Flash

Just A Part Of Life

Nancy's Notes šŸ–ŠļøšŸŽ¶

Written for Friday Fictioneers where our host Rochelle
has asked us to use the photo below as inspiration
to get creative in 100 words or less, making
every word count. Hereā€™s my flash.

Photo Prompt Ā© David Stewart

Jenny looked around the no-frills room which was now her home. A shy girl, sheā€™d never spent a single night away from home; now she was half-way across the country at an unfamiliar university with thousands of nameless faces.

At first she didnā€™t want her parents’ help moving but at the last minute she relented. They were on their way home now and all Jenny wanted was to grab her phone and beg them to come back and take her home.

The sound of girl’s excited laughter echoed in the hall; Jenny peeked out and someone happily waved her over.

NARĀ©2024
100 Words

13 September 2024

This is ā€œWhat Is Lifeā€ by George Harrison

 

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantā€™s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NARĀ©2017-present.

77 thoughts on “Just A Part Of Life”

  1. The photo sums up the novelty and the remoteness associated with moving and relocating to a new setting.

    When the boxes are set up neatly on the floor in the middle of a room we notice how packaged and truncated our former selves have become.

    I guess a majority of us experience a type of PTSD. The rational part of our brain accepts the physical reality of the move. The emotional side of our being panics and ponders the unkown variables implicit in the situation.

    A momentary paralysis keeps us physically immobile and we search for anything that can not only lessen our fears but provide positive support for our new circumstance.

    The cell phone on top of the boxes is the escape clause we seek.

    The cell phone is our ever handy collaborator ready to connect us to whomever we want to contact for guidance and support.

    A familar encouraging word on the other end of the call is what we crave but not what we need.

    Eventually we accept our new situation and prepare to enjoy our new found freedoms and friendships waiting for us beyond the closed door of our new living qiarters.

    All is well. The world is not a scary place.

    We flourish and grow in our new lifestyle.

    Spot on with the ideas presented.

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    1. Thanks, James. I can see how the thought of leaving home can be upsetting for some 18 year olds. It’s a huge step … their first one! I don’t think anyone should sit in judgment of that, either. The idea of going away to college is a personal matter and entirely up to the individual.

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  12. I love this about Americans. We, over here, almost never go away to college/uni. We go to one of the four we have right in Montreal. I think it is a valuable experience to move away from home for school. The friendships you build, self-confidence, etc. Of course, it’s not all rosy for everyone but still.

    Lovely take.

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    1. Thanks, Dale. I agree that it can be a valuable life experience to move out of the house to attend school but it’s a very personal choice and not all ‘kids’ are cut out for that. My sons attended the “family” college which was 10 minutes away from home. They commuted and loved living at home but I was scared to death we’d never be rid of them! šŸ˜‚ They eventually got an apartment together after college and that worked out perfectly for them … and us!

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        1. šŸ˜‚ My guys rented a 2 BR apt in the same town as me & Bill; close enough to come over to use my washing machine but far enough that they weren’t always around. After about 2 years, my older one met a girl and she moved into the apt, too; kinda like Three’s Company in reverse. After a year of that, my younger son had enough of sharing a bathroom with his brother’s girlfriend so he got his own place in the bldg across the courtyard.

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    1. You’re onto something here, Lisa, which I had forgotten about until late last night! George’s widow Olivia (and maybe son Dhani … I forget) held a contest to determine which filmmaker from anywhere in the world would provide the video for this great song by George; this was the winning video.

      What’s amazing to me is I had originally chosen a different song to accompany this story and, while proofreading it at the last minute, decided I wasn’t happy with it; I changed over to this one and I’m very glad I did! IMHO, it’s the perfect vid. Thank you for your very kind (and observant) comments!

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  15. So many transitions in life feel like that. You’ve captured it brilliantly. Moving away from our parents’ home for the first time is a mixture of fear and excitement, and the struggle to overcome our dependence on them is truly difficult. Finding friends out there in the big, wide world is the key. I’m happy for Jenny. Perfect title for this, too.

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    1. Thank you, Margaret. It’s been so long since I left home, I’ve forgotten what those feelings are like! šŸ˜‚

      I must admit I had no idea what I was going to say about those boxes. Then I saw a post on Facebook of my nephew’s daughter smiling and waving, her new college behind her, and it all fell into place.

      Thank you for sharing your thoughts; I’m delighted to know you enjoyed this story.

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  22. That sounds very much like the day we took our older one to uni for the first time. That was twenty years ago and she is still friends with the ones from her corridor that she met that first day.

    That song and video is on my list of possibles for an upcoming SLS šŸ˜‰

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      1. I think you struck a chord with many parents whose kids have studied at a uni away from home. Iā€™ve played that same video for a Tuesday Tunes post – the exuberance of the dancers is infectious!

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          1. I was always encouraged to go to a uni which would require living away from home, as being a part of the whole experience. For me, it just wouldnā€™t have been the same if Iā€™d been commuting from home. My ex-wife and I met at uni, so it was a no brainer to encourage Katy to do the same.

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            1. My sons attended the same uni as their father, uncles, cousins. It was a family tradition which only ended recently with my nephew’s daughter choosing a different school. I don’t believe college is a one size fits all type of experience. The choice of living at home or away is a very personal one and varies greatly from student to student.

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              1. My ex and I were both the first in our families to go to uni, so we didnā€™t have that tradition. I agree that it is a personal choice for the student, and we took Katy to view a number of options. Not having one nearby her only option to study from home would have been to commute into one of the London unis, and she just didnā€™t fancy that. Having been a commuter for most of my working life I could see why!

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                  1. Thatā€™s a pretty drastic way to get out of commuting! I did it for all but two of my thirty eight years of working, by mainline train, the tube (our ā€˜subwayā€™) and car when one came with the job. Plenty of horror stories there too!

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