A Peek Into My Mind

~Into the Unknown~

/ Susan A. Royal / Leave a comment

In memory of Daylon Jones Royal, born February 15, 1945.

Susan A. Royal

…This is something I posted a few years ago…

While channel surfing a while back, I happened to catch the end of Close Encounters. Never see that movie that I don’t think of my husband. Especially now that he’s gone. It was one of his all-time favorites. I never really thought about it until today, but now I understand why.

In the movie Richard Dreyfuss plays Roy Neary, an average middle-class guy who loves his family and works hard to provide for them. Only there’s another side to his character. He still believes in magic. In the movie, when Roy experiences a close encounter, he doubts his sanity. But he can’t let it go, because deep down inside he wants it to be true. So he makes up his mind to prove it.

My husband was the same kind of man. He worked hard, took care of his family…

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~Into the Unknown~

/ Susan A. Royal / 2 Comments

 / SUSAN A. ROYAL / EDIT

Daylon Jones Royal February 15, 1945 – October 20, 2015

While channel surfing a while back, I happened to catch the end of Close Encounters. Never see that movie that I don’t think of my husband. Especially now that he’s gone. It was one of his all-time favorites. I never really thought about it until today, but now I understand why.

In the movie, Richard Dreyfuss plays Roy Neary, an average middle-class guy who loves his family and works hard to provide for them. Only there’s another side to his character. He still believes in magic. In the movie, when Roy experiences a close encounter, he doubts his sanity. But he can’t let it go, because deep down inside he wants it to be true. So he makes up his mind to prove it.

My husband was the same kind of man. He worked hard, took care of his family and lived a quiet life. But like Roy, there was more to him than met the eye. The casual observer never saw his keen sense of adventure. He had a fascination for the mysterious, the unexplained. The idea of travelers from another world was intriguing to him.

He would have loved the chance to do what Roy did. So it isn’t hard to visualize him standing on the runway at the end of the movie, all smiles. Reluctant to leave his life on earth, yet filled with nervous anticipation at the thought of going on an adventure beyond the stars.

I like to think that’s exactly what he’s doing right now. And I’m certain he’s enjoying every minute.

And someday, I’ll join him.

July 20, 1969

/ Susan A. Royal / 2 Comments

I’ll never forget that summer. After a whirlwind romance, my boyfriend had asked me to marry him and we were busy planning our October wedding. And of course, we spent every moment together. Otherwise I might missed it altogether. He was in the Air National Guard and was fascinated with anything to do with flying and/or space travel. So when he found out they were going to broadcast the landing on the moon on television, we had to watch.

So there we were, sitting in my parents family room, watching their black and white twenty-something inch television that didn’t get very good reception. To be honest, the whole space thing didn’t mean that much to me. But I knew it did to him. And, I was just happy that we were spending time together. So we watched.

On 10:56 p.m. ET on July 20, 1969, the American astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped off that ladder and planted his left foot on the moon. Then, he said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Suddenly, I understood. Mankind had taken a giant step toward the future. We’d gone where no man had gone before. And I cried.

~The Pyrex Bowls~

/ Susan A. Royal / Leave a comment

I have a lot of keepsakes. Most of them aren’t antiques or collector’s items, but they’re special to me. Why? Because they come with memories attached. And what is more precious than a memory? These Pyrex bowls belonged to my mother. They may have been a wedding present. She used the largest one when she made potato salad. Every time I use one of them, I think about her.  

Yesterday

/ Susan A. Royal / Leave a comment

This is something I wrote a long time ago. One of the first things I ever submitted to a contest. Needless to say, it’s gone through some editing since I won first place with it. A writer never stops tweaking!

These days, I just sit out on the front porch in a daze.  My family doesn’t know what to do with me. To them, I’m an old woman living in the past. They don’t know I can time travel. Snicker all you want, but it’s true.     

Anything can trigger it. A gentle breeze lifting the hair on my arms, the sound of someone’s voice, smells like honeysuckle or roses, children’s laughter. The memories come, faded at first like old black and white photographs of days gone by. And if I concentrate on them long enough, I’m young again, full of hopes and dreams and promises.

It’s a trip. Sparks of emotion exploding into fireworks. An aching lump in my throat. Joy mixed with regret. Bittersweet. Too much to bear sometimes, but I can’t stop myself. 

When I was young, I charged ahead at breakneck speed without savoring precious moments or taking the time to breathe. Learned my lesson far too late. Now I take my time. Close my eyes and watch everything unfold again. 

This is where I want to be from now on…