Taking a Dive

It’s a new year, so I’m going to try something new. Five Minute Fridays are a blogging tradition started by Lisa-Jo Baker. Each Friday hundreds of bloggers take 5 minutes to write on the same theme. No editing. No over-thinking. No backtracking.

So here’s 5 minutes in my brain, on the word:

DIVE

I’m pretty sure most people will read this word and immediately think of something positive. Diving into the fray. Diving deep into the beauty of life and family and possibility. But not me. My first thought is not so inspiring.

I think of toothless, sweaty men playing drama queen. My husband has lots to say about hockey players who “take a dive.” Unless they happen to be playing for his team, then he chuckles and shakes his head indulgently. But the rest of them are useless princesses.

Not that there’s anything wrong with princesses (at least not in our house).

Yesterday our very own drama queen (she long ago graduated from drama princess) took a dive. She had a sore ear and was slightly flushed, but managed to spin it into a life altering ear infection. She plays “verge of death” up to a ‘T’. I suspected we were being played, something to do with gym class and a very tough, athletic teacher (not to mention a hatred of running and wearing the ugly gym shoes I insisted on).

I’d be angry, but I remember doing the same thing myself as a child. Maybe we all do it from time to time.

STOP

Yikes, that 5 minutes just zips by!

To follow up on Her Majesty, The Great Faker: she didn’t “get away” with much. Most of her day was spent in bed, cleaning the house, helping with baby brother or feeling “soooooo bored.” I think she needs more “sooooo bored” in her life; she not only tidied her room without being asked, but she started writing and illustrating her own novel. She also missed Pioneer Girlz, which was a steep price to pay. Both gym class, her strict teacher and the perfectly-good-even-though-they-are-second-hand shoes are back in the mix today. You can’t run away forever.