought the spontaneous the ones who sung German songs with me the ones who read stories aloud to themselves  in various accents     ...

Sometimes I forget how habitual life becomes. Rocking the same old things. And sometimes I think, wow, I've tried a lot of new things in the past decade . And then life shows me I haven't tried nearly enough things. Especially things like buying food. Ordering food is pretty normal for your standard American. Like using a drive-through or calling someone to make you a pizza in exchange for money. Heck, I don't even know if drive-through should be spelled like that or drive-thru. Poor, sheltered Claire had never done those things though. Until circumstances in the past six months forced her out of habitual eating habits. Because there's got to be a first time for everything. I know, you're thinking I live under a rock. Let me assure you I am much too picky about places of dwelling to live under a rock. So I don't usually eat fast food. Because I like cooking and I can be somewhat of a health nut when it comes to eating out. But my dear brother ...