Ever wonder what writing magic you can create in only 7 minutes? Letting your mind minder into which ever direction you wish will relieve stress as you stumble on to a new idea. Students in my classroom, and classrooms all over, discover all kinds of wonderful when we find the right prompt. A few weeks ago many of us had a blast writing on Vermont Writes Day. You just never know what will turn up when you let your imagination soar.
I’ve been to Tokyo. London. Paris. New York. Miami. But still, I want a gondolier to inform me about the ancient waterways of Venice as we float along the Grand Canal and attempt to navigate the bustle of Delhi in a rickshaw, party until dawn taking in the nightlife of Rio de Janeiro and reveling in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. I want to see my reflection in the Taj Mahal fountain, watch the grand Everest peak peek out of the clouds and the northern-lights light-up Iceland, and explore everywhere possible in northern Italy. Yes, there are plenty of places to sail, fly, drive, pedal or walk to, and all those comprise my life list.
Watching this brew boil can’t you just smell the richness? Dark and earthy tones filling our kitchen using only the most conservative amount of ground beans. But wait, I can hear you say, Nine Cent Girl doesn’t drink coffee. To which I would reply, oh yes, on occasion I have. Most memorably, in Paris at Les Deux Magots and in London’s Cubana. Both times I could not resist. Both times were divine. But on average, I stick to black tea, and when I can, a cup of homemade chai. That is until, quite by accident, I stumbled onto a chai made dirty with, yes, you guessed it, a shot of espresso. An accident made into practice now. So, when we have absolutely nothing planned for a lazy Sunday beyond making our brunch last until tea time, we get dirty in the afternoon.
