03/27/2014 Prompt: A blank sheet of paper

The counselor handed him a piece of paper.

“What is this?”

“What does it look like?”

“It is just a piece of paper.”

“Oh, Jim.  You should have learned by now.  It is more than a piece of paper.  Describe it for me.”

“Well, it is a piece of paper.  It looks to be 11 by 8 ½ inches.”  Jim fluttered the paper in his hands. “It seems to be  regular weight paper, not bond.  There isn’t any watermark and there are no other marks on it, so I don’t think it has ever been used.”

“Is that it?  Hmmm. Lets try something different.  Describe yourself.”

Jim shot the counselor a surprised look. “Describe myself?  Isn’t that what I have been doing during all my visits with you? I have told you about my parents and their deaths, about my mom’s marriage to my step-father and about the abuse I suffered as a kid.  I have talked about the abuse I put Tri..my ex girlfriend through.  I have talked about my school and I have talked and talked about how I want to have a family some day...a wife and kids.  I have talked about how I am trying to learn not to be abusive and controlling and how I have tried to work on the exercises you have given me.  I am not sure what more you want.”

“Ok.  Lets look at this a different way.”  The counselor placed a marble in Jim’s other hand.  “The object that I just gave to you could be called a marble, a sphere, a Cats-eye, or a stone.  Just like that object in your hands, you can be described by many different labels.  I want you to give me as many labels as you can but none of them can be derogatory, so although you have tried in the past to say that you are abusive, stupid, controlling and any of a number of other derogatory names, you can’t use any of those labels.  Oh yes, you also need to list the descriptive labels by order of importance.”

Jim stared at the counselor for a few moments, and then haltingly started to speak.

“I am Jim Frayne.  I am the biological son of Win and Katje Frayne. I am the adopted son of Matthew and Madelyne Wheeler and the brother of Honey Wheeler Belden.  I am a college graduate with Bachelor degrees in Sociology and Psychology. I am working on my Masters in Education."

Jim’s voice trailed off and he looked at the marble and the piece of paper in each of  his hands.  

He felt the roundness of the marble, and knew that the shape would never change, as neither would its appearance.  He knew that the marble would be the same tomorrow as it was today.

Then he looked at the piece of paper and knew it would change when something was written on it, or when the paper was folded or torn.   

Jim took a deep breath and continued.  “I am a man with a strength of character.  I can change when needed to make myself better.  I can BE better to make those around me happy, and safe from me and my my actions, even if I can’t guarantee their safety from other forces in their environment or from illness.  I can’t keep from facing loss in my life, but I can change how I deal with that loss.

I am Jim Frayne, and on this sheet of paper, I can begin writing the plan of the rest of my life.”