Edna’s Room – Impossible to clean (Friday Fictioneers) and EQ info

Posted on by Prior...

Edna’s Room (fiction word count: 100)

Coming back to Edna’s place

puts a smile upon my face

She passed away more than ninety days ago

yet her plants continue to grow

Sometimes when delightful people pass

grief has an undertone of laugh

           Recalling eccentric ways

               silly days…

          fun phases

            shared stages

Memories flood the head

As wet eyes help release some dread

Resisting the urge to ask, “Why?”

And not thinking of her as dead-

Knowing in heaven we shall meet again

Yes, we will Edna, my sweet friend….

But cleaning your room

is impossible to do

Because each crack and crevice

reminds me of you

___

___

This short fiction piece is to join in with Friday Fictioneers – go here to join in or to read more entries for this photo prompt.

Author’s notes:

I did not know anyone named Edna, but the thought of someone “delightful” living in this room was the first thing I imagined when I saw the photo prompt (photo was from the Potters this week).

And a few times this month I have had some mini-chats about people passing away – and one thing that came up was how certain people- perhaps delightful people – are missed with smiles sometimes. Their memory might invoke a smirk, a laugh – and then a tear.

Also, I know a few folks who are kind of mean and just selfish, demanding, and even rude. I am not judging their plight and I am not suggesting Pollyanna behavior that annoys; but I do think that those kind of folks – the ones that bite at you and leave a stench vibe in the air – well they do not leave behind a sweet essence like Edna would have.

To further add to the topic, I just noticed that over at Pensitivity blog

(here)

The blogger wrote: “I’ve said before that Hubby and I come as a double act, one of our key points of every day is to make at least one person smile.” What an awesome aim!They also wrote about the departed Bruce Forsyth (who I did not really know too much about….) and his famous line: “Nice to see you, to see you Nice”.

The pensitivity blog reminded me that people with high emotional intelligence usually care about about the impact they leave behind. And again – I am not suggesting to overdo the niceness or to unnaturally use humor- instead – I am suggesting that some folks need to humbly work at being more socially warm and maybe need to stop being a big ol’ crank. People who are older can change, like how Martin Seligman changed – it was the sum of many parts that finally gave him the boot in the head about his constant crabby and negative demeanor. One day when his granddaughter called him out on always being a big grump – he saw the light. We can still be true to who we are while being more mindful of others – and in the end – it has many rippling fruits.

 

 

 

60 thoughts on “Edna’s Room – Impossible to clean (Friday Fictioneers) and EQ info”

        1. I realized that last night when I went back to look – saw the updates – but thanks for coming back. And I usually use blog handles and so will just use Pens from now on….
          and again, I really like what you wrote in that post (and other times) because there is this beautiful genuine caring from you two about how you leave others feeling after they are around you. 🙂

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        3. oh that was nice to read – “look after the little ones”
          and reminds me of the saying “what you do for the least of these…”
          and I think we forget the power of small joys and little essences we leave behind – well you two know – but if more people realized how it adds up – well they would work harder at it (and I have to admit that I am thinking of someone who is in one of our circles right now who is a complete crab – ugh… and not sure how to help them…. and they drain…)

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        4. I worked with someone like that, miserable every single day and we got sick of pretending it was PMS. It made me all the more determined to be cheerful on a Monday morning, and that had the opposite effect on a lot of people too! Oops!!

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  3. My grandmother’s name was Edna. I think of her every time I hear that name.

    Emotional Intelligence was the subject of the 360-Reviews we had at work. That is not a pleasant memory.

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    1. well I did not know that you had an Edna in the family – and hope it was okay to read it here – for some reason that was the name I thought of with that room – and sorry to stir up bad memories with the EQ – and on a side note – most reviews are so stupid and end up deflating more than encouraging and improving work, ya know?

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      1. Well, I see myself as green and yellow high EI, but somewhere in the middle of blue. I don’t fancy red at all. or is that not how one is supposed to judge and be judged?

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        1. ohhhhh – I get it – and thanks for chiming in like that – and usually this is referred to as “EQ” and not “EI”
          anyhow – your feedback reminds me that I don’t like the red at all (for either side) and I also think the blue for the high EQ side (right) does not come across accurately for that –
          and maybe people pick their top two from each category ???
          lastly – it does tell me something about you to hear that you are somewhere in the middle of blue….

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  10. Your poem is beautiful, Prior. And I do believe that people leave behind their imprint in a place and you can read it in the walls, even if their possessions are no longer in situ. There are cold houses and warm houses, and this has nothing to do with the temperature but something on a different level altogether. In the past, when looking to buy a house, I always had a sense of whether past occupants had been happy or sad living there. By the way, one of my grandmothers was called Edna!

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    1. well right on to the Edna Grandmother’s out there.
      and I meant to ask you where this photo was taken- (and maybe you noted it on your blog – I will be over to see) but it is very interesting and I am glad Rochelle picked it – the lights are so unique – and of course – the spider and its web.
      🙂
      and I think I know what you mean about how you could sense some of the energy from past owners. that was interesting to read….

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      1. The picture was taken in my kitchen extension. We don’t bother having curtains or blinds for that huge picture window, as nobody can see in from the back of the house. There is a high rockery outside the window and then the garden slopes upwards. The rockery looks wonderful in the summer, especially when the white anenomes are in bloom. At night, their petals seem to glow in the dark and when its windy, they dance!

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        1. oh that is so nice to read.
          and how nice to not need blinds with a view like that!
          also – I heard that spiders are a sign of a healthy (non-toxic) home – so here is to clean air

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  12. I could very well believe Edna existed and the emotions she would have evoked in others. I do agree with you about trying harder to be happier, gentler softer and kinder. But I have noticed people find it easier to be all this and more with strangers and friends rather than family. Inexplicable but there it is. A thought provoking piece Y. Have a wonderful Sunday 🙂

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    1. Hi DawD – well the reason it is easier is to be nice to strangers (at times) might be because there is a freshness there. Burnout can creep in – and well – then there are times when folks just reach out to strangers for the high and maybe in a selfish way they reach out (as it invigorates) and then they forget the basics of family (less invigorating) and we see this in some church settings – saving the world but not tending to basic family needs.
      and quick note – sometimes I hate the word happiness – which is based on happenings and well – it just has a flighty base to it – so I think being positive or mindful not necessarily striving for happy. I dunno – maybe too much semantics -sum it up: just don’t be a jerk to people and watch the friggin demandingness – and if there is a problem every where you go – well um – might be time to look in the mirror instead of rationalizing every situation away as “them” or “my rights”

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      1. Yes of course one needs to stop pointing fingers at others but with family and spouses I think perhaps it has something to do with taking for granted. And since they are ‘bound’ there is no need to pretend but then again that’s no license to be as rude as one likes is there?

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        1. well i was not referring to close family or spouses in this case – distant family in a circle of circumstance – and maybe even church ties – lol
          and love how you said it:

          “no license to be as rude as one likes”

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  13. Such a wonderful story/ poem – such love and feeling for Edna comes across so strongly, and the difficulty of carrying on.

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    1. wow – thanks for your summary – i did not realize it but that was exactly it – the love and the carrying on hard part

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  14. This is one poem I can follow. I’ve always limited myself to this type of poem. Roses are red, violets are blue, most poems rhyme, but this one doesn’t. I’m not very sophisticated,,,, I truly loved Edna’s room thanks for putting it together.

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    1. hahaha – dan you are so funny.
      and I know everyone is so varied with their poetry preferences – like I heard one journal will not accept rhyming ones – so your version of roses are red might be accepted! hah
      and for me – I don’t mind some “deep” poems but the real layered-symbolic-weird ones – yawn yawn yawn
      oh and thanks for your visit and comment –

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