Gwen Bell – 15 Minutes to Live

We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other. Our age yields no great and perfect persons. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

You just discovered you have fifteen minutes to live.

1. Set a timer for fifteen minutes.

2. Write the story that has to be written.

(Author: Gwen Bell)

#1 Write a Story that has to be written.

My story needs to be written and It is so long that I will just ramble and see what comes out.

First, my real mom died when I was five and she was 33, how she died is not so important but as an adult I

Have a fear of abandonment and fear of commitment. My dad was left with three little girls under the age of six

To care for and run a restaurant that he and his father built with their own hands. Which leads to why I don’t

Cook much as an adult as I was eating out or at the restaurant growing up. My father worked hard and owned

His own business and I grew up being a sort of workaholic as that is all I knew and saw from my father whom I

Honor with great respect.

One day I got married and had a child and my ex walked out on Us when our daughter was 1.5 years old.

I was in shock and codependent upon him. This was a blessing to divorce him and learn so many great lessons as a single mother working many jobs to survive. The life of a single parent is a much needed story to write in my future but not now.

My daughter is 17 and I am 44. Wow, I just realized double digits…44-33 ugh..whatever.

I am afraid of tornado’s or dying in one. I have a memory from when my mother was here and me and my sister were in cribs across the room from one another and it was thundering and lightening and no curtains in the windows. My sister literally fell out of her crib and my mother came running into the bedroom and took her but never came back for me! Thus my created child hood fear as an adult.

Growing up we were not allowed any pets…thus when I got married and moved out I grew to love cats. I am still a cat lover of Dee and Wiley and they are so human I need to write those books too.

I must admit my father said, “children should be seen not heard.”

I remember mowing the lawn growing up and raking leaves and gardening with my father. I loved that.

I know that all this stuff you may not care about but I write it as part of this challenge. Just hit the like button or tweet. Thanks so much. © Jackie Paulson June 1, 2011

But If I had 15 minutes to live I would hope not to know about it and not die in Pain.