Your December Creativity Mini-Challenge + New, Exclusive Short Story by Me!
+ A quick, 5-minute creative hit to kick off your weekend
Hello, Protagonists! In this post, you’ll find:
🤓 What I’m Reading This Week
🎉 5-minute Creativity Mini-Challenge
✍🏼 A new short story by me (published exclusively here on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY)
📸 Where is the photo from?
🤓 What I’m Reading This Week
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle - (novel) - I love Rebecca Serle’s writing, and this one is off to a lovely start. Every time the main character, Daphne, meets a new man, she receives a piece of paper with his name on it and exactly how much time they’ll be together. It might be just one night, or a few months. But one day, she gets a slip of paper with only a name and no timeframe… Is he her forever person?
“5,500 Year Old Seals Offer Clues About the Birth of Writing” - (article, Gizmodo) - Italian researchers unveiled a new theory about the origins of writing (proto-cuneiform). As a history nerd, it’s always thrilling to me when new information is uncovered about the past, and especially if it’s about writing.
“Scientists Taught Pet Parrots to Video Call Each Other—and the Birds Loved It” - (article, Smithsonian Magazine) - Some scientists wanted to study parrot socialization, as well as see how much parrots understood about screens and the birds on the other side. So they taught them how to make video calls… the results are both fascinating and adorable!
🎉 Your December Creativity Mini-Challenge
It’s a common myth that creativity has to be a huge undertaking. I actually believe we can spark it with just small moments, and anyone can do it, not just professional artists.
Also, these little bursts of creativity can lead to larger inspiration or simply bring a smile. Both are wonderful and enough in their own ways.
So here is your Creativity Mini-Challenge for this month. It’s based on a picture from my life and will only take you five minutes. (Below, you’ll find my take on it, although I admit time gets away from me once I get going.)
Look at the photo of the teddy bear below (alt text available for accessibility).
Tell yourself a super short story or doodle something about it.
(optional) Share what you came up with in the Comments below!
REMEMBER—This is supposed to be whimsically rough! It’s not about perfection. It’s five minutes to dream—just for you. Have fun!
CREATIVE.INSPIRED.HAPPY is a warm, vibrant community of thousands who believe that EVERYONE can spark creativity and build an inspired, happier life.
✍🏼 My whimsically rough, super short story
Last night when she’d gone to bed, Helen had been a lonely 29-year-old woman. This morning, she woke up and she was… a teddy bear?
It was too much of a shock to even ponder the strangeness of it all, let alone how such a thing could happen.
She wouldn’t have even known she was a teddy bear, except she could see her reflection in a mirror next to a rack of toddler-sized costumes, bins of colorful plastic toys, and a bookshelf of picture books.
I am a teddy bear inside a preschool, Helen said to herself, as if thinking the words would help process this impossibility.
But then, just as shockingly sudden as waking up no longer human, the room burst into a cacophony of giddy voices, shouting at the top of their lungs as they sprinted into the room.
“Let’s play house!”
“No, storytime first!”
“Can we color?”
Among the screaming, though, was one quiet, whispered voice. “I just want to hug the teddy bear.”
A small girl with a head of curly brown hair approached and smiled shyly at Helen. The girl picked up teddy-Helen and held her close, nuzzling soft face against soft face.
“Stay with me today, okay?” the little voice asked.
“Okay,” Helen said. And although she didn’t actually make a sound, the little girl seemed to know, because she hugged Helen tighter.
And Helen didn’t feel lonely anymore.
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📸 Where is the photo from?
The photo above was from my friend’s preschool. The kids invented a game for themselves where they hid “hello” messages all over the classroom. We adults don’t know why they did it, but they thought it was very funny!
I watched her from where she placed me on top of the dresser, after writing a note and attaching it to me. She tucked in her sheets and spread out the crinkles, she stepped back and admired her work. Great work for any 8 year old. Her mothers yell of " time to go" startled her, while lost in her admiration of a job well done. She quickly gripped her backpack in her hand and dashed down the stairs. Forgetting to place me in my spot in the center of the bed. There I sat on the dresser, feeling sorry for myself. No I love you morning squeeze, no comfort of the bed. left here forgotten on this hard dresser, unable to see out my window where I could watch her school bus come home. No way to tell the time of the day or how much longer I had to sit here and wait for her return. I heard the sound of the door and the excitement of knowing I would see her in a few more seconds made sitting here worth the while. When the door opened ,my heightened heart dropped. Who were these people and what where they doing here? Where was my person? Why where they wandering around the room, opening doors, looking out windows? The woman paused, while rubbing her tummy, smiled at me and said hello to you too. The warmth of her smile made me warm inside and yet made me miss my person more, where was she? why was she taking so long to come home? What felt like forever I finally heard the door my heart lifted as I heard the running of feet coming up the stairs, the door flew open and there she was. I could see her face drop and the panic when she looked at her bed. As she scanned the room as her eyes warmed as they landed on me and the smile lit up her face. She grabbed me hugged me tightly. Oh Teddy I missed you. Did you met the nice people? Did you see the baby that will take my room. The lady said you were the best part of the room and wanted to know if you came with the home. I knew you would let them know it was a good home despite what had happened in it. No worries teddy, your coming with me to grandmas they can get there own teddy to protect the baby like you have me, always.
Benny the Bear cried out from the corner of the room. Sunlight shone upon him and a price tag still dangled from his neck. “Is there anyone here?” he shouted, but he heard his owner in the kitchen making breakfast. “I’m a person, too.”
He knew that within lay a dream, of the person he could be. A child, Becky, was sleeping in a bedroom upstairs. He wanted to go for a walk but he only could do it by her hands. “Take me to her,” he shouted. “Let me live.”
The owner stomped into the room and put him on a shelf. “I’m late for work,” he said.