humanity
For better or for worse, relationships reveal the core of the human condition.
The Money Curse
“Manifest, Manifest, Manifest!” I proclaimed, waving my arms like a crazy child. “I know yall think this manifestation stuff is a bit "whoo-whoo", but I believe this year we’re going to finally break through this financial barrier. This is the end of this generational curse of ‘No one in my family has ever done it, so it must be impossible.’ i don’t know about you but I have this strange feeling that we’re the ones. I mean, we’ve always loved the finer things and life, and our parents sacrifice a lot to give us a good life. It must be a good reason for it. You know mama’s favorite thing to say is “you had 80% of what you wanted and 100% of what you needed.”
By Ronda Jones5 years ago in Humans
An Eventful Day
I wasn’t one for luck or chance, but today seems like one of those days. The one where you say “what the heck” and you buy a lottery ticket on your way home. I always believed they were rigged, however, that didn’t stop me, Jamie Patterson, a 22-year old nobody, from stopping at the gas station to buy myself a mega-bowl ticket. The thing about being a nobody is that you never expect anything for yourself, so when I turned on the television to check up on those numbers, you can imagine my surprise. Every single number was right there! I had to rewind to make sure I heard correctly. Rewind, Play. Rewind, Play. I probably looked insane, but sure enough, every single time I pressed play, I heard the same numbers every time. 11, 8, 7, 15, 81, 3. What do I do now? Do I jump up and down? Do I cry? Do I scream? Do I run up and down my street like a madwoman that doesn’t care if she disturbs her neighbors because that’s definitely my preference right now? I composed myself and sat quickly on my cream-colored sofa. Geez! I swear you could’ve heard my bones vibrating in excitement. My whirlwind of emotions led me to pick up my phone and pressing the first contact I saw. Ring! Ring! Ring! Click! “Hey Jamie, excited for our date?”
By Loren Smith5 years ago in Humans
One More Moment
Zee tried to have a good attitude about it, but sometimes it seemed like they were never going to find a house. How many offers had they put in over the last three or four years? Six? Ten? She’d lost count. Really, their standards weren’t even that high. They were looking for a fixer-upper within walking distance of public transit that would get her husband to work in less than an hour each way. Some of the houses they had looked at were absolute dumps that would need, at best, total renovation. They weren’t sure it was even possible to get rid of the cat smell in one of those formerly- and hopefully future-grand homes they’d tried to buy.
By Valerie Dunn McBee5 years ago in Humans
At What Cost?
March 1, 2020 Looking forward to Spring! Things are going well. I have been enjoying my shifts at the Box Office, and I’ve been able to get enough hours at Instacart to cobble together a decent amount of income. AND - The School of Visual Arts just listed a couple of positions that I would be perfect for! Every once in a while, my eclectic collection of experience has a chance at paying off - I could finally land a job that would afford me the opportunity to move into the city. Even better, when I checked out the location, I saw that the studio/lab building was right around the corner from The Irish Repertory Theatre. OK, I’m getting ahead of myself - but I’ve volunteered there before, and that could be a possible second job, or at least I could use my student ID to see shows after work. I need to get my application in ASAP! This is NOT the time to procrastinate, I don’t need to write the best cover letter ever known to mankind - I just need to get it done! Tomorrow is Monday, I will be home and I WILL GET THE COVER LETTER WRITTEN!!! ( at least a first draft - haha )
By Carolyn Jay Tochy5 years ago in Humans
Nothing
When the money came, she was stunned. The thunderous crack of acknowledgement surprised her from the mundane existence she had created for herself. Those who knew her well, witness to her shedding and becoming, knew it was only a matter of time though. Enough money to make a difference. Enough to fortify her. Not enough to satiate her or diminish her desires. The money gave her an ease of movement with a higher dedication to her calling. It changed nothing, and everything. She still had a phone with cracks in the screen and a computer with a wonky space bar. She still wore the same worn out sweaters, holes in the hems and armpits. She still drank her favorite tea at night, quietly, reading. But it freed her significantly. Her time belonged to her. She could come and go as she pleased, take projects as she pleased, indulge curiosities as she pleased. Like I said, the money changed nothing, and everything.
By Hannah Florence5 years ago in Humans
An Infinite Song
As a small youth the Artist could gaze upon the unadulterated expanse of the Universe for miles in all directions, the verdant landscape of mango, coconut, ackee and rubber trees, and trees that bore a multitude of fruits and flowers, before the mountains cascaded into the city, the city into the ocean. After some years, the house built by his grandparents became surrounded by squatter communities, drawn to the area by the freshwater river. Every Saturday the women would wash their clothes in the river, beautifully, rhythmically, as if bonded to an invisible pulse, and they bathed themselves and their children there. The image of them smiling, glistening in the sun was framed in the Artist's mind as the purest form of beauty. The community was relatively peaceful, but jubilant music, reggae, dub and dancehall, and the sound of gunshots would reverberate through the mountains at almost equal measure.
By Kyria Kora5 years ago in Humans
