"Wait! I was just getting started Papi!"

My best friend Estrella and I were having a ball in a Palo Alto parking lot when my dad screamed that it was time to go home. My sister was in need of a computer part that could only be bought in Silicon Valley. This was way before the days of online shopping and instant shipping gratification. I convinced my dad that the ride to Palo Alto warranted bringing a friend along for the ride.

I knew that we would be bored so I brought my coveted bright yellow Sony portable tape player. We were preteens at the time and we thought it was so cool. It was the 80's and loud colors were all the rage. We arrived in Palo Alto and Estrella and I made a beeline for the parking lot. Since there was no one in sight we decided to have a little fun. I perched the yellow boom box on my right shoulder and hit play. "Need you tonight" by INXS blared from my shoulders and Estrella and I strutted all over the parking lot with not a care in the world. We sang and danced like we were the only two people in the world.

Just as we were really getting into it my dad was yelling at us to get in the car and stop being so silly. Estrella and I burst into a fit of giggles and got in the car. All the way home we grinned from ear to ear laughing about our parking lot adventure.

Even though it has been more than 20 years, I still smile when I think of this happy memory!

- This is a short story that I submitted to my weekly writing group.  It is one of my favorites.  I loved it so much that I just had to share here too!

My Overwhelming Fear of Writing

Writing scares me.  It feels so permanent and it just plain scares the living heck out of me.  Years ago when I attended City College, my first year English teacher told me that I was a terrible writer.  From that point on I was afraid of writing.  I never felt that it was good enough.  Before that I had no problem expressing myself.  I knew I wasn't the best, but I felt decent.  Once the fear kicked in I started to fear all things associated with writing, especially grammar.  This year I am working hard to tackle my fear.  Even though my grammar is not great, I am putting myself out there and starting to write more.  I am going to stop being afraid of being judged and even better I am going to have more compassion for myself..my worst critic! I even started being a part of a writing club sharing my writing with complete strangers! Gasp! All of this writing is inspiring me to do more writing.  I have also decided to make the leap and go back to grad school to pursue my doctorate in Public Health.  I figured that this would be a good time to get my writing fears dealt with.  Just taking the time to write this is a big step in the right direction.  I hope that I continue on this journey of feeling uncomfortable and pushing my own boundaries.  Thank you for being a part of my writing journey!