Smack Dab in the Middle

 by Charlotte Bennardo The theme this month is 'rooted'. For over a week, I've been 'rooted' in my bedroom/en suite because of a right hip replacement. My world was limited to how far I could use my walker between bedroom, bathroom, and my office (all on the same floor). The same path, trod over and over, was my world. Photo by Felix Mittermeier: https://www.pexels.com/photo/green-tree-photo-1080401/ Now in week two, I can slowly, carefully, negotiate stairs. I took a walk on the driveway and into my backyard. My world has expanded; I'm no longer rooted in the same, small, circular path.  And writing is like that. We are rooted in our beliefs, our style, our interests. We must continually expand our narrow paths by including diverse characters, new insights, and updated information. What was true in Mark Twain's time when he wrote Huckleberry Finn  is no longer true today: using slang terms for people of color is unacceptable, as well as the racism, although