engrave | A Dalectable Life

A word prompt to get your creativity flowing this weekend. How you use the prompt is up to you. Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like. Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise. If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it in the comments.

This was supposed to go out yesterday but one thing lead to another and before I knew it, it was bedtime! It seems that this time of year, a certain someone takes over my muse. Yesterday was the eight-year anniversary of Mick’s heart attack and well, hell if this prompt didn’t apply. So, thank you, Sammi, for once again, bringing forth a word that I can use…

There’s nothing quite like

that person

who’s joie de vivre

is so infectious

They remain engraved

in your memories

long after they’re gone

Proof of how much Mick left his mark on any and everyone who met him, his (our) friend Leonard Yelle wrote this on his FB page yesterday:

“About 7-8 years ago I was misbehaving at my company’s Christmas party telling the band that it was a coworkers birthday. . As the band in the restaurant played happy birthday to my confused colleague my phone rang. It was my buddies wife Dale informing me that her husband had suffered a terrible heart attack. I left the party trying to understand it all. I went to see him the next day but he never came out of the coma.

I had met Mick about 10 years earlier on a fishing trip. We had loads in common and became great friends. He’d drop into the shop and as the press ran I’d hear the familiar cheerful sound of Mick’s voice shouting “Buddy” over the running machine , I’d turn and there would be standing Mick with his shit eating grin and mischief dancing in his eyes greeting me. He’d always try to include me into his adventures. Concerts, football tailgating , carting… whatever the outing might be laughter flowed like a tsunami,. His annual Christmas outings with the boys where he’d manage to siphon some money from the company he worked for and pay a few rounds of drinks instead of spending it on his clients and suppliers were an annual highlight. He was a force of nature and a gem of a man, son, father, husband and great friend. I got a chance to speak at his funeral and all I remember was starting off in a room of mostly strangers saying… Hello my name is Leonard and I’m a Mickaholic.

I loved him the minute I met him and I’ll love my dear friend to the day I die. His energy and outlook was infectious.

I hope you’re behaving with my brother buddy and I’ll be see you on the other side down the road.”

Every year, at this time, Leonard changes his profile pic or cover image to the following: