Teri Rizvi - One Heart with Courage: Essays and Stories

Copyright 2021 by Teri Rizvi. All rights reserved.

The views and opinions expressed in this work are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Braughler Books LLC.

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a scholarly work or book review. For permissions or further information contact Braughler Books LLC at:

Cover and interior illustrations by Julie Lonneman

Printed in the United States of America
Published by Braughler Books LLC., Springboro, Ohio

First printing, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-970063-97-4

ISBN: 978-1-955791-28-1 (e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021917438

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For the Rizvi men
Zafar, Qasim and Ali
with whom I share a journey of the heart.

The author and publisher Braughler Books are donating proceeds from this book to the University of Daytons Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop endowment fund, which helps keep the workshop affordable for writers.

Contents

Prelude

Soon after 2020 dawned, but before the pandemic took hold, I embarked on what Julia Cameron, author of The Artists Way, calls creative recovery.

I began jotting stream-of-consciousness thoughts in longhand. Not every day. And these short essays were not always very good. Thats not the point. The point was to write, to break through whatever was stopping me from creating whether it was procrastination, fear or laziness.

When all of our lives dramatically changed with the worldwide spread of the coronavirus, I revisited my journal. The opening entry suddenly held more meaning.

To be able to stop time, to freeze moments, what a gift that would be. But as the years race by, the inevitable truths emerge in indelible ink, like your permanent record we joke about. Heres what I know now to be true:

So much of life is out of your control. A driver who swerves in front of you. The health scare of a bad mammogram. The unkindness of others. A tornado that uproots trees and lives.

When you feel a lilt in your heart, savor that pure moment of happiness. A connection, a deeply human connection with another person, is magical and perhaps the best gift life can ever bring. True friendships buoy the spirit and are worth more than anything you can buy. Friendship is priceless. Its to be cherished.

Still, people will alternately fill your heart and break it. The only person you can change is yourself. Accept that.

Life is for living and every day is a gift. We all need a support system. We are deeply flawed people, living with new hope every day.

Children are spontaneous, not afraid to take risks. They ask you to push them higher and higher on a swing, never afraid of tumbling out. With age, we lose our courage, and its a quest to regain part of whatever made us feel carefree. Theres a time to be practical and a time to throw reason to the wind. The trick is to instinctively know the difference.

When you ask for help, the universe answers. There is a God. Prayers, deeply expressed, help us through the unknown.

Rereading what I had written just months before, I felt thankful that Id had no idea what 2020 held in store. Who could foresee an extended lockdown that changed our work lives, the crippling fear following a coronavirus diagnosis for a loved one, or a year of political unrest and racial reckoning?

COVID-19 hit home when my husband, Zafar, fought off a mild case. Two tests came back negative for me, yet I battled a mysterious high fever for six days. While I had often thought about compiling my writings for a book, I could never find the time. But as the months of pandemic life stretched toward a year, I thought, If not now, when?

At the University of Daytons Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop, which I founded in 2000, we encourage writers to quit procrastinating. The three words Erma heard from an English professor on campus are our mantra: You can write!

I realized it was time to take those words to heart, with courage. I hope you enjoy these stories and reflections and find the courage to say yes! to the dreams written on your heart.

Teri Rizvi

Spring 2021

I Am From

I am from dog-eared Nancy Drew mysteries

From an endless loop of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass LPs

And my mothers storied meatloaf topped with Heinz catsup.

I am from the sturdy maple tree rising high in the front yard,

The neighbors patch of winters frozen water, our version of Rockefeller Square

In a 1950s plat of ranch homes owned by GM workers.

I am from nightly pickup baseball games played in the shadow of a water tower

and lightning bugs that danced and dodged our outreached Mason jars.

I am from hot fudge sundaes and root beer floats,

Concocted in the family ice cream shop against the backdrop of the suns glorious dip in the evening sky.

I am from Just wait until you have kids of your own! and Because I said so!

And from Olly Olly Oxen Free, the sing-song chant of hide-and-seek games.

I am from summer pilgrimages to Hot Springs, Arkansas, in the family station wagon

And jaunts up the road to watch Johnny Bench and Tony Perez slug the ball.

I am from tradition the turntable spinning Bing Crosbys Silver Bells,

The aroma of roast duck and sauerkraut on New Years Day,

The donning of Easter bonnets and dapper hats, four siblings awkwardly lined up for a family photo by the Impala.

I am from the heartland

Where summer rains soak that majestic maple tree of my childhood,

Its branches stretching skyward in hope, its deep roots grounded in faith.

(Summer 2019)

Sowing Hope

Instead of sitting in a crowded New York Yankees stadium, we hung out in our family room more than 600 miles away and watched Alis graduation from NYUs Silver School of Social Work play out on the TV screen.