Brainstorming: "Good Samaritan" 500 - 1000 words

A good Samaritan who doesn't want to be. Young man. His father owns a gas station. It's generally accepted that he'll work there. For free. After all, it keeps the family afloat and everyone has to do their fair share. But it seems his share is "fairer" than the other. It's generally explained away that he's the oldest, but the next brother in line isn't studying how to tow Buicks out of ditches, but is filling out college applications because he's "smart."

People see the sign on the side of the truck and assume there's no charge. After all didn't this Samaritan pay out of his own pocket to help someone?

Good samaritan--what else. Member of the club. Watches roadsides to assist people. Does it in pairs. Doesn't help where really needed: afraid. Helps where there's a setup: situation doesn't "look" suspicious. Things aren't always as they seem.

Good Samaritan: talking to himself about what he should do. Or who is he really? What is in his heart that makes him care so much about a stranger--moreso than the stranger's own countrymen, and the leaders at that?

Perhaps this opportunity is an answer to a deep need that he has. He returns kindness for grief and grows. Learns the power of forgivness and kindness. There's just as much in it for him in the end, in the way of healing--but internally--as there is for the man who fell among the robbers.

Has no idea how he will be remembered while the person who is causing him grief will fade into obscurity.

True strength of character lies in service to fellow human beings.

Just had to work on that a bit and get the brain muscle moving. I am sitting here in my semi-dark living room. Dim green light rises inside the glass blocks set in the top of the wall beside me and cast just enough light to make pathways clear. I feel the gentle movement of the air as the blades of the ceiling fan toss currents about. It's a distant breeze, not enough to chill me as it would were it any closer.

Thunder rumbles in the distance and I long to turn on the television to see if we're still in line for a rough night. It's almost midnight now, and the projection was for the storm to reach OKC between 11 and 12. So maybe, like all the other storms round about tonight, it too is passing us by. The thunder gets serious every now and then, but still fades into a distant rumble that does not sound threatening.

The dishwasher timer is click-clicking as it nears its starting point. Hank the Cowdog has finally stopped his narrative for the night and the air conditioning unit in the back of the house turned off as well. It's as quiet as it's been all day and I can clearly hear the click of my too-long fingernails on the laptop keys. Rhythm is poor. Mistakes are common.

My eyes keep wanting to close of their own accord but I'm not ready yet for them to do so. Every now and then they win out and I wonder sometime if I'm going to fall asleep with my computer on my lap and wake up when I hear it crash to the floor and break. I'm ridiculous. I really need to sleep if I'm that tired.

But it seems these days I'm always that tired. Since we went to Denton I have not regained my momentum. Really I guess since I went to the writer's conference. I barely made it to Denton because that was one more thing I wouldn't/couldn't/didn't want to handle. I'm scattered and flighty. I get out my listmaker and my datebook and I sit and stare into space and wonder why nothing will come now that it's time for it to. Put it all away and start on something that needs continuity and I will think of a gazillion things I should write down before I forget them.

I wish I could smell rain, but the house is closed up. I think I admitted defeat today. I just get so cranky trying to work in here in the heat. The AC is on and probably will be. We really do need to conserve, though. Now yesterday it was 96 and we turned on the AC for three or four hours before we went to bed. I was perfectly fine with that. Today was so different. Just don't have it in me I guess, even though I need to have "it." Things aren't going to get any better as time marches on.

Pool time is around the corner. I don't want to think about how dirty they are. I just want to walk somewhere that's not going to hurt my knee. Oh there's something else to remember for Wednesday--walking with T. I have questions to type and shoot! there was one other important must-do-tomorrow thing I needed to do. Make a grocery list? That wasn't it. Needs to be done, but that wasn't it. Reserve A's Chicago flight and hotel. Look for missing tenants. Hey that was it. NOW I can sleep.

Sleep. That's it. Sleep.