I'll just call her Tania, a girl-child born against the odds of ever being loved.

I don't have proof but I know people who do. Angels walk among us. I can talk about it now, but I still can't reveal her name, so I'll just call her Tania, a girl-child born against the odds and never dreaming she'd be on her own with no one to guide her and nothing to indicate she was loved, though she was, if not most of the time at least some of the time, enough of the time for her to grab a moment or two, slip them into her pocket and store them away like precious gems.

That's how she created happiness, moment to moment, one encouraging word and then another until she was nearly thirteen and living in an orphanage where she met Dee but because the older boy was tender and kind, she loved him enough to do him the favor of breaking up before she broke his heart. Still he lingered, tarried, and sought to be near just in case she needed him, which she never did until after he was gone.

It was probably a heart attack because he would never abandon her, but she never knew what happened for sure. She began to regret the fact that she barely even knew him at all and couldn't determine what made him stay through the years knowing she had missed too much love to manufacture enough for even herself. So for a while after turning eighteen, she wandered from town to town hoping she'd see his face across the bar counter or his strong assuring hands serving up drinks while she held out her glass for another round. But it never happened. He had simply vanished.

"Cheers! Cherish the day!" she said after thanking the man at the bar. "I should have had his baby and stayed connected because he was an angel here on earth. I only wish I had some proof that he had been here and somebody once loved me."

"If he was an angel, then he's here right beside you," the older gentleman said. "Why don't you go on home now and crawl into bed." By the time the man had paid for his drinks, Tania was gone.

Somebody I know is an alcoholic but it's a secret they bear each day.

Somebody I know is an alcoholic. Someone you know is an alcoholic. Somebody I know is an alcoholic but it's a secret they bear each day. They know about groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and they could seek help from health care providers or medicaid, but medical records are no secret and many alcoholics fear their information will get shared. They also fear other things – stigma, loss of respect and validation by others, loss of self-esteem, and job loss or lack of promotions.

There is no cure for alcoholism and since it is a progressive disease, it only gets worse over time. The only approach to alcoholism is to 1) stop drinking, 2) join a support group, and 3) stay sober one day at a time. The greatest challenge is to live one day (this day) without alcohol. Whether someone drinks on an hourly basis or yearly basis is not the question. If someone can't handle alcohol, they are either allergic or they are an alcoholic. 

But how do you know if you or someone you know is an alcoholic? There are many tell-tale signs. They might suddenly disappear for several minutes and return in a different mood. Their behavior might become erratic or belligerent. They always drink too much or whenever they drink, something gets out of control. No, it's probably not you. It's probably that they are under the influence of alcohol. 

How do you know you are an alcoholic? You drink too much. You can't drink at all without getting out of control. You deny that you drink too much or that you even drink at all. You hide evidence of drinking. You drink early in the day and can't wait until you get your hands on another bottle.  You only drink on special occasions but one drink is never enough. You need a drink or your bodily functions and reactions will be impaired. These are only a few tell-tale signs of being an alcoholic.

For alcohol abusers, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a good place to start. If you feel your loved one has a problem with alcohol, consider joining Al-Anon, a support group for friends and families of alcoholics.  If you think you have a problem, attend AA meetings. If you don't want to attend meetings in your home time, find a town close by and attend weekly meetings there. Keep in mind, if you see anyone at the meeting, they will be anonymous and so will you. If you happen to know anyone attending the meeting, find comfort in knowing they are in the same situation as you are. Or they wouldn't be there. 

If you are an alcoholic, get help because alcoholism is a progressive disease – it only gets worse. If someone you know has a problematic relationship with alcohol, find answers by attending Al-Anon and asking them to attend AA meetings. After an alcoholic stops drinking, the secret to success in staying sober one day at a time is attending meetings on a regular basis and finding a support group to depend on when the going gets rough.

"Glitches of sunlight reflected in radiant hues" - A poetry writing experience

     Sometimes, I think poetry can save the world. Sometimes, I think it's only meant for me, especially when I think of colors and shadows or the smile in someone's eyes. When it comes to writing poetry, I start with something that makes me feel deeply--a painting, a diamond ring or a simple sunset, like in the photo I took of the most beautiful sky I think I've ever witnessed. After a few weeks of staring at the photo, I added the brief writing below (now a poem in progress). Writing can start anywhere. Sometimes what you write has the colors, rhythm, and nuanced simplicity to be fashioned into a poem. Poetry writing is an art; it's also an experience.

Glitches of sunlight reflected in radiant hues

Just give me a dream to follow
On any given day sprinkled with
Scent of lilac wafting past my window
Settling on morning dew.

Just give me a trace of heaven
Glitches of sunlight reflected in radiant hues
All I need is a simple replacement
For the likes of loving you.

(c) M.H. Johnson
Photo: (c) M.H. Johnson

Humor is an aspect of emotional intelligence, so if you've got it, use it.

Humor has been called "the best medicine" because it has a positive effect on our emotional system. When we laugh, a positive emotional response happens and our level of stress is reduced. Whether the humor is directed at oneself, at others, or at circumstances which seem out of our control, it creates laughter and laughter unites people.

Humor happens when we experience, observe or hear something ludicrous or absurdly incongruous. It's the element of surprise or the element of realizing a bold contradiction to something we take for granted that makes us laugh. The benefits of humor have been compared to the positive effects of cognitive therapy in stopping negative thinking and depression. 

Humor responds to our deep-seated need to feel connected to others.The closest distance between two people is laughter, and humor is an emotional skill that requires focus, timing, keen observation, awareness of others and a bit of artistry in order to make us laugh. When we get the joke, realize the absurdity, and offer the desired response, we do so as part of the group. For example, when we watch a sit-com or talk show, we are aware of a studio audience which reacts as we do. Creating humor requires perfection--having an eye for the incredulous, the audacity to bring it suddenly and surprisingly to our attention, and the tenacity to see it through until someone breaks into laughter. It connects people because it puts a positive and zany spin on normal activities that we all experience, taking us from the mundane to the absurd all in a matter of moments.

Humor is "the best medicine" because it creates laughter, a most contagious eruption. Making people laugh is not only an art but also an emotional skill that can be developed with practice. When we laugh or create laughter, we increase our ability to connect with others. We also create a sense of well being not only for ourselves but for others, as well.

What secrets does your house contain? You might not know, but your imagination knows for sure!

Writing should be effortless, not tedious, at least not until it's time to edit what you think is perfect. One way to start writing is to start with an image like the one above and let your imagination do whatever it wants to do, having no concern for political correctness or any kind of "correctness," for that matter. Once you have finished writing you can edit, make corrections, change the genre from story to poem or do whatever suits you. What I have written below is called a "brief writing" because I don't wish to call it an essay. I might transform it into a short story or poem at a later time or I might not.

Once upon a time, this was much more than a house; it was somebody's home. It is now the SC Welcome Center but it's still a house and like every house, it has history. Things happened here, some good but others, probably not so much. It would be safe to assume the homeowner(s) had assets of many kinds and secrets regarding such assets. But some secrets make beautiful memories. What secrets does this house seem to know?

I have a love-hate relationship with houses. Despite their calm demeanor, their historic value, their planks and stairs or other evidence of life well-lived, houses have personalities, attitudes and secrets. They invite us or dare us to enter. They can reveal a storied or problematic past or they can exude happiness and well-being. It doesn't matter whose name is on the contract, houses have a life and way of their own.  

Houses don't respect us because we hold the keys or because our blood and sweat helped make them beautiful. Houses do what they do--hold us hostage to a lifestyle, a person or a bank mortgage whether we like it or not. Houses sell or don't sell according to plan. They allow us to leave when they want. Houses are not owned; houses own us. They offer a place for our junk in exchange for sustained upkeep. 

Houses can become homes or they can be home-wreckers, depending on their atmospheric pressure. Houses begin to tell a story from the moment we arrive. Each window shielding some heavenly or burdensome truth, which is never shared if we want the house to sell or if we have neighbors who might tell.

Yet, we love and desire houses, working overtime to have one of our very own. Houses don't just look pretty; they validate our achievements, providing a habitat that reflects who we are or who we wish to become. Being validated is an emotional need which gets fulfilled when we make sacrifices and achieve enough to live a positive, successful life.

Despite their secrets houses are irresistible. They give us something to aspire to and something to think we own. More important, they give us a place to store and show off our assets. Most important, they validate us. So for better or worse, we need houses much more than they need us.

Countee Cullen poem illustrates how the brain works.

Science-based evidence proves that our brains are programmed to help us survive, but being in survival mode every minute of the day can lead to a state of depression or a state of constant fear. To keep us feeling safe and contented, the brain is programmed with a system of checks and balances that helps dampen our fear-response or that heightens our attention when we become too relaxed or too fearless. 

Despite keeping our emotions in balance, the brain is biased toward negativity in order to assure our survival. It remains vigilant when it comes to detecting negative emotions. As a result, it remembers negative experiences longer and in more detail, but sometimes when negative emotions appear, the brain can mistakenly detect a threat where there is none. 

When we face negativity, we respond quickly and we rarely forget. Because the brain is highly sensitive to what it perceives as a threat, negative experiences get stored away for future use. It takes several positive experiences to offset one negative experience. An article published 9/30/15 by the Highland Park Presbyterian Day School explains it very simply:

Brain science research shows that a negative experience has about seven times the impact on our brains than a positive one. We are wired this way originally for survival reasons. If you sense a threat (i.e. a predator in the bushes) an overreaction is a safer bet than underreacting.  

The poem that follows written by Countee Cullen further illustrates the point:

Incident

Once riding in old Baltimore,

Heart-filled, head-filled with glee,

I saw a Baltimorean

Keep looking straight at me.

Now I was eight and very small,

And he was no whit bigger,

And so I smiled, but he poked out

His tongue, and called me, 'Nigger.'

I saw the whole of Baltimore

From May until December;

Of all the things that happened there

That's all that I remember.

The speaker is reflecting on a time during childhood, but it is an experience he remembers in adulthood. The speaker probably never visited Baltimore again. 

Would you?

Photos, Flash Fiction or Six-Word Stories can create exciting writing experiences!

Happiness is a matter of perspective.

I'm always writing or thinking about writing. When I took these photos, I didn't know what I had in mind. One is a photo of the new and improved Coney Island in New York City. The other is  a photo of a late night NYC subway train that takes an hour to reach its final destination. Both experiences created a sense of happiness last time I visited. I decided to write a six-word story (listed above) based on the two photos so as to get started because thinking too long and hard leaves the mind in a muddle.

Writing a story begins with a thought. In a split second, you know what a story is about. The challenge is writing in some logical order. One way to approach writing is to start with what you know & keep it simple. You might find the following thoughts useful:

• Keep it simple. That's where flash fiction or six-word stories can be helpful.

• Visit http://www.sixwordstories.net.

• In six words, create a story of your own linking the two photos (above).

• Try writing an original six-word story of your own using your imagination or your own photos.

• Think positive, relax, and experiment. If you don't like your writing, junk it.  If you really like what you wrote, post it. The idea is to get writing, even when you think you don't have much to say.