Exceptional Something special My Christmas Bonus by Kaiku The Christmas Bonus contest entry

Definition: Bonus- a voluntary addition.... I looked the word 'Bonus' up in Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus. Do you know that the word 'Bonus' is not listed in the area of the Thesaurus? "Really, I said to myself. Very strange indeed." So that means I get to associate whatever I want in order to provide a proper synonym to the word 'Bonus'. So here you go! Faith, love, happiness, sorrow, humor, courage, death, loneliness etc., etc., etc. You might ask, how in the heck do I get away with associating such words with a simple 'voluntary addition'? Let me share a story with you, a short one at that. A few Christmases ago I received an empty leather-bound, cream-colored page book. By empty, I mean that the pages were blank. They were ready for a good inking! This book was a 'bonus' that my superior provided each and every one of his reports. I can't tell you what my fellow colleagues did with their bonus, but I will share what I did with mine. Bare with me for a minute. We all have ways to express our souls; eyes filled with the brightness of the sun, a smile that makes the moon envy or an embrace that brings unimaginable warmth. For some this is a daily means of showing our love of life and others. However, not every individual has this outward stardom. Self expression can be painful, reserved or even a feeling of being unnatural. But, put pencil to paper with this same individual and suddenly a spirit so full of emotion and imagination can be released from collared reservedness, that an avalanche of 'poetic justice' cascades down their path of life. Top it off with an audience eager and willing to 'read and review' their poetic justice, the Joy of Christmas becomes fully realized. If you haven't surmised, this is my story of a Christmas Bonus that has brought great Joy and satisfaction over the past two years. An empty, leather-bound book was sent to me as a Christmas Bonus or gift if you prefer. Empty pages looking squarely at me and providing an invitation to express. At first, I wasn't sure what to do. I was a salesman. My attention to detail was great but my ability to stay on point wavered. I bounced a lot, but creativity was never lacking. It just so happened that I was scheduled to take two weeks off from work over the Christmas Holiday. I could focus on whatever I wanted to. With book in hand, I decided to try my talents at writing. And writing I did. Short verse writing. I felt inadequate in my vocabulary so I decided to write three line statements. Until my younger brother informed me that these efforts were very similar to the writing form of Haiku, did I even know what a Haiku was. I was 65 years old at the time and his mention of Haiku was the first I had ever heard of the form. When my kids heard the story, they just laughed. I began writing and usually wrote about events taking place in my life or had taken place. I wrote of LOVE and FORGIVENESS, HUMOR, LIFE, TRAVEL and a KISS. As an example: Exquisite kisses Seem to occupy my thoughts My lips are starving. I really had fun with this style of writing. So much fun, that I found myself carrying my new found friend with a pen everywhere I went. I became a Haiku machine or so I thought. I wasn't following the true basis of a Haiku (nature intended with humor), my 5-7-5 format came from the belly of life. My efforts spoke of emotion, people and the souls within. It was mine and I didn't care. 'Poetic license' some call it. So now I ask you. "What Christmas Bonus have you ever received that opened the gates of your soul? That invited you to express a detail of life in such few but meaningful words? A bonus that wasn't static in nature but a continual 'avalanche' of emotion that you were able to share, manipulate and breathe life into? A bonus that provided life outside of your own? A bonus that challenged your very existence to improve, expand and express freely and at your very own pace? And a bonus that gave you a sense of worth and satisfaction?" My pen just wanders New and past being exposed A life uncovered. Plus, there was an added Bonus to my initial Bonus - FanStory. I had to test the waters. Were my writings any good? Friends are friends but critics are truth. To my great surprise, two things happened: I received wonderful feedback from 'colleagues' (a term used loosely as I didn't consider myself a writer nor in the same class as the writers I read on FanStory) and I ventured outside my comfort of Haiku expression and dabbled in the short story, 2-4-2, 3-5-3, conversational writing and even Flash Fiction. I was the proverbial kid in the candy store, trying out everything. Yippeeeeee! The kindness and helpful direction of my newly acquired friendships offered a blessing my church pastor would have trouble matching. So, the story of my 'Christmas Bonus' comes to an end. An end only in so much that there will be a period(.) following the last word I ink for this story. A heartfelt thank you goes out to my biggest fan, Jill Scholle, who encourages with a lion's might and my fellow colleagues who provide wisdom, direction and kindness. Thank you until my pen runs dry and then thank you again. Recognized Author Notes This is how I came to write on FanStory and to dabble in writing- period.

© Copyright 2024. Kaiku All rights reserved. Kaiku has granted FanStory.com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.