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LISTS

My reminders

By Babs IversonPublished 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 3 min read
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LISTS
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Yes! I clearly remember! It was in the Fall of 1972. We were members of the waiting wives club/group at Tyndall AFB, Florida. Waiting wives! It's not what you think. We were NOT expecting a baby boy or a baby girl. We were Air Force wives waiting for the return of our husbands who were in Vietnam or Southeast Asia.

Almost fifty years ago, the announcement of thousands of troops being withdrawn from Vietnam made national news and newspaper headlines. It's etched into my memory. Having very vivid memories of this event, my Air Force husband was stationed at a base in Vietnam at that time. He was one among the thousands who were withdrawn from Vietnam only to be transferred to Thailand. Which is another story for another time.

Admittedly, as members of the waiting wives' club, we were provided a much welcomed social break with occasional meetings and a break from our everyday child caregiving duties. When there was a waiting-wives meeting, we were provided on-base child care without charge. Outside of the military and their families, other people were under the misconception that we always received child care for free, we did have to pay for child care for non-meetings activities, and for child care when working.

Naturally, there were a good number of waiting wives in the group. There were two that stand out in my memory, They were Mary and Gay. Gay was short for Gabrielle. Gay was from England. She had a boy and girl that were close to the same ages as my son and daughter. Besides loving her accent, Gay was exceptionally kind and well organized.

Being organized, Gay wrote lists for grocery shopping and to-do lists. If she wrote a list of books that she planned to read or wrote a list of movies she planned to watch, she may have. Really, it's something which I wasn't aware of.

By Eden Constantino on Unsplash

Admittedly, it was the to-do list that grabbed my attention. Writing the list and checking off the item appealed to my Capricorn sensibilities, my reminders. and my accomplishments all in one. The list!

Indeed, the concept of writing a list wasn't totally new to me. Prior to the to-do list. Planning meals and menus on a tight budget of $30.00 a month, it was necessary to write out a detailed grocery shopping list. Sticking strictly to the list, wasn't optional, but it was essential.

While things have changed over the past fifty years, one thing hasn't changed. There is still a need for lists. Continuing my writing a to-do list to this day, the lists serve as reminders. The list keeps me on track. The list reminds me of my accomplishments. On occasions, my to-do list has been written on the backs of envelopes.

When it comes to shopping, there most definitely is a list. With Christmas gifting, a list was made and hand-written. Now, those lists will be typed on my laptop computer. In addition, keeping track of credit cards and credit card purchases, the lists help with my budgeting.

In the past, before grocery shopping, lists were written on any paper that was lying around the house. Now, my cellphone is used for writing grocery and shopping lists. Using the grocery list app, the list and delete capabilities are great for my list-making.

Before the Pandemic, it wasn't unusual for me to write out a list of books that were desired and that were to be checked out from the library. A list of books would be neatly tucked into my purse for my trip to our local library. Also, James Patterson's books that hadn't been read, their titles were on another list in anticipation of my next trip to the library.

Amazingly, it is coming up to two years since my last trip to our local library. Unbelievable!

Nevertheless, my to-do list, my shopping list, and my budget/credit card list are always close at hand. My reminders!

Oops! This story was written for VWP's story involving a list. As you can see, the story is non-fiction. Therefore, it doesn't qualify for Julie Smith's Mini Fiction Challenges (MFC #2). A Fictional story involving a list. However, If you would like more information about Vocal Writing Prompts, you can get it here.

Thank you for reading! You are appreciated!

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About the Creator

Babs Iverson

Barbara J Iversen, also known as Babs Iverson, lives in Texas and loves her grandkids to the moon and back. After writing one story, she found that writing has many benefits especially during a pandemic and a Texas-size Arctic Blast.

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