"In Reserve"

         I retied in 2010 because I needed to take care of my mother as Huntington’s Disease ate away her brain and robbed her of everything. For two years, she became the 24/7 focus of our entire family. After she died, I returned to work part-time. Originally, I thought I’d work only a couple of days each week.

         To be honest, I appreciate having a job. I love working with children in the classroom, visiting different campuses throughout the month, and building my reputation with various faculties. I like having a long list of positions to select from as I fill my calendar each week; and my part-time job turned into working almost full-time during the last two school years. Having employment keeps me out of trouble!

         I realized the other day just how fortunate we are that I can add income to our monthly budget. Right now, my pay helps cover bills that didn’t exist when I retired seven years ago, like a car payment. It goes toward the utilities, insurance, and taxes that continue to climb year-by-year. Aren’t we lucky that I have the ability to take on another job?

         My husband’s company laid-off sixty people a few weeks ago. Their projected budget for the next eighteen months means he’s safe for now, but we have an unexpected threat looming that didn’t exist in March. We’ve already run down the “what if” path and know we’ll survive because I can always go back into the workforce full-time in a job that pays more than my $80.00 per day substituting gig.

         I know that many families don’t have a second income earner “in reserve” who can swoop in to rescue the day when there’s a lay-off. I worry about the single parent struggling across two minimum wage jobs. I fret about the working poor—who already pull forty-hour work weeks and cannot survive because they don’t receive a living wage. I agonize over my retired teacher friend whose pension won’t cover the rising medical insurance payment. It burdens me to know that many people don’t have savings, investments, or family to fallback on—not just in an emergency, but to make it through each and every day.

Copyright 2017 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

"45"

Out and about one sunny day   

I tripped over alternative facts   

And fell into the rabbit hole   

I plunged into an Orwellian nightmare   

Where ignorance was strength   

And a pompous idiot—   

Who reflected reality with a narcissistic mirror—   

Targeted the well-read man with censorship   

My breathing labored as the weight of corrupt lies    

Constricted my lungs   

While I struggled to climb out of the pit   

To seek sunlight and truth   

His lunacy became the norm   

And my intellectualism was cursed into damnation   

Copyright 2017 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

"The Latest Word"

            Only recently did I realize the reason I barely post in my blog anymore. When I inherited my son’s iBook, it came equipped with TextEdit, a wimpy little word processing program that left me feeling dissatisfied and unfulfilled every time I sat down to type. I hated it so much that I barely explored the options it offered. I needed Word for my words.

            Some days, while at work, I’d try to whip out a brief life observation in Word and mail it to myself to post in my blog later. I slipped back to writing drafts of poems in my Captain America spiral, which I’d quickly transcribe during my lunch break. I felt constricted. Access to Microsoft Word during work hours pulled me away from the late night mental meanderings I indulged in when I had my old laptop. How could I linger over the turn of a phrase when my time narrowed down to fifteen free minutes each day?

            A few days ago, my frustration had me pulling out my ancient HP and setting it up on the kitchen desk. Since it sat idle for more than a year, I’d forgotten my password! Usually, I restrict myself to several passwords with personal-to-me variations. For some reason, none of my typical ones worked. I went through the process of changing to a new one and eventually fired up my old machine. Twenty million updates later, I finally had access to Word!

            But my delight died rapidly when I remembered part of the reason I’d abandoned the laptop was because it heated up and shut down. I sent my husband and son in search of a fan similar to the one I once used, but they called in defeat after searching several local stores.

            “Do you want a copy of Word?” my son asked.

            “I thought it was only subscription,” I answered. “I really don’t want to do that right now.”

            “There’s a copy we can buy right here at Walmart. Do you want it?”

            I didn’t even ask how much!

           

            My main writing project, a novel I set aside eighteen months ago that needs final tweaking before I can begin the last step towards e-publishing, took priority over a new blog entry. Having Word at my fingertips meant that fine-tuning became effortless. I reached my first goal within a few hours on Saturday. I will probably finish editing it this week. I haven’t investigated all of the lovely options available within this Office suite. That’s for another morning or a restless night.

This morning I’ve pampered myself with a blank page in Word. I have found my bliss.

Copyright 2017 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman