More Prompts

13. What is something you loved doing when you were younger, but don't do anymore? Why did you stop doing it?

I used to love riding my bicycle, especially in the summer when we stayed with my grandmother in Salem. We'd whizz around the block, constantly making a loop. There was a funky little forest service station at the end of the block, and they'd planted pine trees there. We turned that into a road course, racing our bicycles around the trees and along the paths that we'd swept up so the pine needles wouldn't wreck us.

We weren't supposed to ride our bicycles across Apperson Drive, nor we were supposed to ride them beyond the "haunted" house down the lane. As we grew older, though, we were allowed to ride them all the way into the City of Salem, where we could stop in at Newberry's for a toy, go to Brooks-Byrd Pharmacy for a snow-cone, and window shop at Ridenhour Music Store. My older uncle had to be along with us, though, for those rides, and since he was four years older than the rest of us, they didn't happen very often. At that age, four years is a lifetime.

I stopped riding bicycles because I learned to drive and received my driver's license. When you live in a rural area, bicycles are limiting. Cars give you a pass all the way to hell and back.

14. How do you show others love? What do others do that make you feel loved?

I learned a lot when I read the book, The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman. The 5 ways to show love, according to him, are physical contact, words of affirmation, acts of service, quality time, and receiving gifts. I show love to others in all of these ways, but mostly through time, offering words of affirmation, and giving gifts. It really hurts me when people don't want to receive gifts from me, but I generally honor their request. My husband is big on physical contact and acts of service.

15. What is something other people think is fun that you would never do? Why not? What would happen if you did it?

I don't find parties fun, in general. Some parties are ok if alcohol is not involved, but there is little worse than being sober while everyone else is drunk and thinking they are hilarious when they're just idiots. Generally, I wouldn't have a good time and someone would call me a stick in the mud or some such, which is a good reason not to go to parties.