shirley Ann gutierrez

Mirror, Mirror

Jolted out of sleep by the shrill alarm, she reaches across to slap the alarms slumber button stopping short as she remembers what day it is. Groaning, she slides to an upright position while tossing back the covers and swinging her legs over the side. This is always when she is reminded of just how much life has passed her by, her youth and vitality gone before she even had time to live it. Mentally, she is still that young vibrant girl with her whole life in front of her, except that when she should have been in that mind frame, she was so far from it that it never even occurred to her. Her life was like a horror story from which she acted on impulse and auto pilot. This was a survival technique she learned in the the first 5 years of her life. Recognizing that familiar wave of sadness beginning to wash over her, she forces those thoughts back down into the depths of her mind, desperately searching for a happy memory to hold onto as she makes her way to the kitchen in search of coffee. Reaching into her cupboard, she grabs her favorite mug, silently thanking God and the person responsible for designing the Mr. Coffee to be programmed and set to brew before she even opened her eyes; it was nice to awake to fresh brewed coffee. Once she had added her sugar and cream, she settled into her favorite spot and prepared to begin her daily episode of " Morning Coffee", a program she had truly begun to appreciate and looked forward to. She had been supporting the stream and watched as it went from a few hundred to over eight thousand viewers/ members, and truly respected the self professed progressive journalist. No matter what some think, she knew instinctively that this was the news people should be told. It didn't matter if it was Republican or Democrat or even Independants, this guy laid it all out in the open for all to see and any rational person couldn't deny the facts when they came straight from the horses mouth, he unapologetically shamed the one responsible. This was what her life had evolved into, her biggest joy was watching some independent journalist do his best impression of certain politicians as they make a mockery of many things most Americans consider sacred. The segments were actually very informative and usually good for a laugh or two, but she had to get a life. The need in her was strong and urgent as she allows her mind to wander a bit. Remembering the most recent failure always proved emotional, but she instinctively knew there was no other way to put it behind her. Anticipating the tears that were sure to flow she retrieved a napkin, shut her eyes and waited...