On Fridays around these parts we like to write. Not for comments or traffic or anyone else’s agenda. But for fun, for practice, for joy at the sound of syllables, sentences and paragraphs all strung together by the voice of the speaker.

We love to just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. For five minutes flat. All on the same topic.

Not sure how to participate – the step-by-step directions are over here:

Here’s how we do it:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.

2. Link back here and invite others to join in {you can grab the button code in my blog’s footer}.

3. Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you. Every writer longs to feel heard.

OK, are you ready? Give us your best five minutes for the prompt:

Beautiful…

Five Minute Friday

GO:

Her pink cheeks. The text message from my dad in South Africa. His tan lines. Those stranded blue crocs. The way the curtains blow gently as the air vents puffs out cool breezes. The two sconces that a friend hung and the candles in strips of chocolate that Zoe helped me pick out. The bureau I inherited from a grandpa who inherited it from his great grandpa across the ocean. How she lisps. How her brothers hug her good night every night. How the car can be packed full of this family and a back pack of snacks for each kid and the six hours ahead. Rain on a summer afternoon. The pool when the sun comes out. Late nights with new library books. The sound of snap, crackle, pop fireworks outside the windows and the neighbor kids’ squeals echoing up in delight. The packing peanuts still stubbornly clinging to the side of the side walk. Old friends. New friends. Afternoons watching each others’ kids. Very gently sunburn over the tops of my shoulders. Flip flops. Cherry Garcia ice cream. Love songs and freedom and a benediction all exploding in the sky at once.

STOP.

Don’t have a blog? No worries, feel free to leave your five minutes in the comments. If you’re reading in an email just click here to come and join us.