On the cusp of the New Year, I have a tradition that I call “shredding the old year.” I go through my files and gather old receipts and other papers that I no longer need. Then I feed them through a paper shredder and dump them in the recycle bin. A purge of the old to make room for the new.
This year, I got a bit carried away. I opened my writing drawer with the intent of cleaning out some of my older stories. Stuffed so full of files that you can’t wedge another one in, this drawer contains bits of my writing in various stages of completion. There are published short stories, ones still in need of editing, and those that I started and abandoned unfinished. Among these, I found a file labeled “Story Ideas.” I pulled it out and began rifling through the contents, when I found a surprise—a saved treasure.
Typed on onion-skin pages using an old manual typewriter, “The Doll” was written in high school for Mr. Tortorici’s Approaches to Life class. I don’t remember the exact nature of the assignment, but I do remember that we had been studying Camus and Sartre. Instead of an essay, I had decided to write my piece as a short story on existential themes—a tale about a china doll who finds meaning in her friendship with a tattered, discarded teddy bear.
While I would often make up stories in my head, I rarely wrote them down or shared them with anyone else. And this story felt different…perhaps more personal, introspective, revealing. So with trepidation, I submitted my assignment. My teacher’s hand-written comments are still legible on the cover: “Cheryl, I enjoyed your story very much. It clearly discussed existential themes in a manner that’s both true and entertaining.”
I doubt that Mr. Tortorici had any idea what his kind comments and encouragement meant to me. Back then, I couldn’t imagine that I would one day become a writer. But I have saved that story for all these many years. So thank you, Mr. Tortorici, and all the other teachers who selflessly inspire and teach and encourage. You may never know the impact you had.
All these year later, I reread my short story. It still resonates with me. Definitely not a candidate for the recycle bin. It’s a keeper. I replaced the yellowed pages back in the folder and slipped it into my file drawer. A fond memory of the old to inspire the new.
Do you have a favorite story or something else that you created? Was there a teacher who inspired and encouraged you?