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My ABCs

Challenge accepted

By Dawn SaloisPublished 2 years ago 4 min read
9
Photo by the author.

Arlo. My son, Arlo, is named after his late father. My son is actually Arlo III because his father was Arlo Jr. I consider my son to be my greatest accomplishment and I am proud of the young man he is becoming.

Blackfeet. I am from the Blackfeet reservation in northern Montana. My father’s parents were both Indigenous, but his mother was a member of the Blackfeet tribe and his father was Chippewa-Cree.

California. I have lived in Orange County, California since 2008. The cost of living is ridiculous, but I love the weather. My favorite thing about living here is being able to drive to the beach in a few minutes whenever I feel like going (which is pretty often).

Dad. Although my parents divorced when I was in 8th grade my father stayed involved in our lives. He died in April of 2021, but I still have many good memories of the time I spent with him.

Earth. I feel a deep connection and interdependence with the Earth. The first poem I ever wrote was about my feelings about the Earth and was titled Na'á, which means Mother.

Fiction. I had never actually written anything by choice until June of 2021. I suddenly became interested in writing and most of my earliest pieces were fiction. I’m most comfortable writing fiction because nothing seems as revealing or personal because it’s “not real.”

Glacier National Park. I spent a lot of my youth in and around Glacier National Park. I also had an amazing view of the Rocky Mountains everyday as long as it wasn’t blizzarding or really cloudy.

Horses. My father bred and raised racehorses for many years of his life. He had quarter horses when I was younger and thoroughbreds when I was in my 20's. I worked for him on his ranch for about eight years taking care of the horses and I loved spending time with them and getting to know their personalities.

Isis. One of my favorite TV shows as a child was a series called The Secrets of Isis, which I’ve written an article about. She was one of my favorite superheroes when I was young.

Jalapeños. One of the few foods I really crave is jalapeños. I love them in a lot of different foods and I will actually start to obsess about them if I go too long without eating them.

Krav Maga. Every member of my family, including myself, has spent several years training in Krav Maga. My son even earned his black belt when he was 13 years old.

Little Shell. I am a member of the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe, which is the tribe my paternal grandfather belonged to.

Metallica. My favorite band is Metallica. I have been a fan for most of my life.

Nephew. My nephew is one of the most important people in my life. We lived in the same house through most of his childhood, but he has been living on his own for several years now.

Ocean. I love living near the ocean and being able to go to the beach and walk year-round. I swim too, but only during the warmer months.

Peggy. My mother’s name is Peggy. She lives in Montana and has a cat named Boots.

Quakes. One of my biggest concerns about moving to California was that there would be a lot of earthquakes. I have felt some earthquakes in the time I’ve lived here, but most of them haven’t been too scary.

Rays. One of my favorite things is feeling the sun on my skin. When I take a break during the work day I walk outside to get a few minutes of sun.

Shelley. My sister’s name is Shelley. She is my only sibling. We have been roommates since 2006. We have very different personalities, but we still manage to get along pretty well.

Treasure State. Montana is called the Treasure State. I moved away many years ago, but I still kind of consider it to be home.

Uhura. I’m a big fan of Star Trek, and Uhura has always been one of my favorite characters.

Vegas. I lived in Las Vegas for a couple of years when my son was very young. I also took him to Las Vegas for his first concert in 2018.

Washington. I lived in Washington state for six years. My son was born in Vancouver, Washington. I loved all the trees everywhere, but there was more rain than I wanted to experience.

Xiphoid process. This has always been one of my favorite words because it is fun to say.

Yoda. I am also a lifelong fan of Star Wars. I loved Yoda for all of his witty quotes. My favorite is “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”

Zoology. My dad spent hours reading about animals and teaching me about them when I was a kid. I am still fascinated by all types of knowledge related to animals.

This piece was originally published on Medium in response to a challenge I was tagged in where you write your life alphabetically. It was a lot of fun and I was really surprised which letters were the most difficult to think of a word for.

humanity
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About the Creator

Dawn Salois

Mother of a wonderful son. Writing is a relatively new passion of mine. I love to create my own images. Self-published author of Shadow and Flame.

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

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  1. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

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