BEAUTY is in the eye of the beholder -- Jane Kelley

 

What? No Garbage Picking? But that's what I do. 

Maybe it's because my parents grew up during the Depression. Nothing ever went to waste. My father's workshop was full of bits and pieces that he could use to repair anything -- or sometimes turn into whimsical sculptures.  

I don't have his gift for fixing things. Or gardening. But I do collect episodes from people's lives. When bad things happen to me, I comfort myself with the mantra -- it will make a good story. 

And it does. There is an adage -- tragedy plus time equals comedy. I think that tragedy plus time also equals a good story. 

So I don't throw anything away. Maybe I brood a little too long on something someone said. Or dig a little too deep into the meaning behind a random series of events. 

But hey -- I'm a writer! 

And so I couldn't help but be amused when I went to a museum exhibit which was encouraging people to write down their responses to what was on display. 

See the label on the lid? The can is for stories -- not trash. 

Look closer and you'll see. Of course people threw trash there. Or maybe that trash was just on its way to becoming a story? 

 JANE KELLEY is a middle grade author who has been known to use anything to create characters. Including . . . .

Turkey bones.