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Welcome to the Short Stories Newsletter. I am Shannon and I'm your editor this week.
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Saturday, September 1, 2018: I'm writing this newsletter from inside my travel trailer where my husband and I stopped for the night (a Park & Ride outside Everett, Washington). We're on an unexpected 500-mile trip to visit my best friend (Sarah) whose husband had "a devastating MI" on Thursday. She says, "the MRI was not good news, and he's still not waking up." He's fifty-five years old. This is the same friend who lost her only child to cancer three years ago. He was twenty-seven.
On August 24th Sarah went to Alaska to visit friends. On Tuesday the 28th she called her husband in the Seattle area to say she wanted to stay until Saturday, September 1st. "I don't like it when you're gone that long," Scott said. "I miss you already," so she came home the following day, Wednesday, August 29th. She and Scott went to the fair and had "a beautiful day."
On Thursday, August 30th Scott was on the side of the road doing a job for Les Schwab. Sarah happened to be talking to him at the time and "he started grunting, then I couldn't hear anything." It was 6:30 p.m. Scott had had a devastating heart attack and fallen into the ditch, dropping his phone. A few minutes went by before a passerby saw him and picked up Scott's phone. Sarah was still on the other end, frantic, and explained to the man that she was Scott's wife and asked him what happened. Scott's nose was bleeding from his fall into the ditch. "I'm not sure. I think maybe he was hit." Thinking Scott had been hit by a car, Sarah called 911.
It was later discovered that Scott had what the medical community calls a "Widow Maker" MI: his LAD (left anterior descending) artery that runs down the front of his heart and supplies the front and main wall was 99% blocked. Upon arrival at the hospital, surgeons placed a stent and an EEG was performed. According to Sarah's sister, they estimate Scott was without sufficient oxygen to his bain for 40-45 minutes; the MRI "lit up, it was all white" indicating brain damage. He is on a ventilator, unresponsive, and there is no activity on the EEG.
Sunday, September 2, 2018: the nurse noticed Scott's pupils are unequal. The neurologist ordered a head CT, after which Scott had a massive stroke. Sarah, exhausted, sleep-deprived, and heartbroken, sobbed. Finally, she said, "I was thinking 'Thank you, God, for giving me a definitive answer!' I didn't know what to do, and now I know."
They are leaving Scott on the ventilator tonight, and tomorrow morning, once all his friends and family are gathered around his bed, they will shut off the vent.
Sarah is the strongest person I've ever met. Just three short years ago she cremated her only child after he lost an 18-month-long battle with cancer. Today, as people came and went from Scott's room, I saw Sarah wipe away her tears and comfort others who were grieving. She is an amazing human being, and I can only hope to be half as composed and gracious should I be cast into a similar situation.
Had Sarah stayed in Alaska until Saturday as planned she wouldn't have had that last "beautiful day" with her husband. Sometimes life just isn't fair. It seems some of us get more than our fair share of heartache and misery while others cruise through life with nary a scratch. So how does one cope?
In Sarah's case, friends and family swarmed Scott's hospital room within hours. Perhaps others look to support groups for help--people who experienced similar circumstances. Some seek counseling, traditional and/or spiritual, while still others find solace in the bottom of a bottle.
Monday, September 3, 2018: Scott passed away this morning at 10:15 a.m. surrounded by friends and family. He was a kind, compassionate, talented (he was a drummer), hilarious, intelligent, unique, tender-hearted bear of a man (6'2", 220 pounds) who left an indelible mark on everyone he met, and he will be sorely missed.
As a nurse, I see people during the most vulnerable and difficult times in their lives. It can be overwhelming for everyone involved, especially loved ones. I rarely write stories about end-of-life situations, but when and if I do I have a plethora of experience to draw from, unfortunately. For now, it's too real, too raw, and way too painful.
How does one cope? I guess I cope by sharing my friends, Sarah and Scott, with you. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Thank you for reading.
P.S. Every registered author who shares their ideas and/or creative endeavors relating to or inspired by this week's topic will receive an exclusive trinket. I will retire this month's limited-edition trinket at 11:59 p.m. WDC time on Tuesday, October 2, 2018, when my next short stories newsletter goes live.
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I hope you enjoy this week's featured selections. I occasionally feature static items by members who are no longer with us; some have passed away while others simply aren't active members. Their absence doesn't render their work any less relevant, and if it fits the week's topic I will include it.
Thank you, and have a great week!
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Sometimes letting go is the only thing you can do.
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The following is in response to "People are Strange" :
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Mary Ann MCPhedran  writes: As a child, I helped an old lady to deliver papers, she wore an old dirty white raincoat and her shoes were well worn and down in the heels. I told my granny that I was helping a poor old lady and my granny replied. 'She is not poor. She owns a shop and rents out several houses.' I guess she was just an eccentric old lady.
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Jacqueline  writes: Hello Shannon
i got a laugh from your newsletter. I am always observing people at the shopping center, or on the train but i have diffecule to know what to take from each person. We do have a man who suffers from brain damage that wonders the mail and at the doctors. A lot of people laugh at him but I enjoy watching him. He does these movement with his feet that looks like he is dancing.
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Trish writes: I really love your newsletters. This is just my second one, but I am reading them. Thank you. I do wonder about a lot of the people I see doing strange things. I did a lot of blackberry picking whe I was young, but never in the nude. I usually covered up everything I could, even in the summer heat. That one stood out for me. I do believe we are all a little crazy in some ways, but we really only notice the craziness in others. Thanks for the great newsletter.
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LMs❤️BrewinMagic  writes: Hmmm reminds of the time I topped the mountain to a nudest colony. Makes one wonder why would you do that if you had a body like that. Ok sounds like a great start to something of a nature thing or not?
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NeedingBeachDuf 🐠⛵🏝️ writes: Great article as always, Shannon.
The thing that I found interesting is that libraries have moved from the "be quiet or be ejected" places they used to be. There are still some with study areas, but a lot have people having interactions in normal voices. I had not been to a library in some time, and I thought the librarians had lost their minds.
In a library in West Palm Beach, Florida, they told me that they encourage talking. Well, inside voices. The library of today has changed. It is not a place where you HAVE to go to find material anymore and must study with the book at your table. They are welcoming people to computers, movies, story-time, and an assortment of other more noisy activities.
Here's an link to an article about "Shushing" from back in 2013.
Best wishes,
Donna
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🎼 RRodgersWrites 🎶  writes: I found your newsletter post quite interesting! Yes, people can be so interesting and sometimes perplexingg.
I especially related to a paragraph near the end where you thought about all the other drivers on the road. I’m a bit relieved to know that someone else out there ponders this. I think I begin with the long list of different trip purposes I have had,then try to imagine several others. Wouldn’t it be interesting if there could be a way to stop and quickly survey drivers sometime?? Perhaps a toll-free toll station where drivers just speak their purpose on the road to be recorded.
Who knows why, but my mind wanders off in this direction too.
I hope I begin to infuse these broad possibilities more often into my writing.
Thanks again for giving us food for thought!
Ruth R.
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Princess Megan Snow Rose  writes: People are strange. I love this song. At Barnes and Nobles, one young girl was using the F word and saying mean things about her mother. Like really? This is a public place. I worked I in mental health and things got strange there. I always wonder where all the cars are going and have been. Interesting newsletter. Grandma and Grandpa would go up town, sit in the car to just watch people. Talk about strange. Thanks for the newsletter. I enjoyed reading it.
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Warped Sanity  writes: The sort of strange people you mention are sometimes the most interesting people to hang out with. Growing up, I was accustomed to being around people who qualify as non-normal or non-conformists to societal norms. For example, I was usually poor, so I rode the city bus. Homeless people would ride the bus using spare change they found in order to escape the heat or cold. I had some interesting conversations with them. Many of them had interesting life stories to share and a lot of them were veterans. Of course, they probably embellished in the telling, but it was and is always intriguing learning about others. No matter their status in life, everyone has a story.
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Wicahpi Iyozaza writes: I read this and had to giggle at this: " a woman sang snippets of different songs based on words she'd overheard in other people's conversations (e.g. when someone mentioned what a beautiful day it was, the woman sang the opening line of It's a Beautiful Morning by the Rascals;" ~ Guess I'm strange, indeed! I do this all the time and I can't help myself. Someone says something and a song pops in my head! Sometimes it is very comical, other times I annoy myself, but a new day comes, a new conversation in the realm of my surroundings; a new song (Usually an oldie but a goodie). Maybe we're related! LoL
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dragonwoman writes: My favorite phrase is: There's no such thing as normal and its a good thing because normal scares me. The diversity of human strangeness is what makes the world go round.
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BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  writes: There's plenty of strange things out there.
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DRSmith writes: Once had a good friend, a dentist who married a manicurist. Within 3 months after the wedding they were fighting tooth and nail!
Seriously, talking about "people being strange," have three items in my port that are NON-Fiction that deals with your topic; one of which is a lighthearted zing on reviews we've all seen at one time or other. For giggles and grins if one would like an intro to a few "strangers," check out: , ,
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Jeff  writes: This newsletter reminded me of something I read at one point about developing empathy by removing yourself from the scenario and imagining something terrible that could be the cause for the situation. For example, if someone cuts you off in traffic, what if they weren't actually intending to offend you personally and were instead rushing to get to the hospital after being told their kid was in the emergency room? Or, if someone sends you a nasty review of a piece of writing, what if they aren't out to hurt you specifically but rather were triggered by an event in the story that reminded them of a trauma in their past? The ability to play the what if game is incredibly important, whether it's to dream up stories or empathize with your fellow human beings.
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Quick-Quill  writes: I want to follow you around on a weekend. I’ve seen people talking to themselves. But so do I. I carry conversations of what I would have said or should have said in a situation. Am I crazy? Aren’t we all to some degree? Look around and see what story you can make up. I’m sitting in an airport right now. My flight is delayed zombies are all around me. Our flight was cancelled last night. What a zoo that was. If you want to write about anger and frustration this would be the place to look.
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ruwth  writes: Some inspiration is heart-breaking... 
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Bikerider  writes: Another good newsletter, Shannon. I have had a character wonder where ships were going as they sailed past her home on New York's East River. But...after 25 years in law enforcement I came in contact with lots of odd/strange people. While I haven't used any of them in my writing, after reading your newsletter I now have a new reservoir of character traits to use. Thank you.
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the Wordy Jay writes: I agree 101%!!! WHO isn't just the teeniest bit of crazy?!  Well-observed and well-said.
A most enjoyable newsletter!  
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Mary Ann MCPhedran writes: Strange things people do for instance, my grandson if he need pair of socks he will retrieve them from any where he can find them, and they don't match.
'your socks don't match they are different colours'
'I know I have two socks like them somewhere.' He replied but didn't change them.
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ruwth writes: Shannon, Some of us are stranger than others. Falling outside the norms can often result in a person being rejected or ostracized. I have dealt with my share of both. 
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Elfin Dragon-finally published writes: I love this little tidbit of "strange" today, if only because I've always felt that it's not just other people who are strange but myself as well. We all have habits which seem strange to other people but are normal to us. For instance, I like peanut butter, mayonnaise, and cheese sandwiches. I grew up on them. Most people I talk to have a "yuck" factor to them. I have a "yuck" factor to peanut butter and chocolate.
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Carol St.Ann  writes: Another wonderful NL, Shannon. Reminded me of an uncle who inspired me - when I was a child - to tell stories. He loved art, specifically of people doing things. Skating, dancing, sitting on the beach... He’d point at them and say, “Let me tell you what’s happening there and where they went next.” Oh! The stories he’d tell! My mind and heart are awash with memories of him now . Perhaps today HE will be the star of the story. Thank you, Shannon!
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Cubby  writes: I love that quote by Johnny Depp! I also love to "people watch." I try to imagine what people are thinking about... what issues they have going on in their lives. Sometimes when I get annoyed with slow drivers in front of me (while driving) I try to think why they might be driving slow. Perhaps they are sick, or have a hot dish in the front seat, or just had their eyes dialated at the eye doctor's. We never truly know what's going on with other people, but that's what makes people so interesting... at least to writers! Enjoyed your newsletter, Shannon!
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JayNaNoOhNo  writes: I've taken to people-watching as of late. I've yet to see anyone who isn't 'weird' if they think they're 'normal'. The normal things we do are weird when you consider that we're all doing the same things.
I watched a lady watch a lady in a clothing store, and after the one woman would look at a piece of clothing, the woman I was watching would go look at that item. It went on for a good ten minutes. I kept thinking: do you like her style? is this a competition? an emulation? do you even like this stuff or does she have a 'look' you want to achieve?
Maybe someone was watching me watch her (who watches the watchers?). I mean, watching people could be misconstrued as aggressive or creepy. I meant to be neither, but how do I know who was analyzing me? Or perhaps no one noticed me all and I'm not particularly interesting to those who are busy doing their own thing. But if they did see me, I think it would appear weird. I think it's character study lol.
BTW: a woman sang snippets of different songs based on words she'd overheard in other people's conversations (e.g. when someone mentioned what a beautiful day it was, the woman sang the opening line of It's a Beautiful Morning
I do this all the time! ROFL. I wonder if she and I do it at the same time. Oooh, there's a story.
:)
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GaelicQueen  writes: Nice article. I try to get out of my office to walk during lunch break. I watch for creatures (reptiles, birds, and furries) doing odd things, like sparrow grouping together to encourage a falcon to leave their area.
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eyestar~* writes: Fascinating observations! and some of the starnge thigns are so sad to us yet choices of people doing them. As usual you provide food for thought and...writing.  Thanks. 
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sindbad  writes: Hi, Shannon.
People are indeed strange and the way you have expressed it did leave a deep impression.
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Short Stories: September 05, 2018 Issue [#9100]
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