Oh the Difficulties!

by Nancy Casey

Your mission today will be to write about a difficult relationship you have with a non-living thing.

Our lives are filled with more-or-less immovable objects that we wish weren’t there. See which ones pop into your mind as you gather your materials and set up your page. Draw a line at the top of the page where a title will go, and mark off some space on the page where you can doodle or draw.

We can have unpleasant relationships with physical things in our environment, such as a dangerous lump in the sidewalk, or a piece of uncomfortable furniture.

We are often challenged by mechanical objects. Maybe you have something like a washing machine, a bicycle, or a door lock that behaves unpredictably and causes emotional strain.

Technology frustrates a lot of people. Is there a type of technology that others seem to use freely and happily while you get stuck at every turn?

Maybe you just don’t get along very well with the weather. Or the smell of frying onions. Bright lights, certain color combinations, a type of music…

When you are challenged by something that can’t talk or think or hear, you are the one doing all the work in the relationship.

Think about a thing that you struggle to get along with and write about that relationship.

You can explain what the relationship is like, how it started, why it doesn’t end, and the work you do to get along. Or instead you could write yourself a pep talk for how you will approach your next interaction in this relationship. Maybe you’ll want to describe all the different ways this relationship has changed over time, or explain why you have this relationship even though it gives you so much trouble.

If you can’t think of what to write about, doodle or draw until an idea comes to you.

Once the page is full, go back over your work and make small changes if you would like. Continue to add color or illustration if you want to.

Be sure to give your work a title and write the date on it, too.

Here is an example of what someone could write.

You can share your work by posting it as a comment below. You can type it in, or take a photo of it and upload the image.

Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. She occasionally teaches a Write-For-You class at the Recovery Center and offers free online writing coaching for people in recovery. For information contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Center.